# Meet Your Inner Team - Link: https://clearingintheforest.org/meet-your-inner-team/ - Published: 2026-10-20T21:59:35+00:00 - Author: Saal_clearingforest [ 🌲 A clearing in the forest ](https://clearingintheforest.org/) [ All pages ](https://clearingintheforest.org/?page_id=267#pages) For ages 8 to 12 · and curious grown-ups # Meet Your Inner Team Why does one bit of you want to do your homework, and another bit want to hide under a blanket with a biscuit? Let’s find out! 🤔 Part 1 ## Everyone has a team inside Have you ever said _“part of me wants to go to the party, but part of me doesn’t”_? That’s not you being weird. That’s your **inner team** talking! ![Two boys pulling silly faces at the camera](https://images.unsplash.com/photo- 1524503033411-c9566986fc8f?w=1200&q=75&auto=format&fit=crop) Photo: [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/FtL07GM9Q7Y) Everybody has lots of different **parts** inside them, a bit like a team of characters. Each one has its own feelings, ideas and jobs. Grown-ups have them too (yes, even teachers!). Some grown-ups who help people with feelings call this idea **Internal Family Systems**. We’ll just call it your inner team. 👋 Part 2 ## Meet the team Here are some of the team members lots of people have. Tap each one to see what it does! Tap a card to meet each part of the team! 💛 Part 3 ## There are no baddies on your team Here’s the big secret: **every part is trying to help you**, even the ones that are a bit annoying! They just don’t always pick the best way to do it. **Buster:** “You felt left out at lunch! EMERGENCY! Quick, let’s play games for five hours so you don’t feel it!” **You:** “Thanks Buster… but maybe I could just tell Mum how I feel?” If you shout at a part or try to get rid of it, it usually just shouts louder. If you’re kind and curious, it can calm down. 🎮 Part 4 ## Game: who’s talking? Read the thought. Which team member do you think said it? There are no wrong answers that matter, just have fun! Round 1 of 8 Who's talking? ☀️ Part 5 ## The Captain is YOU Underneath all the busy team members there’s someone special: **the Captain**. The Captain is the calm, kind middle of you. It never goes away, even when the team is being really noisy. The Captain is: 😌 Calm 🔍 Curious 💛 Kind 🦁 Brave ✨ Clear-headed ![A girl sitting calmly among daisies in a sunny forest](https://images.unsplash. com/photo-1527212986666-4d2d47a80d5f?w=1200&q=75&auto=format&fit= crop&h=800) Photo: [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/8n00CqwnqO8) When the team gets wobbly, the Captain can help everyone settle. A slow breath is a great way to call the Captain. Try it! Uh-oh! The team is all jittery and wobbly. Can you help them calm down? 🎨 Part 6 ## Make your own part Think of a part of you. Maybe a worried part, a grumpy part, or a silly part. Give it a shape, a colour and a name. What job is it trying to do for you? My part I try to help by... Body shape Colour Eyes Extra Name your part0 / 20 Its job "I try to help by..." 0 / 60 Your part is only saved in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. 🧘 Part 7 ## Try it: say hello to a part Next time a part of you feels big (worried, cross or wobbly), you can try this: 1. **Notice it.** Where do you feel it? Tummy? Chest? Hot face? 2. **Say hello.** “Hi, worried part. I see you.” 3. **Ask what it’s scared of.** “What are you worried would happen?” Then listen. 4. **Say thank you.** “Thanks for trying to look after me.” 5. **Let the Captain help.** Take a slow breath, and ask a grown-up you trust if you need a hand. **Charlie:** “Oh! Nobody’s ever said thank you before. I… I might take a little break.” 😊 ## If a part feels REALLY big Some parts carry old hurts that are too heavy to sort out on your own, and that’s OK. You don’t have to. Tell a grown-up you trust: a parent, carer, teacher, or the school nurse. You can also talk to **Childline** for free, any time, about anything: call **0800 1111** or visit [childline.org.uk](https://www.childline.org.uk). 👩‍👧 For grown-ups This page uses ideas from Internal Family Systems (IFS), a way of understanding the mind as made up of “parts” around a calm core “Self”. The characters are made up for children. It is not therapy and not a diagnosis. If you’re worried about a child’s feelings or behaviour, talk to their GP or school. Older children and teenagers may like [Many Parts, One Self](https://clearingintheforest.org/?page_id=283). Made with care for curious minds. 🌲 [Back to all pages](https://clearingintheforest.org/?page_id=267)