COVID-19 Therapeutic Story
This story has been written to support children understand the changes in their daily lives due to COVID-19. It is aimed at children from 3 years old to 7 years old. But children outside of this age group may find the story helpful.
Read the story below or download it as a PDF.
Max the Monkey
Once upon a time there was a monkey called Max. Max loved swinging through the trees, climbing up high and spending time with the other monkeys.
One day the grown up monkeys began to get worried. They started having lots of important talks with each other and they seemed a bit distracted.
Slowly things started to change. The monkeys were not allowed to do all the things they loved. They could not swing in trees. They could not climb up high. They could not spend time with the monkeys that lived in different trees.
“I want to go to my favourite tree,” Max said. “No” was the reply.
“I want our family to come to our tree,” Max said. “No” was the reply.
“I want to practice swinging,” Max said. “No” was the reply.
“I want to see my friends,” Max said. “No” was the reply.
Max felt sad that they couldn’t see other monkeys. Then Max felt angry that they had to stay in their tree. Sometimes Max felt calm. Sometimes Max felt bored. Sometimes Max felt overwhelmed. Sometimes Max wanted to be alone. Sometimes Max felt tired. Sometimes Max’s brain wouldn’t switch off. Often Max felt all jumbled up inside.
As time went on Max discovered it was easier to take things one step at a time.
Take it easy, take it slow,
The answer won’t always be no.
Staying put might not feel great
To say safe now, we have to wait.
So Max came up with a plan to do one task a day.
One day Max counted all the bananas.
Another day Max made a disguise out of leaves.
The next day Max practiced throwing and catching oranges.
On a warm day Max had a long soak in the river.
On a rainy day Max sat really still and listened to the rain dripping on the leaves.
On a sunny day Max spotted animals from their tree.
On an imaginative day Max found a stick that looked like a bird. Then they put on a show.
Take it easy, take it slow,
The answer won’t always be no.
Staying put might not feel great
To say safe now, we have to wait.
It takes time, but everything passes eventually. The jungle would open again. Max would be allowed to leave the tree and do all the things they loved to do.
Take it easy, take it slow,
The answer won’t always be no.
Staying put might not feel great
To say safe now, we have to wait.
If you know a child that is struggling with something and might benefit from a therapeutic story, send me an email.
Story © Catherine Lynch
Illustrations © Sarah Cook
