Deflated Therapeutic Story
This is a therapeutic story for children who are feeling unsettled and deflated after an event. It is aimed at children from 5 to 10 years old. But children outside of this age group may find the story helpful.
Read the story below or buy the illustrated PDF download from the store.
The ball
Once upon a time there was a ball. The ball was colourful, bouncy and bright. It loved to play in the garden and all the other garden things loved to play with it. The ball had so much energy that even when it wasn’t playing it enjoyed practicing bouncing and rolling around. The ball was full of laughter and fun.
One day when the ball was bouncing it landed on something hard and spiky. The ball carried on bouncing and playing in the garden but something didn’t quite feel right. The other garden things kept asking the ball to play, but it didn’t want to.
After a few days, the ball noticed it felt a lot less bouncy and a lot less bright. It felt all alone. The ball didn’t want to see the other garden things playing so it hid away behind some plant pots.
The ball stayed out of sight until it felt completely flat and its bright colours had faded. It wanted to keep its puncture hidden.
One day a hose spotted the ball and asked why it was hiding. The ball didn’t want to talk so it stayed silent. The hose quietly waited next to the ball. After some time had passed the ball noticed a patch on the hose. It felt curious and asked what the patch was for.
The hose explained one day it had felt different. The water it sprayed wasn’t as powerful as usual. Water was leaking out of its side. The hose felt confused. The other things in the garden worked together to put a patch over the hole. It took some time but the patch stopped the water leaking and the hose worked again.
The ball listened carefully. It wondered if a patch was what it needed. In a small whispered voice the ball asked the hose for help. Together they went to the other things in the garden and everyone got to work. Before long the ball had a patch covering its puncture. But something still didn’t feel right.
The ball tried taking a big breath in, but no matter how hard it tried it couldn’t fill itself with air. The ball felt terrible. All the garden things had tried to help it but it hadn’t worked. The ball felt hopeless and started to leave when suddenly it heard a small voice.
A pump was at the back of the group and it shuffled forward slowly. In a small voice the pump said, “maybe I can help”. The ball replied, “no don’t waste your time on me, no one can help me, I am flat and faded and I will surely make you flat and faded too.”
The pump replied “I cannot fix punctures and I cannot bounce, but I can make flat things inflate. If we work together, I am sure you will be able to bounce again.”
The ball was held safely by its friends and the pump slowly inflated it. The ball began to feel bouncy again.
All the garden things played and played. They bounced, rolled and jumped. The ball was full of laughter and fun once more.
It started to rain in the garden but the ball didn’t want to go inside. It bounced happily, splashing in the puddles. After a while, the ball stopped. It sat still and looked at the garden and all the things in it. The ball felt content once more.
Story © Catherine Lynch
Illustrations © Sarah Cook
