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Practise a situation

Everyday moments that are hard to get past, one short walk-through at a time.

  • Children who find changes hard
  • Autistic children
  • Children with ADHD
  • Children who benefit from visual supports

Choose something your child finds tricky.

Each one takes a minute or two. There are no right answers and nothing is scored.

33 situations

Not sure which?

We'll pick one you haven't done for a while.

Things we're practising

How it works

  1. Pick a situation your child finds hard — the names are the words they would use.
  2. Your child sees what happened, and is asked what they want to happen.
  3. Whatever they pick, Roo Bloom says that want back to them first.
  4. Then it says, in one short sentence, what is actually true — and what can still be done.
  5. They choose something to do now, and there is often a sentence to practise saying.

Who this is for

Families with a child who finds it hard when something they wanted turns out not to be possible — a drink that spilled, a tower that fell, a friend going home, a favourite cup in the wash. It is written for children roughly five to nine, and for the adult sitting next to them.

It works far better on a calm day than in the middle of a hard one. Going through a situation when nothing is happening is what makes the words available the next time something is. If something has just happened and it is not on this list, the Situation Coach takes it in your own words instead.

What it will not do

  • It will not mark any answer wrong. Wanting the impossible thing is not a mistake.
  • It will not tell your child that what they wanted does not matter.
  • It will not score, rank, reward or count anything your child does.
  • It will not promise anything you have not promised — it offers asking, never the answer.
  • It will not describe your child's feelings or behaviour as a problem.

This is a rehearsal tool, not an assessment, and it does not know your child. You decide whether what it says fits them — if a scenario is not right, close it and pick another.

What this sends anywhere

Nothing your child taps leaves this device. All 33 situations are part of the website itself, so nothing is generated, nothing is looked up, and there is no text box to type into — it works with no connection at all.

Which situations you have practised recently is kept in this browser so that Surprise me does not offer the same one twice. Anything you choose to save goes on the same shelf as the Situation Coach's — Things we're practising — with a Remove beside each one, and none of it is sent anywhere. Your child's name, if you have given one, never leaves your browser.

More from Roo Bloom

  • Haircut Pack — What happens at a haircut, how it might feel, and what your child can do about it — personalised with their name and character.
  • Dentist Visit Pack — What happens at a dental check-up, how it might feel, and what your child can do about it — personalised with their name and character.
  • Screen-Time Transition Pack — A visual transition story with countdown cards, a step-by-step sequence and a first–then board for finishing screen time calmly.

This is an educational resource, not therapy, diagnosis or medical advice. You know your child; if a situation is not right for them, close it and pick another.