Give your child gentle words for the big feelings inside them
The Parts of Me Home Collection brings together a warm picture book, printable activities, feelings and calming cards and a guide written for you, so you can talk with your child about feelings and behaviour with curiosity instead of worry or blame.
By Angela M. Carter, Registered Social Worker and IFS trained therapist with over 30 years of clinical experience. Illustrated by Aaron Randy.
See how Parts of Me works at home
A short look at the story, the cards and the activities, and how families use them together.
Video for parents and caregivers
Video coming soon
When your child's feelings are bigger than the moment
Every parent knows the moment. A small thing turns into tears, slammed doors, refusal or a shutdown that nothing seems to reach. It is easy to feel worried, worn out or unsure what to say.
Parts of Me gives you a different way in. Together you meet characters who carry the same feelings your child does: the part that worries, the part that gets angry, the part that hides, the part that wants to be brave. Your child learns that a feeling is something they have, not something they are, and you both get words that make it easier to stay close, even on the hard days.
Three things it gives you
Words for what they feel
The story and the Parts Cards give your child names for what is happening inside, so they can tell you instead of showing you.
Ways to settle together
Regulation Cards give you and your child simple things to try when their body needs to settle, before any talking begins.
A shared language at home
Once everyone in the family can say a part of me is worried, there is more room for patience, humour and choice.
Exactly what you receive
Everything is a PDF in your own members area, ready to read on a screen or print at home. There is nothing to wait for and no order you have to follow.
For you and your child
The Parts of Me book
The full illustrated story of the superhero team inside every child, ready to read together one page or the whole book at a time.
Printable activities
28 pages for drawing, making, pretending and wondering, from the Superhero Team to Part Harmony. Choose any page, in any order.
24 Parts Cards
Cards such as A Part That Worries and A Part That Wants to Be Brave help children notice which part is showing up and get curious about what it is trying to do.
24 Regulation Cards
Gentle ideas for movement, sensory noticing, rest, connection and settling, such as I Can Feel My Feet and I Can Shake Out Some Energy. Always optional.
For you, the adult
Home Companion
Creative ways to read, play and make, with ideas for a quiet weekend, after school, bedtime and a rainy day. Your presence matters more than perfect words.
Start Here guide
A gentle guide to choosing, printing and using everything, with a simple chooser for when you are not sure where to begin.
Understanding the Child series
Five research informed guides that bring together child development, IFS and nervous system perspectives, so the language in the story carries into everyday moments.
A look inside
A few of the pages, so you can see the care that has gone into them.
Tap or click any page to see it larger.
Activities to choose from, with no right order
Four pathways through the 28 activity pages
Begin with the pathway that feels easiest, most playful or most relevant today.
Meet the parts
Superhero Team, Manager Parts, Firefighter Parts, Self Energy and Connecting with Exiles
Make and imagine
Parts Collage, Parts Theatre, Parts Map and Parts Swap
Notice and wonder
Parts Interview, Parts Detective and Parts and My Feelings
Reflect and relate
Parts Journal, Part Appreciation, Conflict and Part Harmony
A gentle way to move through an activity
One household, for the children you love
Your licence covers one household. You may read the files, and print or photocopy the activities and cards, for the children in your own home.
Please do not share the files with another household, a teacher, a practitioner or a service. If someone else supports your child, they can choose their own collection, so everyone is speaking the same gentle language.
The full wording is on the licence terms page.
Get the Home Collection
One licence for your household. Your login arrives by email straight after you buy.
The Home Collection
- The Parts of Me book, in PDF
- 28 printable activity pages
- 24 Parts Cards and 24 Regulation Cards
- Home Companion for adults
- Start Here guide
- Understanding the Child series
Also available: Classroom Collection, Practice Collection or the Complete Collection.
Angela M. Carter
Angela is a Registered Social Worker, an IFS trained therapist and a trained DBR practitioner with over 30 years of clinical experience. She is the founder of the Trauma Release Centre and lives in Renwick, Marlborough, in the South Island of New Zealand.
Parts of Me is her children's book applying the principles of Internal Family Systems, illustrated by Aaron Randy, and this collection brings the story together with practical resources for home, school and practice.
Good to know before you buy
What do I receive, and how?
Straight after you buy, you get a login by email. Inside your members area you can download the book, the printable activities, the Parts Cards and Regulation Cards, the Start Here guide, the Home Companion and the five Understanding the Child guides.
What ages is Parts of Me for?
Parts of Me is aimed at children up to 11 years of age. Some three year olds love the story and the pictures and others are not ready yet, so it is fine to follow your child's lead. Adults who have read the book have also told us they found it very informative for themselves.
Do I need to know anything about Internal Family Systems?
No. The story is written for children and the Home Companion and Start Here guide explain everything in plain words. Adults do not need specialist knowledge to begin.
What if my child does not want to join in?
That is completely fine. Nothing needs to be completed, and there is no order to follow. Looking, wondering, laughing or deciding not to continue can all count as taking part, and the pages will be there another day.
Can I use it with more than one child?
Yes. One Home licence covers all the children in your own household.
Can I print the pages?
Yes. You may print or photocopy the activities and cards for the children in your own home.
Can I share the files with my child's teacher or therapist?
Not the files themselves. The Home licence is for one household. Teachers and practitioners each have their own collection, made for the way they work, so that home and school can share the same language.
Is this a replacement for professional support?
Parts of Me is an educational and creative resource. It supports understanding, conversation and connection, and does not replace professional assessment or therapy when a child needs it.
Do you offer refunds?
Because Parts of Me is a digital download that you can open as soon as you buy, all sales are final and we do not offer refunds. Please look through the pages and the list of what is inside before you buy. If a file will not open or download, get in touch and we will put it right. This does not affect any rights you have under consumer law.
