Not getting what I expected

My snack has run out

What happened

An empty snack packet beside an empty bowl

You wanted your crackers. The packet is empty.

What do you want to happen?

For the grown-up

This one is a real ending rather than a wait, and a child who has been told to wait for the cup will notice the difference. Say plainly that the packet is empty, then let her pick what comes instead.

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.

You wanted your crackers. The packet is empty.

What do you want to happen?

Have crackers anyway — You wanted crackers, and only crackers.
Look in the cupboard again — You want to check for another packet.
Have a different snack — You'd try something else if the crackers are gone.
Not have anything — You'd rather have nothing than the wrong snack.

There are no crackers left in the packet. But there are other snacks here.

What else can you eat?

Pick a different snack — Good idea. You choose which one, from what's in the cupboard.
Ask about more crackers — Good idea. Asking is how you find out about more. You could say: “Can crackers go on the shopping list?”
Look in the cupboard — Yes. Looking shows you what there actually is today.

The crackers have gone. Something else can be your snack.

For the grown-up: This one is a real ending rather than a wait, and a child who has been told to wait for the cup will notice the difference. Say plainly that the packet is empty, then let her pick what comes instead.

All 33 situations