Brave Steps

What it is

Brave Steps helps kids 5 to 12 practice something that feels scary in small, doable steps: dogs, the dark, sleeping in their own bed, ordering food, joining in with other kids, saying goodbye at drop-off, or anything else. Kids build a ladder with the tiniest step at the bottom, rate the "wobble" from 1 to 5 before and after each try, and notice how the feeling changes with practice. There are no streaks to break. Every try counts, and going back a step is always okay.

What's included

• How Brave Steps work: 5 picture steps for kids
• My Wobble Meter: a 1 to 5 picture scale, a "where do I feel it in my body" check, and the wobble wave
• My Brave Goal: circle a picture or draw your own
• 8 step cards to cut out and sort from least wobbly to most wobbly
• My Brave Ladder: 6 steps up to the big goal, with a wobble rating on every step
• 6 ready-made idea ladders: dogs, the dark, my own bed, ordering food, joining in, saying goodbye
• My Brave Tries: a log for wobble before and after, plus what helped
• My Brave Path: color one footprint for every try (no streaks)
• 8 brave talk cards (things I can say to myself)
• Celebrate! page: 9 no-cost ways to celebrate the trying, plus your own ideas
• 2 Brave Step awards
• 2-page grown-up guide: keeping it safe, starting small, going at your child's pace, helpful words, and when to ask for more help

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