What is Brain Bully? How do you teach it?

Early childhood is where the action is! Little children catch on quickly to ideas which are quirky and amusing. Just look at the Wiggles and their enduring popularity with the younger folk. Tap into their sense of the ridiculous and you have something to work with.

Mr Chin is a character who doesn't finish his jobs. He stops himself because his Brain Bully thinking tells him 'it's too hard.' The video explains what Brain Bully is and how to teach it using the experiences of Mr Chin.

This 7 minute video is for the younger children and suggest ways their parents and carers can help them learn that their thinking, feelings and behaviours are all interconnected. Have a look :) 

Don't Give In Mr. Chin!

It’s useful for children to be taught about the value of hanging in there when the going gets tough. The act of doing the hard stuff is driven by the belief that ‘I can hang tough in tough situations.’ This thinking becomes habitual the more the child negotiates difficult situations successfully. Teachers and parents can help their young charges develop this very important capability in a fun way.

Read this story to your students about Mr. Chin. 

Let me introduce Mr. Chin. He is married to Mrs. Chin. They live in a house in a place called ChiniChinChin. They are the Chins from ChiniChinChin and they have a problem. Mr. Chin gives in.

Mr. Chin would start jobs around the house and he would get tired and not finish them.  He would say ‘I give up’ and he would have a rest and fall asleep.

He dug half a hole in the garden and built half a shed. He mowed half the lawn and shaved half of his beard. He did look funny!

Mrs. Chin said, ‘Have you finished your job Mr. Chin?’ But Mr. Chin was fast asleep in his favourite chair.

Mr. Chin went to the doctor and said ‘I give in when I have tough jobs to do.’ He said ‘you have give in disease.’

‘What’s that?’ Mr. Chin asked. He said, ‘when the job gets tricky you think ‘this is too hard and you give up.’ This stops you from being successful. This is Success Stopper thinking!’

'What will I do doctor? I’m not being successful and my jobs are not finished and Mrs. Chin is sad too.'

He said:

If you want to feel much better

And get all your jobs done

This is what you need to do

And you can have some fun!

When you want to stop

And you are about to give in

Instead of resting in your chair

Say ‘DON’T GIVE IN MR. CHIN!’

Mr. Chin went home and told Mrs. Chin what the doctor had said and Mrs. Chin listened carefully.

The next day when Mr. Chin had mowed half the lawn he said to himself, ‘this is too hard. I think I’ll give up.’ Then he remembered what the doctor told him and said, ‘DON’T GIVE IN MR CHIN!’ And guess what? Mr. Chin finished the whole lawn and he felt very good. Mrs. Chin was happy too.

If you drive past the Chins from ChiniChinChin you will notice that everything is finished! Well-done Mr. Chin. You didn’t give in!’

When your child or student is trying hard say:

‘Don’t give in Mr. Chin!’

When your child or student has completed a task say:

‘You didn’t give in Mr. Chin!’

When your child or student is giving up say:

‘Don’t give in Mr. Chin!’

If they try hard and still don’t quite get there ensure them that sometimes things can be too hard but they kept trying and that’s OK.

Whyalla Foreshore - Whyalla, South Australia