Personalised book about overcoming playground fears: your child and the Giant Slide

What happens in your child and the Giant Slide

1. Your child spots the tall slide above the playground.
2. They watch other children climb, pause and swoosh down.
3. Your child notices the fluttery feeling in their tummy.
4. They try the first rung, then choose their next step.
5. Your child finds a way to feel proud at the bottom of the slide.

How the first page could read

At the playground, your child spotted the tallest slide. Its silver sides shone above the swings, and the ladder seemed to climb right into the sky. Children whooshed down with windy hair and bright faces. Your child held the rail at the bottom and felt a funny fluttery feeling in their tummy.

Your child’s name, look and little details replace these words, and the whole story is written for their age.

Why this story works

For children aged 2 to 5, the tall slide can feel enormous when they are standing at the bottom of it. This gentle playground story gives your child room to look, wait and notice their own feelings without being pushed to be fearless. The focus is on a small, manageable next step and on recognising their effort, whatever they decide. Seeing their own face illustrated from a photo makes the moment especially familiar, while the short, age-appropriate wording keeps the story easy to revisit before a park trip. Across 15 illustrated story spreads in a 32-page book, the slide becomes a concrete, child-sized challenge to talk about together.

Reading it together

• Read the story before a playground visit and pause when your child first looks up at the slide.
• Ask your child which part of the slide feels biggest: the ladder, the height, waiting for a turn or coming down.
• When you visit the park, use the book’s language to notice small steps, such as standing near the ladder or touching the first rung.

Suggested art style: Storybook watercolour

Soft watercolour keeps the familiar playground setting warm and calm while leaving your child clearly at the centre of each scene. A sidekick idea: a cheerful pigeon who practises tiny hops nearby. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.