Bright party decorations and festival bunting in cheerful colors

← Back to Stories

Feelings at the Festival

Name: Feelings at the Festival
Availability: InStock
Author: Wanderly

This story is for the kids out there with big feelings, and parents who want to give their kids the tools and confidence to navigate them.

ResilienceSelf-AwarenessSelf-ManagementYou Choose

About This Story

What your child will experience

Your child's character faces "big feelings" that sometimes explode—then learns a concrete calming strategy (a special tool and mantra) from a trusted advisor. Through three escalating challenges, your child chooses when and how to use the tool, practicing emotional regulation before meltdowns happen. The story ends with a gentle reveal: the tool was never magic—the child had the power all along.

Why this approach helps

This mirrors emotional regulation practices: name the feeling, use a coping tool, reflect on success. Repeated trials let children rehearse self-regulation in low-stakes scenarios, building confidence that they can manage hard emotions. The "you had it all along" ending reinforces internal locus of control—a key ingredient in resilience.

What to notice as a parent

Listen for which tools your child picks (deep breaths, counting, a cozy object) and when they choose to use them. Hesitation or choosing "explosion" options can signal where they feel stuck in real life. Follow up gently: "What helps you calm down at school?" Over time, this story builds emotional vocabulary and the habit of pausing before reacting.

Personalize This Story

Make this story truly special by adding these details:

✓Where should this story take place?
✓Who does the main character trust?

Story Questions

Questions your child may be asked while creating this story:

What should the main character choose?
How does the magical tool help the main character?

Loved by Families

Join thousands of happy families who've empowered their children with personalized, interactive stories.

“At first I thought it was one of those bedtime ploys to stay up later, but when the request came again first thing in the morning I realized it was just genuine excitement about Wanderly. My two kiddos - ages 7 and 8 - had a blast selecting their adventure pals (they have the cutest "pets" that go on the adventure with them) and choosing the direction of the story every step of the way. I turned up the reading level today and it was neat to see my son work through a few new words and stick with it because he was so excited about his story.”

— Taryn S

“My son couldn't put the story down!”

— Sebastian

“We've been using it every night for bedtime stories for our 3 year old.”

— Matt

“Ok, so I installed this yesterday, and I've already read 5 stories with my 4 year old. That's over an hours worth of time. Today he tried to negotiate to have me read 4 in a row... He's fully engaged, and takes his time over the choices - I think that and the funny moments in the stories are what have him hooked. He lost it when our cat (yes, you can include your pet in a story!) turned into a elephant. As a parent, it's whimsical and a welcome change from the regular books in rotation. I was initially unsure about using my phone to engage him during bedtime, but he entrallment quickly overcame that. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to others.”

— Simon

“It's been fantastic for creating and sharing our stories with beautiful art. What a great keepsake!”

— Shayla

“My dyslexic 4th grader struggles with reading and comprehension. She is finally excited to read using Wanderly!”

— Bill

“As an lifelong educator, I give this app an enthusiastic 5 stars+. With opportunity to choose and name characters, type of story and plot ... what could be more creative? What could be a more productive use of screen time? I love that this app was created and is carefully monitored by a Mom of young kids. She also happens to have technical/AI chops ... she was a Google Product Manager in their Education Products sector. The graphics are quite lovely, the story lines are fun and age-appropriate.”

— Helen

“I'm very impressed with the ease with which I was able to write a fun (and colorful) story. I wrote one for my grandchild and can't wait to share it with her.”

— Bill

GET STARTED

Ready to hear what your child has to say?

Join thousands of families who've used Wanderly to engage their child's imagination, to practice important skills, and to build confidence. Download the app today.