So I saw this idea online about using anger worksheets for kids. Thought, hey, I’m babysitting my explosive nephew Tommy tomorrow – perfect guinea pig. Grabbed crayons, printer paper, and totally winged it. Here’s how the chaos went down.
The Hot Mess Start
First, I drew a big volcano on paper labeled “My Anger Eruptions”. Told Tommy to color it red when mad. Kid straight up scribbled all over the tablecloth instead. Asked, “What makes you wanna smash things?” He yelled, “WHEN MOM TAKES MY TABLET!” Cool. Wrote that under the volcano. Then came problem #1 – Tommy started kicking chairs remembering last Tuesday’s tablet grab.
Switching Gears Hard
Okay, worksheets tanked. Time for plan B: simple physical moves. Made him stomp like a dinosaur three times. When he started laughing, we did “bubble breaths” – hands on belly, deep inhale like blowing bubbles. Actually worked for five whole minutes until his sister stole his Legos.
Tried another trick: the feelings bucket. Grabbed an actual bucket. Every time rage bubbled, he’d whisper “buckets!” and pretend to dump anger in it. Surprise – kid loved violently fake-dumping imaginary rage. We ended up:
- Drawing angry monsters on scrap paper then crumpling into “bucket ammo”
- Making finger puppets argue (he made one scream “NO LEGOS!”)
- Role-playing his sister giving back stolen Lego bricks
What Actually Stuck
No worksheets survived Tommy. But later? He actually used the bucket move. Full tantrum building, then sudden pause – whispered “buckets”, fake-dumped, and stomp-slowed. I almost cried. Learned kids won’t process feelings through damn worksheets. They need:
- Stupid physical actions
- Dumb pretend games
- Zero boring writing
Ended with Tommy proudly showing his ma the scribbled volcano. She blinked at melted-crayon blob asking, “Is that… a house?” Close enough.
