Library · When Play Gets Too Hard
and what to do when play gets too hard.
Play with a sibling gets too hard, the frustration spills over, and the mouth opens before the words come. Vivi turns that moment into a narrated, animated story your child stars in, with a step back, a parent's hand, and a way to ask for help or a break.
Who it helps
For children who bite when play gets overwhelming, and for parents who have run out of ways to say "no biting". Many of them are autistic, or toddlers whose feelings are much bigger than their words, and biting is a message that needs a better channel.
Nothing in the story shows a bite, calls your child bad, or hands them a snack as the fix.
Play gets hard
A game with a sibling at home, a toy that two people want, and frustration that builds fast.
The urge to bite
Moving close, mouth open: the story names the feeling and stops right there.
Move apart, ask for help
The parent helps them step back. A short word or gesture: "help", or "break".
Checking in
Is the sibling okay? A breath, a supported next step, and play can start again.
Yours, not ours. These are the moments a story like this usually walks through. You choose what goes into your child's, and read every page before it is animated.
Questions parents ask
At calm times, daily for a while, then whenever you notice the days are getting harder. Never right after a bite, when everyone is upset: the story is practice, not punishment.
Yes. The sibling's name, the toy, and the exact word, sign or gesture your child can use to ask for help. You read every page before it is animated and ask for changes in plain words.
Block the bite calmly, help them move apart, and give them a shorter way to ask for help than their teeth. Then practice that way when nobody is upset. A social story where your child is the main character lets them see the alternative work, again and again, before the next hard moment.
Your first story is free in your first 30 days. After that you buy credits: 3 for $9, 10 for $26 or 30 for $66. A story is 1 credit, and a Fully Animated story is 10 more. Your first routine, Choose-Along and plan are free, then 1 credit each. Bought credits never expire.
Your first story is free. Set up your child, start from When Play Gets Too Hard, and watch it together before bed.
More moments: When I Have to Wait · Going to the Dentist · First Day of School · Getting a Haircut · Hearing the Fire Alarm · all 30 stories →
Vivi Kids is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Carol Gray or Team Social Stories.
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