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Grow and the Tall Slide

schedule5 minchild_care2–5

Type a name and it appears in the story. Stays on this device only.

Hi, little one. Today your friend Grow takes you to a playground with a big, tall slide. Little animals climb up and whoosh down, laughing all the way. 'Height doesn't scare me one bit,' says Grow proudly, and races up the ladder two rungs at a time.

At the very top, Grow stops, looks down, and freezes. Paws locked tight around the railing. 'Uh-oh,' Grow says quietly. 'This looks a lot bigger from up here. I can't move.' You watch from below, surprised. The slide waits, and Grow doesn't budge.

You climb up after Grow, one step at a time, calm and slow. When you reach the top, you sit down beside Grow. 'Don't look down,' you say. 'Just look at the next step. Only one.' Grow's eyes drift from the bottom of the slide to your hand, pointing at one small spot, very close by.

Grow takes a deep breath and looks only where you're pointing, not one inch further. One tiny move. Then another. And before anyone can even count, Grow slides, whoosh, all the way down, with a surprised laugh. 'It worked!' Grow calls up. 'I'm only looking at the next bit, not the whole slide!'

You climb up too, and this time it feels easier, because you're looking at just the next step too. The slide didn't get any smaller, but the same trick now works for both of you. Then Grow asks, 'So, little one... did we grow a little today?' You did. 'Here is your little grow for tomorrow,' says Grow. 'When something looks too big, don't look at the whole thing. Just look at the next small step.' See you tomorrow, little one.

💡Read together

  • Why did Grow freeze at the top of the slide?
  • What trick do you show Grow at the top?
  • When something looks too big, what can you look at instead of the whole thing?

👪For you

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is doing something while afraid. When a child hesitates, dismissing the fear ("there's nothing to be scared of") tends to make it louder. What helps is naming it, breaking the challenge into tiny steps, and letting the child set the pace while you stay a steady, unhurried presence. Praise the attempt, not just the success, and resist rushing in to rescue too quickly, so they get to feel their own capability.

🎨Try this

🪜 Practice 'just the next step' with anything that looks big to your child: a tall staircase, a long path, a big block tower. Cover everything but the very next step with your hand and ask, 'can you just do this?'

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