Age-Appropriate ACT Metaphors for Children and Adolescents

Introduction & Research Foundation

Why Metaphors Work for Children: Research demonstrates that children think less literally than adults, making metaphors and experiential approaches particularly effective for helping them grasp abstract concepts (Tayyebi et al., 2024). Children naturally engage with figurative language through fables, stories, and imaginative play, making ACT metaphors an ideal therapeutic tool.

Developmental Principle: Metaphor comprehension follows Piaget's cognitive development stages. The ability to understand metaphors increases steadily with age, with the poorest interpretations showing characteristics of concrete and pre-operational thought, while the best interpretations demonstrate formal operational thinking (Carriedo et al., 2016).

Important Note: ACT's concepts, techniques, strategies, and metaphors must be modified to the appropriate developmental, academic, and communication levels of each child or adolescent. One cannot get too abstract or wordy, especially with children under age ten.

Early Childhood (Ages 5-7): Preoperational Stage

Developmental Characteristics: Limited capacity for abstract thinking, concrete understanding, beginning symbolic representation. Children at this stage benefit from simple, visual, and experiential metaphors that relate to familiar experiences.

1. Weather Inside Me

Emotions are like weather that changes throughout the day. Sometimes we have sunny feelings (happy), sometimes cloudy feelings (sad), and sometimes stormy feelings (angry). Just like weather, our feelings always change.

Implementation: Use a simple weather chart or draw pictures. Have children identify their current "weather" and remember that all weather passes.

2. Snow Globe Mind

Our minds are like snow globes. When we're upset, it's like someone shook the globe and all the snow (thoughts and feelings) are swirling around. When we sit still and breathe, the snow settles and we can see clearly again.

Implementation: Use an actual snow globe as a visual aid. Shake it when discussing upset feelings, then watch it settle together.

3. The Pet Thoughts

Thoughts are like pets that visit our mind. Some are friendly puppies (happy thoughts), some are grumpy cats (worried thoughts). We don't have to play with every pet that visits - we can just notice them and choose which ones to pay attention to.

Implementation: Draw different "pet thoughts" or use stuffed animals to represent different types of thoughts.

Research Note: Children at this stage show limited metaphor comprehension but can understand simple comparisons when supported with concrete visuals and experiential activities (Carriedo et al., 2016).

Middle Childhood (Ages 8-11): Concrete Operational Stage

Developmental Characteristics: Improved logical thinking, better understanding of cause and effect, increased capacity for metaphorical thinking. Research shows eleven-year-olds demonstrate significantly higher metaphor comprehension than seven-year-olds (Carriedo et al., 2016).

1. Passengers on the Bus

You are the bus driver of your life. Thoughts and feelings are passengers who get on your bus - some are nice, some are mean, some are loud. You can't control which passengers get on, but you're still the driver. You choose where the bus goes, even with difficult passengers aboard.

Implementation: Role-play being the bus driver. Discuss how to keep driving toward important places (values) even when passengers are being disruptive.

2. Tug of War with Feelings

When we have difficult feelings, it's like being in a tug-of-war. The harder we pull against our feelings (trying to make them go away), the stronger they pull back. What if we just dropped the rope? The feeling might still be there, but we're not fighting it anymore and can focus on what matters to us.

Implementation: Actually play tug-of-war, then practice "dropping the rope." Discuss how this feels different from struggling.

3. Leaves on a Stream

Imagine sitting by a gentle stream watching leaves float by. Our thoughts are like those leaves - they come and go naturally. We can watch them float past without having to grab onto them or push them away.

Implementation: Practice the guided imagery exercise. Have children draw thoughts on paper leaves and practice letting them "float by."

4. The Quicksand Trap

Worrying thoughts are like quicksand. The more we struggle and fight with our worried thoughts, the deeper we sink. But if we stop struggling and stay calm, we can find a way out or call for help.

Implementation: Demonstrate with kinetic sand or playdough. Show how struggling makes things worse, while staying calm helps us think clearly.

Early Adolescence (Ages 12-14): Transition to Formal Operations

Developmental Characteristics: Developing abstract thinking, increased self-awareness, beginning formal operational thought. Adolescents can handle more complex metaphors and begin to understand psychological flexibility concepts more deeply.

1. The DNAV Framework

Discoverer: The part that explores new experiences
Noticer: The part that observes thoughts and feelings in the present moment
Advisor: The part that gives advice (helpful and unhelpful)
Values: What truly matters to you
This framework helps teens understand different aspects of their inner experience.

Implementation: Have teens identify which "part" is active in different situations. Practice strengthening the Noticer and connecting with Values.

2. Thoughts as Clouds

Thoughts are like clouds in the sky of your mind. Some are light and fluffy (pleasant thoughts), others are dark storm clouds (difficult thoughts). You are the sky - vast, spacious, and unchanging. Clouds come and go, but the sky remains.

Implementation: Use cloud-watching exercises or sky photography. Discuss how the sky (true self) is always there, regardless of weather conditions (thoughts/emotions).

3. The Choice Point

Life is full of choice points - moments where you can move toward what you value or away from it. When facing difficult thoughts or feelings, you can choose: Will you move toward your values or let the discomfort control your actions?

Implementation: Draw choice point diagrams for real-life situations. Practice identifying values-based actions versus avoidance behaviors.

4. The Social Media Mind

Your mind is like a social media feed - constantly showing you posts (thoughts). Some posts are helpful, others are toxic. You can't control what appears in your feed, but you can choose which posts to engage with and which to scroll past.

Implementation: Relate to teens' digital experience. Discuss "unfollowing" unhelpful thought patterns and "engaging mindfully" with useful thoughts.

Research Finding: Tracey et al. (2018) found that combining ACT metaphors with experiential activities significantly improved psychological wellbeing in children at-risk, with participants showing improved emotional regulation and values clarification.

Late Adolescence (Ages 15-18): Advanced Psychological Flexibility

Developmental Characteristics: Full formal operational thinking, advanced abstract reasoning, complex identity formation. Teens can engage with sophisticated metaphors and understand the nuanced concepts of psychological flexibility.

1. The Values Compass

Your values are like a compass that always points toward your true north - what matters most to you. When you're lost in a storm of difficult emotions or social pressure, you can check your compass to find your way back to meaningful action.

Implementation: Create personal values compasses. Practice using them in decision-making scenarios and challenging life situations.

2. The Chess Game

Your thoughts and emotions are like chess pieces - some black (difficult), some white (pleasant). You might think you need to win by getting rid of all the black pieces, but you are actually the chessboard itself - stable, observing, unchanged by what pieces are present.

Implementation: Use an actual chess board. Discuss how the board (true self) remains constant regardless of the game being played (emotional experiences).

3. The Inner GPS

Sometimes life takes you off your planned route through traffic jams (obstacles) or detours (setbacks). Your values are like a GPS that can recalculate - not taking you back to where you were, but finding a new path toward your destination.

Implementation: Map out life goals and values. Discuss how to "recalculate" when facing obstacles, always moving toward meaningful destinations.

4. The Prison of Avoidance

Avoiding difficult experiences can become like building a prison. Each avoidance is another bar on the cell. You might feel safe inside, but you're also trapped and can't reach what you value. True freedom comes from learning to open the door and step outside, even when it feels scary.

Implementation: Identify personal "avoidance prisons." Discuss gradual steps toward valued actions despite discomfort. Create "freedom plans" for breaking out of avoidance patterns.

5. The Garden of Life

Your life is like a garden. Values are the seeds you plant, and your actions are how you water and tend them. Difficult thoughts and emotions are like weeds - they'll always grow, but you can choose where to focus your energy: pulling endless weeds or nurturing what you want to grow.

Implementation: Create life gardens with values as plants. Discuss daily "gardening actions" and how to tend to what matters most while accepting that weeds (difficulties) will always be present.

Implementation Guidelines

Key Research Finding: Children have had less time to adopt entrenched patterns of experiential avoidance, so ACT may operate to achieve both remediation and prevention of psychological inflexibility (Tayyebi et al., 2024).

General Principles:

Keep it concrete: Use visual aids, props, and hands-on activities
Make it active: Children learn better through movement and experience
Stay age-appropriate: Match complexity to developmental stage
Use repetition: Reinforce metaphors through multiple exposures
Encourage creativity: Let children adapt metaphors to their own experiences

Adaptation Strategies:

For younger children (5-8): Use more visual aids, shorter sessions, and familiar concepts (animals, weather, toys)

For middle childhood (9-12): Incorporate more interactive elements, beginning abstract concepts, and real-life applications

For adolescents (13-18): Connect to their world (technology, social media, future goals) and encourage deeper psychological insights

Important Considerations: Always work with important adults (parents, teachers) when implementing ACT metaphors with children. Consider cultural context and individual developmental variations. Some children may need simpler or more complex metaphors regardless of their chronological age.

References

Carriedo, N., Corral, A., Montoro, P. R., Herrero, L., Ballestrino, P., & Sebastián, I. (2016). The development of metaphor comprehension and its relationship with relational verbal reasoning and executive function. PLoS ONE, 11(3), e0150289. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0150289

Coyne, L. W., Gould, E. R., Grimaldi, M., Wilson, K. G., Baffuto, G., & Biglan, A. (2020). First things first: Parent psychological flexibility and self-compassion during COVID-19. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13(3), 550–558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00435-w

Ehrnstrom, C. (2011). Compendium of ACT metaphors. Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. Retrieved from https://coping.us/images/Compendium_of_ACT_Metaphors.pdf

Harris, R. (2019). ACT made simple: An easy-to-read primer on acceptance and commitment therapy (2nd ed.). New Harbinger Publications.

Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006

Levin, M. E., Hildebrandt, M. J., Lillis, J., & Hayes, S. C. (2012). The impact of treatment components suggested by the psychological flexibility model: A meta-analysis of laboratory-based component studies. Behavior Therapy, 43(4), 741–756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2012.05.003

Murrell, A. R., & Scherbarth, A. J. (2006). State of the research & literature address: ACT with children, adolescents and parents. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 2(4), 531–543. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0101009

Tracey, D., Gray, T., Truong, S., & Ward, K. (2018). Combining Acceptance and Commitment Therapy With Adventure Therapy to Promote Psychological Wellbeing for Children At-Risk. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1565. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01565

Additional Research Note: This guide synthesizes findings from multiple peer-reviewed studies on developmental psychology, metaphor comprehension, and ACT applications with children and adolescents. The metaphors presented are based on established ACT principles adapted for age-appropriate implementation according to Piaget's cognitive development stages.

Age-Appropriate ACT Metaphors

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