Story that teaches · staying calm when things go wrong

Lila's Tall Tower

A short picture story about staying calm when things go wrong, for ages 4 to 7. Read it together, listen to it or print it.

Ages 4 to 7 · 3-minute read
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Lila the rabbit wanted to build the tallest tower in the world. One block, two blocks, three, four...

CRASH! The tower fell down.

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Lila stamped her foot. Her ears felt hot, and she wanted to throw the blocks across the room.

Tobi the frog hopped over. "When I feel cross," he said, "I take three slow breaths. Like smelling a flower, and blowing out a candle."

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Lila breathed in... and out. Three times. Her ears felt cool again.

Then she looked at the blocks. "Maybe the bottom needs to be wider," she said, and she put four big blocks side by side.

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Slowly, carefully, the tower grew taller and taller, until it was taller than Lila herself!

"The first tower fell down," said Lila, "but it showed me how to build the second one."

What Lila learned

When things go wrong, stop and take three slow breaths. A calm head finds a new idea, and mistakes show you what to try next.

Talk about it

  1. How did Lila feel when her tower fell?
  2. What did Tobi do when he felt cross?
  3. What helps you feel calm again?

Try it this week

Practise "smell the flower, blow out the candle" three times every day.

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