When Worries Feel Big
When Worries Feel Big
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When your child's worries are too big for words, give them something they can colour instead.
A 57 page calming colouring and activity book that helps children aged 4 to 8 notice their feelings, understand where worry sits in their body, and find their own way back to calm.
- Created by a paediatric occupational therapist
- No talking required, colouring does the work
- Print it as many times as you like, forever
- Ready to download the moment you buy
The moment this is for
It is 7pm and something is wrong, but she cannot tell you what.
Her tummy hurts. She is not hungry. She does not want to talk about school and she does not want to go to bed either. When you ask what is wrong she says "nothing" and then cries about the wrong colour cup.
You have tried asking gentle questions. You have tried leaving her alone. You have tried the deep breaths that the poster at school suggested. Nothing lands, because talking about a feeling is a very advanced skill and she is four, or six, or seven, and the feeling is still sitting there with nowhere to go.
Children do not usually explain their worries. They show them. In the tummy aches, the wobbly legs, the meltdown over something small, the sudden shyness at the party they were excited about that morning.
This book gives that feeling somewhere to go. Not through a conversation, but through a pencil.
Why colouring
A quiet activity opens doors that questions close.
When a child sits down to colour, their hands are busy and the pressure to perform disappears. There is no right answer, no eye contact required, no expectation to explain. Occupational therapists use this all the time, because it is often in that calm, side by side, hands busy space that children start to talk on their own terms.
Every page in this book is doing something. A child colours a picture of a girl noticing butterflies in her tummy and, without being asked a single question, they have just learned that feelings live in the body. They colour a jar of calming tools and they now have a list of things to try next time.
This is not a worksheet and it is not therapy homework. It is a colouring book that happens to be built on how children actually learn about their emotions.
What is inside
57 pages, structured in gentle steps.
Noticing my feelings
Pages that help a child spot what is happening inside, from the busy thoughts to the wobbly tummy, before anyone tries to fix it.
Where worry sits
Feelings mapped onto the body in a way a young child can see and colour, so they can start to recognise their own early signs.
Finding calm again
Calming tools, quiet moments and slow pages that give the nervous system somewhere soft to land.
Brave thoughts
Affirmation pages and small confidence steps, written in a child's own voice rather than an adult's.
There is also a name page at the front, a short note for parents, and space at the back for your child to write their own brave words.
Who it is for
Made for children aged 4 to 8.
- Children who feel things intensely but cannot yet name them
- Children with autism or ADHD who find talking about emotions difficult
- Anxious children who need a wind down that is not a screen
- Children starting school, changing classes, or facing something new
- Any child who needs a quiet ten minutes at the end of a loud day
It works one on one with a parent, in a classroom calm corner, or on the kitchen table while dinner cooks. You do not need to be trained in anything. You just need to sit nearby.
What you get
One printable PDF. 57 pages. US Letter size, prints perfectly on A4.
Download it once and print any page as many times as you like, for as long as you need it. A page that helped last winter can be printed again next winter.
A single session with a paediatric occupational therapist in Australia costs between AU$150 and AU$250. This book is not a replacement for that, and it does not pretend to be. It is a small, useful thing you can have in your hands tonight for less than the cost of a takeaway coffee run.
Common questions
Before you buy
How do I get the book?
The download link arrives by email straight after checkout, usually within a minute. If it has not landed, check your junk folder before you email us.
Do I need a special printer?
No. Any home printer on plain white paper works. Print single sided so markers do not show through, and use slightly thicker paper if your child likes textas.
My child is nearly nine. Is it still suitable?
The illustrations sit comfortably up to about eight or nine. If your child enjoys colouring, the content will land. If they have outgrown colouring, this is probably not the right fit.
Can I print it for more than one child?
Yes, for your own family. If you are a teacher or therapist wanting to use it across a class or caseload, contact us about a setting licence.
Is this a therapy programme?
No. It is a supportive resource created by a paediatric occupational therapist, designed to sit alongside everyday parenting. It is not a substitute for individual assessment or treatment.
Can I get a refund?
Because the file downloads immediately, digital purchases are not refundable. Please read the description carefully before you buy, and email us first if you are unsure whether it suits your child.
Tonight could be a quieter one.
Download the book, print a few pages, and sit next to your child while they colour. That is the whole method. It is often enough.
Get When Worries Feel Big for AU$14.99Created by a paediatric occupational therapist at MyTheraPlayBox, the digital resource arm of EquipKids Occupational Therapy, Melbourne.
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