Worry Monster Comic Strip: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 5

Worry Monster Comic Strip is a free printable PSHE worksheet for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10). Children draw a worry as a monster, then tell a six panel comic story in which a hero calms it, asks for help and watches it shrink. It needs only a pencil and paper.

It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2, which has notes, help, a stretch idea and answers. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

The sheet is a six panel comic strip with boxes for drawing or notes. In the first panel, children draw their worry as a monster and give it a name. Then the hero spots it and speaks in a speech bubble. The hero tries slow breathing, then a second calming tool, then asks someone for help. In the last panel the monster shrinks and children show how the hero feels.

• 1. Draw your worry monster. Give it a name.
• 2. Your hero spots it. Add a speech bubble.
• 3. Your hero tries slow breathing. Show it.
• 4. Your hero tries a second calming tool.
• 5. Your hero asks someone for help.
• 6. The monster shrinks. How does your hero feel?

Why draw a worry as a monster?

This sheet is a gentle activity, not a check on how a child is feeling. If a child draws or says something that concerns you, listen calmly and do not rush to fix it. Teachers should follow their school's safeguarding policy. Parents can speak to the school or a GP if a worry stays strong or gets in the way of daily life.

Skills and curriculum link

• Naming feelings
• Choosing calming strategies
• Storytelling in pictures
• Asking for help
• Putting events in order

Ideas that help children get more from the sheet

• Feelings show up in the bodyWorry can be felt as well as thought about. Ask where in the body the monster lives. Noticing the feeling early helps children choose a calming tool sooner.
• Calming tools are personalWhat soothes one child may not suit another. Let your child pick tools that feel right for them, and accept their choices without correcting them.
• Asking for help is a skillChoosing who to ask takes thought. Talk about trusted people at home, at school and in the family, so the hero's choice feels real.
• A story has a beginning, middle and endThe comic moves from problem to action to outcome. Seeing that shape helps children believe a worry can change.

Key words

• WorryA feeling of being uneasy or afraid about something that has happened or might happen.
• Calming toolSomething you do to help your body and mind feel steadier.
• StrategyA plan you choose to help you deal with a problem.
• PanelOne box in a comic. Each panel shows one moment in the story.
• Speech bubbleA shape that shows what a character says.
• SequenceThe order that things happen in.

How to use it

1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
2. Read the six steps together. Explain that the monster is a picture of a worry, and that the worry can be anyone's.
3. Let your child draw and write in the panels in order. Ask: What does your monster look like? Where do you feel it in your body?
4. Talk about each choice the hero makes. Ask why that calming tool or helper was chosen, and check the notes on page 2.
5. Come back another day and make a new comic about a different worry. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

Talk about it

• What does your monster look like, and what is its name?
• Where do you feel a worry in your body?
• What did your hero say when they spotted the monster?
• Why did you choose that second calming tool?
• Who could your hero ask for help, and what would they say?
• How would you like the hero to feel at the end?

Take it off the page

Who it is for

Where this fits in PSHE

Before this sheet, children learn to name basic feelings and to notice that feelings affect the body. In Key Stage 2 they go further, talking about a wider range of feelings and trying out different ways to manage them.

After this sheet, children can look at how to support friends who feel worried, how to talk about feelings with trusted adults, and how to build habits that keep their mental wellbeing steady. These sit within the mental wellbeing strand of PSHE.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What age is Worry Monster Comic Strip for?

It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Younger children can draw the panels with help, and older children can add the seventh scene from page 2 for an extra challenge.

What will children practise?

Children practise naming a worry and choosing calming strategies by telling a six panel comic story. They also practise showing feelings in pictures and words, and thinking about who they could ask for help.

Do children have to draw a real worry?

No. A pretend worry works just as well, and some children prefer that. The skills of naming a feeling, calming down and asking for help are the same either way. Never push a child to share.

What if it feels too hard?

Let children draw the panels first and add only one short speech bubble to each. Stick figures are fine. Work through the first panels together, then let them carry on alone.

Is it free and screen free?

Yes to both. It is free to print for home and classroom use. It is a screen free printable that needs only paper and a pencil, so it suits quiet time, rainy days and school holidays.

Can teachers use it in class?

Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Pupils should be free to keep their comic private if they wish.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add colour with pencils or crayons if they like, which can be a good way to show how the monster changes.