I read about the Kids Flag Page a number of months ago on another blog, and was quite intrigued.  As I was planning to save up and purchase it, I was thrilled to receive the opportunity, through Relevant, to review a copy of it.  Even had I not received a review copy, this would definitely have been worth the investment.

I have never felt that I really “get” my children.  I long to connect with them more/better, but I just can’t seem to figure out how they think.  And they are too young to know how to tell me what they feel or how their thought processes work.  I was hoping this would help with that.  It hasn’t been a miracle-worker or something, but I was not disappointed.

At its most basic, the Kids Flag Page is a personality test designed for children.  It isn’t just that – it helps identify more specific motivators, as well – but it it does the task well.  Set up like a game, children ages 6-11 can use the board and cards to identify their “Home” and “Adopted” Countries.  The four “countries” – Fun, Control, Peace, and Perfect – correspond to the classic four personality types.  (If you’re not familiar with these personality types, you will find this irrelevant.  But if you are already familiar with these personality types, you will recognize them as you guide your child through the process.)

In addition, they will identify their top six motivations.  Obviously, this is not a foolproof process, but I was very impressed with how well the kit is designed.  My 8-year-old answered almost every question exactly as I would probably have answered it had I been answering based on my observations of her.  To my mind, this means that the questions were written in such a way that a fairly young child can understand what is being asked.

With my 3-year-old, I had to “guess,” based on my own observations of her.  (For children under five, a parent can complete the Flag Page on their behalf like this.  It’s possibly not as accurate, though, as when the child is able to complete it himself.)

Having done so, I really do understand my children better already.  My older daughter’s primary country is (overwhelmingly!) Fun Country.  I have not a “fun” bone in my body – I’d just as soon choose the expedient way of doing things as the fun way.  Suddenly I understand why my daughter seemed so incessantly flighty and irresponsible to me: it is most important to her that things be fun.  My younger daughter’s primary country is (overwhelmingly) Control Country.  This was no big surprise – she’s the strongest-willed child I’ve ever met.  What was eye-opening, though, was just how many of the Control cards were perfect descriptions of her.

In addition to the parts needed to complete the “game,” with a Flag Pages for up to three children (or one child, on three different occasions)*, the Kids Flag Page includes a book called Discover Your Child’s Heart with the Kids Flag Page. This book talks about each of the Countries and each of the motivations, and offers helpful insights into each one.

My children thought it was fun, and I have found it helpful, even in the very short time I’ve had the information.  I would definitely recommend this.  (Understanding my children better Works for Me!)

*There are refill kits available for those of you who have more than three children, or in case you would like to use the product with your children again at a later time.

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the Kids Flag Page free of charge for review purposes.  However, all opinions expressed in this post are my own, and I was ultimately going to buy the product anyway.