Imagine you’re playing with your favorite toy car. Here’s the difference between reacting and responding:

Reacting is like when you see your toy car rolling away and you shout “NO!” and chase after it really fast. It’s like your feelings are in charge and you act right away without thinking much.

Responding is like when you see your toy car rolling away and you think for a second, “Maybe it’s going down the hill!” Then you walk over calmly and pick it up. It’s like you take a breath, think about what’s happening, and then choose what to do.

Reacting is fast, like shouting “NO!”, while responding takes a little more time, like taking a breath and walking to get your car.

Responding can be better because you can choose something that might work best, like picking up your car gently.

Next time something happens, see if you can take a little breath and respond instead of react.

It can be like being a superhero who controls their feelings!