Temper Tamers In a Jar®: Helping Kids Cool Off and Manage Anger

I don't post review often but I have discovered this little jar after searching for games for my kids for the summer. Each of us has been drawing cards out every day! We follow instructions by either sharing or acting out. We have sharing and discussion. I cannot believe how useful these cards are. We are learning to compromise in cases of conflict. We are learning to stand in others people's shoes, learning to listen without interruption and arguments. We had cries and laughs about the silly little things that bothered us. We are getting into a habit of finding resolutions, letting go of unhappy emotions, not putting each other in the wrong, admitting mistakes, forgiving, forgetting and loving. We are learning to let the unhappy past stay where it belongs, not letting it bother us in our present life and not letting it reappear again in the future.Love, as is life, is a journey. We draw out cards, we share, discuss, listen and declare our love for each other from the beginning of the day. How beautiful the world could be if everyone can do the same. Life is too short. We all have only 24 hours a day. By making a habit of declaring our love and renewing our loving relationship among our family members, I have come to realize how much time we had wasted since we were born by holding negative emotions against each others and on the negative experiences that do not worth occupying any space and time in our lives. These cards have been helping us to create more joyful experiences to our relationships with others.

This game is a great way to engage children in discussion about anger and help them to adopt new ways to deal with their angry thoughts and feelings. I have used this game for children 11 and older as the questions seem to be more geared toward that age group. I like this teaches the children how to control their anger or temper and how to express their feelings in positive ways. There are four different type of cards: Share (you ask a question and it gives the children an opportunity to share a real life experience they have had), Act (child acts out a positive way to manage a situation - such as practice listening without interrupting so you don't jump to conclusions), Tips (is a helpful tip - coping tool - such as forgive others rather than hold a grudge, everyone makes mistakes), and Do (is sort of like a test, it gives you a scenario and then you ask the children what would you do and this helps you understand their thought process and what they are thinking so that you can guide them in the right way). The children are engaged in this game and do take it seriously. Several shared stories where they realized that their actions were wrong and why it was wrong. So, it definitely puts a hot topic on the table in a fun way to discuss it without being confrontational.

I’m a therapist who works with children and I’ve been searching for a game that works well for telehealth sessions. These cards are great to ask kids for a fun change of pace during session but many of the cards are related to being physically pushed or verbally harassed which doesn’t offer much variety. I would have liked some more cards related to social media use or mean comments online. I don’t think kids can relate to someone shoving them down on the sidewalk as much anymore, certainly not as much as being cyber bullied. I would also have liked more innocent anger triggers than blatant violence or harassment because anyone would be angry at being shoved but kids with anger management issues get mad at more normal every day situations. Just something to think about.

I'm an MFT student intern working outpatient in a behavioral health hospital, and I absolutely love these cards. I created my own bingo game using them, and it's always a huge hit with the kids ages 5-12. Especially given the price (and my intern status) I'm delighted with this product. The cards range from tips the kids can act out, to some thought-provoking questions (the kids love the ones about what adults could do differently), to situations for kids to act out solutions to. I'll be buying more of these In a Jar products!

My daughter put these on her wish list for her classroom. She told me the kids love them and she's very happy !!!

I've had these for a little while now, mainly for my almost 11 year old. I was worried that he would find everything too childish, but so far he's been intrigued by the cards. They're really just a series of mini flash cards, nothing too special. There are different categories, and some things a kid could read/practice on their own, while some things require two or more participantsThe advice isn't anything new, but the role playing type prompts are nice to have. I think the delivery method helps to make this palatable for kids, where maybe a worksheet or something wouldn't have as much of an impact.My son has ADHD and gets frustrated and flustered easily, so I wanted something to add to his tool chest to help with his anger and frustration. It's not a miracle cure or anything, but it is a little more information to give to kids to help them navigate emotions.

This exceeded my expectations - yes, the quality of the paper cards could be better (they are a little thin) but the content is excellent with great conversation starters. I'm using it for my child and spouse! Fun dinnertime talk if you get people discussing feelings in a non-confrontational setting with neutral prompts like these cards.

It’s a great size to easily carry with you everywhere. My kids love it. I use it for therapy sessions.