My drink spilled

He may know perfectly well that the water is gone and still want it back in the glass. Say what he wanted out loud before you say what can be done — the wiping lands much better after that.

• 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.