Unleash Your Child’s Inner Superhero

At any given moment, if you were to ask my almost four, going on fourteen, year-old son Tristan who he was, you are likely to get the response “I’m Spider-Man!” or “Batman” spoken in a low, Christian Bale-esque grainy voice.  My son is a lover of all things super heroes and from the moment he could understand them, he was enamored!  His identity (or the “I”) is strongly intertwined with these characters and their positive traits.  He will often say “I’m Batman, look at what I can do,” with a glowing face.  It is not surprising that he identifies with these superheroes as pretend play is a part of child development.

Recent studies done by Rachel White of the University of Pennsylvania and Stephanie Carlson of the University of Minnesota explain the “Batman Effect.”  In her Wall Street Journal article “The Power of Pretending: What Would a Hero Do?” Alison Gopink states that children who pretend they are a superhero do better on measures of self-control and persistence.

According to the aforementioned Wall Street Journal article, a study published in 2015 in the journal of Developmental Science details 48, 5 year-olds who were given increasingly challenging problems.  They were required to use their skills of control and self-inhibition.  They were asked to sort cards according to color then quickly and then suddenly change to sorting by shape.  Some of the children were told to pretend they were powerful fictional characters as they worked through the tasks and some children wore props, such as cape.  Then the experimenter told the kids they were Batman and ask themselves “Where does Batman think the card should go?” (Gopnik).  With no surprise, the children who pretended to be superheroes did much better than the children who tried to solve the tasks as themselves.

​A common exercise I like to use when working with children to help them identify their positive traits is a superhero activity.  This is usually a favorite!  The children are first encouraged to identify their positive traits, and asked to then draw themselves as a superhero and give themselves a name.  Finally, we discuss their positive traits and how they are “superhero like.”  With this, I often see children get very excited when they compare themselves to superheroes!  Below are several ways you can help your children identify with their inner superhero:

  • BE KIND: I love the saying “One kind word can change a person’s day.”  Encourage your child to be kind, smile at a stranger, and hold the door for someone.  These small acts will not only make others feel good, but help your children to feel good about themselves.
  • BELIEVE IN YOURSELF:  Superheroes are completing challenging tasks with ease.  Support your child by encouraging and validating their feelings.  Acknowledge when they might be having difficulty with completing an assignment, or trying something out of their comfort zone, while encouraging them that they can do it.  They can do anything with hard work and a little love!
  • PROBLEM SOLVER:  Believing in ones-self leads me to this next bullet: failure is a very uncomfortable and difficult emotion for a child to experience.  As parents, we can encourage our little superheroes to problem solve, especially when things become challenging.  Speak with your child about ways in which they can work through a problem, list the pros and cons and encourage a discussion about how each possible solutions makes them feel.  Remind them that superheroes are constantly problem solving to help others!


​In conclusion, cheers to helping your child unleash their inner superhero!  The power of belief is so very strong.   Allowing our children to believe they can do anything can sometimes be difficult.  During those tedious times, that is when I like to call in the help of our friendly neighborhood Spider-man!  Ask your child “what do you think your favorite superhero would do?”  Letting children use their inner superhero thinking allows them to see that they can accomplish the goals they set out to do, even without capes and pointy-eared masks!

by Stephanie Fredericka, LCSW
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Julie C.
"Dr. Matheis has a remarkable ability to understand the unique needs of her patients and address them constructively. She builds strong, meaningful relationships with patients and their families, encouraging trust and collaboration. When working with my son who struggles with autism-related anxiety, she created an environment in which he was able to calm down and open up to her in ways I had not seen before. She was able to reach him and helped him work through his crisis/problem. Most importantly, she empowered him to move forward."
- N.L.
"Dr. Matheis is amazing. She has tremendous resources and loads of energy. She is not willing to accept anything less than the most effective results for her clients. She made me feel as if my son was her top priority throughout the entire process. I would, without reservation, give her my highest recommendations.  Thank you, Dr. Matheis!"
- Anonymous
"Dr. Matheis has an amazing ability to read kids and connect with them. She has been an invaluable resource for our family over the past several years and has helped us with everything from educational consulting, to uncovering diagnoses as well as family therapy. Working with Dr. Matheis never feels clinical and most importantly, our children love and trust her. We can not thank you enough Dr. Liz!"
- Anonymous
"My teenage son had been seeing Dr. Matheis through his senior year of high school, as he was only diagnosed with ADHD at 16 years old.  Dr. Matheis came highly recommended from our pediatrician and she has done wonders for our son as well as our family, navigating new ways for him to deal with his diagnosis without the use of medication.  She taught him ways to organize himself and even when something did not work for him, she patiently continued teaching him new ways to keep himself on track.  She has also helped us as parents to understand how his mind works so that we did not continue to blame his lack of focus on him, rather on his unique way of thinking.  Thank you Dr. Matheis!!!!"
- LG
"Dr. Liz is the best! Our family was directed to her by our Pediatrician to assist with figuring out severe mood changes, severe anxiety, strange new fears and food aversion that had come onto one of our children literally overnight. After just a couple of visits, she suggested that the issues may actually be rooted in a physical issue and suggested we immediately take our child to be swabbed for strep, because Dr. Liz suspected PANDAS (a pediatric autoimmune disorder brought on by strep). The same Pediatrician that suggested Dr. Liz would not do the swab (they do not believe in PANDAS and we no longer go there) but I took my child to my doctor who did the swab and it was positive for strep. When our child went on antibiotics, within 24 hours all symptoms went away and our child was back :-) Dr. Liz then recommended a PANDAS specialist who helped us and our child is in complete remission and is happy and healthy. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Liz for her knowledge of all things, even the most remote and unusual and for helping us so much! Thank you!"
- Anonymous
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Anonymous
"Thank you, Dr. Liz. Although we have told you countless times, it will never feel enough. You have listened when J could barely speak and continued to listen when he was sad, angry and confused. You've challenged him and directed us in our roles as parents. You've helped J face his fears while the list evolved and changed, and yet you've stayed committed to 'the course.' We pray that your children realize that time away from them is spent helping children learn and that vulnerability is a sign of strength and bravery."
- June I
"My son was admitted to an Ivy League school when only 2 years ago, you assessed him and saw his struggles, his Dyslexia. We are grateful that he no longer has to carry that deep feeling of inadequacy or shame that must have kept him so self conscious and from reaching his potential. He has the PERFECT program for him. He has A's in high math and economics. He became a Merit Scholar, a Boys State legislature, the HEAD captain of the football team and help a job ALL while studying and managing his classes and disability. I am PROUD of you, a young doctor, who knows and sees the vulnerability of children and helps them recognize "it's NO big deal" God bless."
- Anonymous

Learn More About Dr. Liz!

Subscribe to our Mailing List
Psychological and Educational Consulting Logo

513 W Mt Pleasant Ave, Ste 212,
​Livingston, NJ 07039