Imagine this: you are sitting at home, feeling a sense of discomfort, but cannot quite describe that particular emotion. You take out a deck of cards, and seven minutes later, you have figured it out.
Kidiki — a seven-minute card game for emotional wellness, connection and clarity, designed by David M Soni, aims to help people understand and express their emotions. “We have become distanced from our sensations, and find it difficult to inform people around us what we are feeling. This often turns into frustration and conflicts in our relationships,” he explains.
The game’s name is derived from ‘khidki’, which means window in Hindi. This Kidki basically works like a window to one’s inner state.
Each set has a deck of 108 cards, divided into three categories (physical sensations, feelings and needs), which allows you to pause the noise of daily life and turn your attention inward. Whether played solo, in pairs or in a group, the deck helps you ground yourself before you start an emotional scan.
Each card nudges you to check in: What am I sensing in my body? What emotions are surfacing? What needs are waiting to be heard? The game is based on the rules of elimination. Each card is answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the ‘nos’ are removed from the deck. You keep eliminating as you play, removing the number of ‘yes’ further from your stack till you have the cards that represent your current emotional state.
Kidiki can easily be incorporated into your daily routine, as a quick check-in before the morning rush or as a quiet ritual before bed. By steadily eliminating the cards, you are left with a handful that mirrors your present state, and you are handed the clarity you need to go about your day or prepare for the next. It is also handy if you have a habit of journaling; you can easily keep track of your thoughts and feelings more effectively.
The idea for such a card game came to David as he spent several years exploring different pathways to emotional wellness in New Zealand, where he was working in the corporate sector. From yoga and meditation to even joining a group of monks, David left no stone unturned.
"In the end, I felt they all talked about being connected with your inner self. The mind and body are inseparable; our ancestors knew this. In a world where wellness apps compete for hours of your time and meditation is not always an option, something like this can be a great tool for a quick check-in,” says the creator. “It is playful, tactile, and accessible.”
David, who quit his job, then reached out to counsellors, somatic practitioners and other mental health professionals to design this card game. That vision is now neatly packaged into Kidiki. “I have even used colour theory in the design to make sure it suits everyone, even those who might be neurodivergent,” he says.
The card game is also ideal for families with young children, as well as during therapy sessions. Psychologist Seema Girija Lal, who has worked with David, says she finds this deck of cards helpful.
“Sometimes people who come in for therapy sessions have no clue about what is going on with them. Kidki helps to start the conversation in the right direction,” says Seema.
According to her, the way the card game is designed provides its users with a wide vocabulary of words to exactly describe their feelings, not just mentally or emotionally, but physically as well.
“Kidiki reminds us that physical and mental health are simply health. By bridging the long-missed connection to the body, it gives language to thoughts, feelings, needs and sensations, strengthening intimacy with self and others,” she adds.
Kidiki stands as a reminder that taking care of emotional or mental health doesn’t have to be intimidating. It can be as simple as picking up a card and spending seven minutes with your emotions.
How to play Kidiki:
1. Shuffle the cards without mixing the categories and begin with any one category.
2. Read each card and ask yourself(or other players): Does this describe what I/they feel/sense/need right now?
3. Eliminate the cards that don’t resonate with you or the player.
4. Keep only the ‘yes’ cards and continue eliminating until you are left with three cards in each category.
5. Together, these nine cards represent your current emotional state.
Order from: https://kidiki.in/product/kidiki-card-set/