Feelings · for 3–4 years · 3 min read

The tower, the cloud and the slow breaths

Ishan’s tall tower tumbles down and a cross feeling rumbles up like a little storm. Read it slowly, and try the breathing game together when you reach it.

Ishan in an orange T-shirt kneels on a green rug, adding a block to a tall, colourful tower that is taller than his toy giraffe.

Ishan is building a tower. Red block, blue block, yellow block, green. Up, up, up it goes! Now it is taller than Giraffe.

Ishan on tiptoe looks surprised as his block tower tips over and colourful blocks tumble across the rug.

“Just one more,” says Ishan. He puts a block on the very top. Wobble… wobble… CRASH! Blocks tumble all over the rug.

Ishan stands among fallen blocks with pink cheeks and tight fists, a small dark-grey storm cloud floating above his head.

Ishan’s cheeks get hot. His fists squeeze tight. “Grrr!” A grey cloud rumbles over his head, like a little storm. Ishan wants to kick the blocks.

Amma, in a teal top and round glasses, kneels calmly beside Ishan as he stamps his feet, the grey cloud still above him.

Amma kneels down beside him. “You’re cross,” she says softly. “Your tower fell, and you worked so hard.” “I won’t let you kick. You can stamp your feet.” Stamp, stamp, stamp!

Ishan looks at a red flower on the windowsill and blows out slowly while Amma holds up a finger like a candle; the cloud is smaller.

“Let’s play a breathing game,” says Amma. “Sniff the flower.” Ishan looks at the red flower and sniffs, slow and deep. “Blow the candle.” Whoooo, slow and long. The grey cloud gets a little smaller.

Ishan and Amma sit face to face on the rug breathing slowly together; above Ishan only a pale little wisp of cloud is left.

Sniff the flower. Blow the candle. Whoooo… The cloud gets smaller still. Sniff the flower. Blow the candle. Whoooo… Now it is only a pale wisp.

Ishan snuggles into a hug in Amma’s lap on the rug, eyes closed and calm, as the last faint wisp of cloud fades away.

Amma opens her arms. “Would a hug help?” Ishan nods and snuggles in. The wisp floats away. “Everyone feels cross sometimes,” says Amma. “It’s okay to feel cross.”

Ishan proudly points at a new, steady tower with a wide bottom, built beside his toy giraffe, while Amma smiles from the sofa.

Ishan tries again. This time he makes the bottom wide: four blocks in a row. Then three, then two, then one. The new tower stands steady next to Giraffe. “Look, Giraffe!” says Ishan. “If it falls, I can sniff the flower.”

the end

let’s play: sniff the flower, blow the candle

Hold up a pretend flower. Sniff it, slow and deep.
Hold up a pretend candle. Blow it out, slow and long: whoooo.
Do it three times together, like Ishan and Amma.
Build a block tower with a wide bottom. Does it stand steady?

talk about it

How did Ishan feel when his tower fell down?
What game helped the grey cloud get smaller?
What helps you when you feel cross?

for grown-ups

What this story helps with: It’s okay to feel cross. Slow breaths and a hug can help the cross feeling get smaller, and then we can try again.

This story shows that feeling cross is normal, and that naming the feeling and breathing slowly together can help it pass. Amma stays calm, puts a limit on kicking but not on the feeling, and offers a hug only when Ishan is ready. Practise “sniff the flower, blow the candle” at a calm moment, so it is familiar when big feelings come. Slow breaths can help; they won’t always make the feeling vanish, and that’s okay too.

sources we checked

Written and illustrated by the wishyou.today team. Every story is checked for age, kindness, safety and facts before it is published. Spotted something? Tell us on Instagram.

let’s play: sniff the flower, blow the candle

talk about it

for grown-ups

sources we checked

more stories