DBT Skills Workbook for Kids, grades 1 to 5: the coping skills therapists teach, in kid words, on pages kids can color. 76 pages, 4 tool kits, built with a US licensed psychologist.
Some kids feel things bigger than everyone else.
A tag at recess turns into tears. A "no" at bedtime turns into a slammed door.
Telling that kid to calm down does not work. Nobody ever showed her how. This book does.
It takes the DBT skills therapists teach and puts them in a kid's hands, grades 1 to 5. We built it with a US licensed psychologist, so every tool is the real thing. Friendly animals walk kids through one tool at a time, on pages they can color.
And one idea runs through the whole book: two things can be true at once. "This is hard AND I can handle it."
Four tool kits for big feelings
- 🧘 Mindfulness. Notice the now.
- 🌊 Distress Tolerance. Get through tough moments.
- 🌡️ Emotion Regulation. Understand your feelings.
- 🤝 Interpersonal Effectiveness. Get along and speak up.
📦 What's Inside
- ✅ 76 printable pages. PDF, US Letter, black-and-white line art kids can color. It saves ink too.
- ✅ 4 tool kits, each with its own one-page summary.
- ✅ A one-page DBT Cheat Sheet with every tool on it.
- ✅ A weekly Skills Tracker (a kid-friendly diary card) and a daily check-in page.
- ✅ 50+ skill pages and worksheets: STOP, TIPP, Check the Facts, Opposite Action, DEAR MAN, GIVE, FAST, and more.
- ✅ 10 calm-down scripts a grown-up reads out loud, from The Calm Place to The Sleepy Body Trace.
- ✅ Feelings tools: a Feelings Thermometer, a Feelings Wheel, and a Word Wall with 40+ feeling words.
- ✅ The Oops Rewind: a kid-friendly behavior chain. Kids look back at a blow-up, find the spark, and plan the fix.
- ✅ Build-it pages: a Self-Soothe Box, a Distraction Plan, and Draw Your Calm Place.
- ✅ A safety page: how to tell when a feeling is too big, and how to get a grown-up.
DBT skills included:
Mindfulness: Wise Mind, Observe, Describe, Participate, One Thing at a Time, No Judging, Do What Works
Distress Tolerance: STOP, TIPP, Self-Soothe, Distraction, Radical Acceptance
Emotion Regulation: Check the Facts, Opposite Action
Interpersonal Effectiveness: DEAR MAN, GIVE, FAST
Plus: Diary Card (the Skills Tracker) and Behavior Chain (the Oops Rewind)
✏️ How It Works
- Print the whole book, or just the pages you need.
- Start with the Cheat Sheet. It shows every tool on one page.
- Teach one tool a week. Each page explains it, then gives a quick try-it task.
- In the moment, kids rate the feeling 1 to 5, pick a tool, and rate it again.
- Each day they use a tool, they color a circle on the tracker.
✨ Why Counselors, Therapists and Teachers Love It
- ✅ Zero prep. Print it and use it today.
- ✅ Real DBT, kid words. Every page shows the clinical name too, like "Also called: Radical Acceptance." You can match it to your training.
- ✅ Kids pick it up on their own. Short lines, animals to color, and a try-it task on every page.
- ✅ One book, not five. All four DBT tool kits in one place, from mindfulness to friendships.
- ✅ Fits any setting. One-on-one, small group, calm corner, telehealth, or home.
- ✅ A plan for the big moments. STOP and TIPP give kids clear steps for a level 4 or 5 feeling.
- ✅ Progress you can see. Kids rate the feeling before and after. The tracker shows the week at a glance.
- ✅ A safety net. Kids learn the signs a feeling is too big, and the rule: tell a grown-up, and keep telling until someone helps.
- ✅ Goes home. Parents read the scripts and help with the tracker. No training needed.
- ✅ Repair, not just sorry. The Oops Rewind walks kids from the blow-up to the fix. Great for behavior plans.
💛 Who It's For
School counselors, child therapists, social workers, SPED teachers, and parents of kids with big feelings.
It is written and illustrated for grades 1 to 5.
Who made it
Created by My Nerdy Teacher with a US licensed psychologist. Every tool comes from DBT, then gets rewritten in kid words. The clinical name stays on every page, so the grown-up always knows which skill is being taught.
🖨️ Format
- ✅ Printable PDF, US Letter size
- ✅ Black-and-white line art, easy on ink
- ✅ Instant digital download. No physical item ships.
Skills inspired by DBT, adapted for kids. An educational resource, not therapy or a substitute for professional care. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any official DBT organization.
❓ Questions You Might Have
What is DBT?
DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It is a set of skills therapists teach for big feelings: staying in the moment, getting through hard moments, understanding emotions, and getting along with people. This book teaches those same skills in kid words.
Will it match the DBT I already use with clients?
Yes. Every page shows the clinical name next to the kid name, like "Also called: Radical Acceptance," so it lines up with your training.
Does my child need to read?
Older kids can work through the short lines on their own. Younger kids do best with a grown-up reading along. The calm-down scripts are written for a grown-up to read out loud.
Can I use it with a group or over telehealth?
Yes. It works one-on-one, in small groups, in a calm corner, over telehealth, or at home. Print the pages you need for your own students or clients.
Is it in color?
No. The pages are black-and-white line art, so kids can color them and you save ink.
Is it therapy?
No. It is a skills workbook, not a replacement for mental health treatment. If a child is in distress or not safe, please reach out to a qualified professional right away.
Give your kids tools for big feelings.
Add to cart, print, and start today.
⬇️ Instant download.
Not sure where to start? Print the Cheat Sheet. It shows every tool on one page, so you and your child can pick the first one together.
Prefer TPT? You can buy it there too:
Buy it on TPT