Marik Kazinitz, MA
Clinical Psychologist

Barak’s “The Secrets of Ballooning” product is connected to my work as a psychologist who deals with anxiety through gradual exposure, among other things. At first glance, balloon twisting raises the concern of a sudden explosion, but due to elements of creativity and funny, as well as a touching, emotional, enjoyable and safe environment, they allow the child to acquire a sense of confidence in his/her ability to deal with something that looks scary. This may contribute to the child’s self-confidence. In US combat trials in the field of post-trauma treatment, it was found that early exposure to risk situations via a virtual reality simulator reduces the chances of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in the future, i.e. there is an immunological effect, which is probably present in balloon twisting as well.

The video presents an emotional problem. Through the creative experience of balloon twisting into shapes, Barak demonstrates a solution that encourages a sense of ability to deal with emotional difficulties, while using language and images accessible to children.

Orit Meller, MA
Clinical Psychologist

I highly recommend “The Secrets of Ballooning”. In general, the creative experience with balloons is an empowering experience for children (and for adults as well) – it requires coordination, sensitivity and ability to regulate, and improves fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The balloon may explode if pressed too hard or overly inflated, and make a loud, terrifying noise, and therefore, emotional resources must be mobilized when working with a balloon, such as courage, determination and perseverance. All these build and shape the child’s confidence and self-image.

In particular, in the charming episodes of Bob and Barak, which are full of humor and are directly touch the world of children, there is a modeling (example) of an inclusive and benevolent relationship between adults and children, as well as concrete suggestions and advice on how to use the balloon in order to cope with daily difficulties and experiences the children are exposed to, such as fear, pain, love, etc. It is recommended to watch the episodes together with the children and encourage communication and openness regarding these topics, and most importantly – to enjoy!

Nir Yoels, MA
Psychotherapist, MFT

  • In his videos, Barak promotes processive learning full of stimulation, accompanied by significant encouragement, which leads to successful learning that will advance the child’s sense of competence.
  • Is it okay to feel? Yes! The videos present human emotions we are all familiar with, such as fear of the dark, frustration, love, etc. The videos demonstrate the different feelings, while encouraging the children to feel and not to conceal, ignore or repress emotions. If a child does not deal with emotions and is not encouraged to cope with them, he/she will likely avoid experiences that may lead to failure.
  • The videos are accompanied by key phrases that are meaningful for the children, such as “don’t worry, the balloon can take it”, or in other words – trust yourself and your balloon. Part of your child’s sense of self-confidence is based on the ability to trust yourself, the same way we, the adults, feel confident in the actions we are good at. In his videos, Barak emphasizes the significance of “trusting” yourself and that the action you are about to carry out is possible.
  • Through humor, empathy and positive interaction with Bob, Barak demonstrates how to express feelings and deal with negative emotions. Children watching these videos are likely to identify themselves with Bob and thus, will feel the confidence to reveal a variety of emotions to their relatives.

Dr. David Avran
MD, Pediatrician

The series of videos that Barak Dagan provides us isn’t only a tutorial of balloon art for children. The required presence of the adult offers an opportunity to be together. Playing and sharing these “rendez- vous” could help bringing closer the child and his parents especially because they both meet out of their zone of confidence.

Gabriel Tzur, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist

I watched “The Secrets of Ballooning” eagerly. I enjoyed the content and the humor very much, along with the clear instructions that make the use of the balloon set simple, while ensuring a creative experience. Such a creative hobby has the potential to advance cognitive processes and executive functions, such as attention functions, planning abilities, coordination and more. These functions are related to learning abilities, functioning and adaptation to the environment.

In addition, such an experiential and creative hobby may also advance mental processes related to imagination and creative skills, as well as contribute to the sense of self-worth and self-efficacy. Moreover, the video course allows parents and children to enjoy a shared quality time, during which the parent and child (or children) enjoy a shared process that combines learning, planning and implementation. This process may also contribute to the advancement of the child’s social skills.