Accidents

My balloon popped

What happened

A burst balloon with its string still attached

Your balloon popped. It made a loud bang.

What do you want to happen?

For the grown-up

Two things happened at once here: the balloon went, and the bang was startling. A child who seems to be over-reacting to a lost balloon may still be reacting to the noise.

Say what they wanted before you say what can happen. A child who is handed a solution first hears it as being told off.
The true thing beats the soothing thing. “The cup is in the wash” is something a child can be disappointed about and then get past.
Wanting the impossible thing is not a mistake. It is what they want, and this resource agrees with them before it says anything else.
It works far better on a calm day than in the middle of one. Going through it when nothing is happening is what makes the words available the next time something is.

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.

Your balloon popped. It made a loud bang.

What do you want to happen?

Blow it up again — You wanted your balloon back.
Ask for another balloon — You'd like to find out if there's another.
Go somewhere quiet — The bang was loud and you wanted to get away.

A popped balloon can't be blown up again. But there are still things we can do.

What can we do now?

Pick up the pieces — Yes. The bits can go in the bin.
Ask for another one — You can ask. There might be one left. You could say: “Is there another balloon?”
Go somewhere quieter — The bang was loud. A quiet spot can help.

The balloon popped. We can choose what happens next.

For the grown-up: Two things happened at once here: the balloon went, and the bang was startling. A child who seems to be over-reacting to a lost balloon may still be reacting to the noise.

All 33 situations