Rudy and the Magic Balloon Trick

Rudy the Red Panda loved going to daycare with his animal friends. They played games, sang songs, and had so much fun together. But Rudy had a big problem. When things didn’t go his way, he would get really angry. One day, during playtime, Rudy and his friends were building a giant block tower. Rudy had a plan for how it should look, with the biggest blocks on the bottom and the smallest blocks on the top. But then, Puppy accidentally knocked over the blocks. Rudy’s face turned as red as his fur! He stomped his feet, growled loudly, and even tried to kick the blocks away. His friends stopped playing, unsure what to do. Wise Owl suggested they take a "Feelings Break," but Rudy didn’t want to listen. "I don't need a break! I need my tower back!" he shouted. Kitten hid behind a chair, and Puppy looked sad. Rudy felt bad for scaring his friends but didn’t know how to calm down.

That’s when Owl introduced the "Balloon Trick." Owl taught Rudy to imagine his anger like a big balloon inside him. "When you’re mad," Owl said, "the balloon gets bigger and bigger. But if you take deep breaths, you can let the air out slowly." Rudy thought it sounded silly but decided to try it. Rudy practiced taking deep breaths while imagining the balloon shrinking. He started to feel calmer and realized he didn’t need to yell or stomp. He apologized to his friends for scaring them and suggested they rebuild the tower together. This time, Rudy let everyone share ideas for the tower, learning that teamwork can be even more fun than following just one plan. The moral of the story is that it’s okay to feel angry, but managing anger helps us stay kind to our friends and have more fun together. The "balloon trick" gives young readers a simple tool they can use to calm down when they feel upset. And from that day on, Rudy learned to manage his anger and have a great time with his friends at daycare.