Ben’s Rollercoaster Day (Short Story Script— NLP for Kids)
From: Pacific Beach
Dear Friend,
Today, I’m going to share a little screenplay for a short that I came up with. I initially wrote it several months ago and put it on the back shelf. I figured rather than leaving it in hiding, I’d share it and maybe it’d help someone.
Anyway, my idea for it was an animated cartoon that would help introduce kids to the concept of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
NLP was one of the most powerful concepts that I studied and what allowed me to have major breakthroughs in my own personal development.
And because of how impactful it was, I feel that everyone could benefit from learning it. Everyone.
The short would only be a few minutes long so it would be easily consumable for kids and adults.
Objective
The objective is to show children and teenagers a variety tools and techniques used in NLP that they can use to better handle the events and emotions they experience in their daily lives.
The short follows a 6th-grade student through a “regular” school day. He experiences a range of emotions that an average kid may feel in school, with his friends, with his siblings, and with his parents.
Characters
Ben — Main Character
Katie — Older Sister
Harold — Dad
Suzie — Mom
Charlie — Best Friend
Jack — Bully
Mr. Johnson — Teacher
Melissa — Friend
Overview
Ben is a 6th grader who goes to a traditional public school. He is a middle-class child with an older sister and two working parents. Ben is an average kid who does well in school and has many friends.
He participates in extracurricular activities and he goes through an emotional rollercoaster throughout the day because he hasn’t been taught tools to handle different events of life.
Screenplay
FADE IN:
INT. BEN’S BEDROOM — MORNING
Ben wakes up in his bedroom of an average 3-bedroom suburban home. He’s excited for the day and heads down to breakfast with his older sister and parents before going off to school.
BEN
Good morning everyone!
HAROLD
Good morning son, ready for your football game today?
BEN
Sure am. I’ve been preparing all week!
SUZIE
You’re going to do great Ben!
Katie
Don’t choke like you did in your last game! (Katie Laughs)
BEN
Shut up Katie!
HAROLD
Alright you two, that’s enough. Finish your breakfast and get ready for school.
DISSOLVE TO:
FADE IN
INT. SCHOOL BUS — MORNING — MOVING
Ben is on the school bus, sitting next to his friend, MELISSA. JACK, a bully, approaches Ben and begins to insult him for no reason.
JACK
Hey loser, what’s your problem?
BEN
I don’t have a problem.
JACK
(He pours juice on his shirt)
You do now! (laughs facetiously)
(Ben sits there with a puzzled look on his face on the verge of tears)
MELISSA
Hey! Leave him alone Jack! He didn’t do anything to you.
(Jack walks away continuing to laugh)
(Ben is noticeably distraught, his posture weakens, and he’s saddened)
It’s okay Ben, don’t listen to Jack. He’s mean to everyone!
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. MATH CLASSROOM — MORNING
Ben is sitting and recalling the bad memory of Jack pouring juice on his shirt? MR. JOHNSON interrupts Ben’s thoughts and hands out graded quizzes from last week.
MR. JOHNSON
Ben!
BEN
(Comes out of his slumber, thinking of this morning’s events)
Huh?
MR. JOHNSON
Are you okay?
BEN
I’m fine. (He muffles under his breath)
Mr. Johnson proceeds to hand out the graded papers to the class. He approaches Ben’s desk and lays his quiz out. Ben received a C+ (written in big, red ink)
MR. JOHNSON
Not your best work Ben. What happened?
BEN
I just don’t understand geometry.
MR. JOHNSON
Why didn’t you ask for help?
BEN
I didn’t want anyone to think I was stupid.
MR. JOHNSON
Ben, just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean that you’re stupid. It’s okay to ask others for help. The important thing is that you learn and get better.
So, don’t be afraid to ask for help, okay?
BEN
Okay, thanks Mr. Johnson.
(Ben is still noticeably sad from the incident with Jack and now, with a poor grade)
MR. JOHNSON
You’re welcome. Good luck on your game later on today!
BEN
Thanks. (He says half-heartedly)
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. LUNCH IN CAFETERIA — MID AFTERNOON
Ben and Melissa are sitting across from each other eating their lunches. (There is light chatter in the background)
Jack walks by and knocks Ben’s books off of the table.
JACK
Whoops! (Walks away laughing facetiously)
MELISSA
Hey Jack! Leave. Him. Alone!
(Ben bends down to pick up his books.)
MELISSA
Don’t worry about him, Ben. Jack has always been like that. Don’t let him get to you.
BEN
But why does he always have to pick on me? (Ben says in a frustrated and sad tone)
(Ben grabs his lunch tray and books before he’s finished and walks away with his head down.)
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. RECESS — AFTERNOON — SUNNY
Ben is sitting on a bench by himself. There is laughing and screaming in the background from the other kids playing. His head is down and his posture is poor. His best friend, Charlie, comes into the scene.
CHARLIE
Hey Ben! How’s it going?
BEN
This has been the worst day ever!
CHARLIE
Why? What happened?
BEN
First, Jack poured juice on my shirt this morning. Then, I got a C+ from last week’s math quiz. Then, Jack knocked my books over at lunch! Terrible day!
CHARLIE
Whoa, sorry to hear that.
But guess what? It’s not a terrible day. Those were just bad events that happened this morning.
But it doesn’t have to ruin your whole day — only if you let it.
BEN
But how am I supposed to get rid of these memories of Jack pouring juice on me and knocking my books over?! I hate him!
CHARLIE
Hate is a very strong word, Ben.
Jack picks on a lot of people. It doesn’t have anything to do with you.
He has his own problems and that is just how he expresses his frustrations.
So, don’t take it personally, okay?
BEN
I guess……But I can’t stop thinking about what he did this morning!
CHARLIE
You’re in luck my friend! My dad just showed me a cool trick about how to make bad memories not so bad!
BEN
How?
CHARLIE
Okay, close your eyes and bring up the memory of Jack pouring juice on you.
BEN
But I don’t want to — it’s painful.
CHARLIE
Buddy, trust me.
BEN
Fiiiiine. (Ben says hesitantly but then closes his eyes)
A mental bubble forms and Ben recalls the memory of Jack pouring the juice on his shirt. He is visibly upset and disturbed by the memory.
CHARLIE
Now, I want you to imagine like you’re watching the memory on your TV at home — just like you’re watching a show.
So you’re sitting on your couch and the memory is being played out on the TV.
Now, turn down the lighting of the memory.
(the lighting of the memory dims)
BEN
Whoaa…
CHARLIE
Cool, right? But that’s not all. Change Jack’s voice so he sounds like a chipmunk. Or even better turn down the volume so you can’t even hear him.
(Jack’s voice becomes high-pitched for a few seconds and then muted)
BEN
Haha!
(Ben is becoming more cheerful)
CHARLIE
Now take the image and move it far away into the distance so it shrinks into a tiny little picture that you can barely see.
How does that memory feel now?
BEN
I don’t feel as sad anymore.
CHARLIE
Great, now do the same thing with the memory of Jack knocking your books over at lunch.
(Charlie waits as Ben projects the memory on his TV, dims the lighting, changes the voice, and shrinks the image.)
How do you feel about that?
BEN
I feel better! Thanks Charlie!
(Ben has a big smile of relief on his face)
CHARLIE
No problem buddy. Whenever you have a bad memory that makes you feel sad, you can use that same trick so it doesn’t hurt so bad, okay?
BEN
Sounds good, see you at the game later!
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. FOOTBALL GAME — EARLY EVENING
Ben is suited up in the locker room but he is shaking with nerves. His limiting beliefs are stressing him and making him worried.
Charlie sees Ben with a nervous look on his face and sits on the bench next to him.
CHARLIE
Ben, what’s going on? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost!
BEN
I’m scared…what if I mess up? What if I lose the game? What if I let the team down? I’m not that good. I don’t deserve to be the quarterback.
CHARLIE
Whoa whoa, pump the brakes Ben. You’re focusing on all that can go wrong. That’s the last thing that you want to do. That doesn’t help you in any way to think like that. You have to shift your focus on what can go right. Remember this — where you focus goes, energy flows!
BEN
Do you have any exercises or “tricks” that can help?
CHARLIE
You’re in luck again because I do!
I want you to close your eyes again.
This time, I want you think about the end of the game.
Imagine that you were relaxed, focused and that you played awesome.
Imagine how you threw perfect spirals and ran through the defense. Imagine the team holding you up with the trophy in your hand!
(Ben has another mental bubble and images himself on the shoulders of his teammates and everyone is cheering and laughing.)
How do you feel now?
BEN
Better….
CHARLIE
Look Ben, I know you’re nervous about starting as quarterback tonight but you know what?…You deserve it!
I know you have these beliefs that you’re not good enough. We all have thoughts like that.
BEN
You have limiting beliefs Charlie?
CHARLIE
Of course, everybody does. But the truth is that most of the beliefs that we have are made up and they stop us from becoming better versions of ourselves.
BEN
So how do you handle these limiting beliefs?
CHARLIE
Easy, I lie!
BEN
Uhhh, what?
CHARLIE
You see, we create these beliefs telling ourselves we can’t do something and most times, it’s really just a flat-out lie.
So, I choose to lie to myself in a way that actually helps me and moves me forward — not holds me back. Does that make sense?
BEN
Yea, why make up these beliefs and stories that hurt us? That’s silly.
CHARLIE
Exactly!
But humans are weird like that.
We’ll come up with crazy thoughts and stories that make us feel bad and make our lives worse. Ha, we’re some weird beings.
Anyway, you just keep visualizing the end result that you want to achieve tonight. I’ll see you on the field.
(Charlie exits. Ben closes his eyes and produces another mental movie of him hoisting a trophy while on his teammate's shoulders.)
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. DINNER — EVENING — DUSK
Ben, Katie, Harold, and Suzie are all at the dinner table in their dining room enjoying their meal with big smiles.
SUZIE
Great job out there, Ben! Were you nervous?
BEN
Nope!
KATIE
I would have been so nervous! Good job today.
BEN
Thanks Katie.
HAROLD
That was your best performance all year. What changed?
BEN
Charlie helped me this morning. First, he showed me how to make bad memories less painful.
Then, he showed me how to visualize what I wanted to happen.
That way, I wasn’t thinking about all the things that could go wrong — I was focused on what was going to go right.
HAROLD
I always liked that Charlie! Did he happen to show you how to make good memories even better?
BEN
Noooo…how do you do that?
HAROLD
Go ahead and pick one of your favorite memories that you have, son.
(Ben takes a moment to find a good memory.)
BEN
Got it — it was when we went to the beach last summer.
HAROLD
Great. I want you to close your eyes and bring that memory up.
(A memory bubble appears with a scene of his parents, Katie and him playing in the sand in a third person point of view.)
Remember it just like you were there and seeing it through your own eyes again. So when you turn your head, your memory should turn as well.
(Ben changes his view to the first person and turns his head in present time and his view turns in the memory.)
BEN
Whoa, cool. It’s like I’m wearing 3D googles!
(Ben is smiling as he continues to turn his head around and therefore, his view in the memory adjusts accordingly.)
HAROLD
Now I want you turn up the brightness of the memory.
(The brightness of the sun increases in the memory.)
Now increase the volume of the beach waves.
(Volume of beach waves increases in the memory.)
Now make the colors really pop!
(Saturation of the memory increases.)
Now really feel the sun and warmth on your skin.
(Charlie increases his smile in the present moment.)
BEN
That’s amazing. It’s like I’m experiencing it all over again but even better!
HAROLD
Pretty cool, right?! You can do this anytime!
BEN
So, Charlie showed me how to make bad memories not-so-bad and you just showed me how to make good memories even better!
(View Pans out and shows all of the family laughing)
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BEN’S BEDROOM — NIGHTTIME
Ben is sitting in his bed looking at social media posts. He is saddened and jealous of all of the things that he sees other people are doing and feels like his life is boring.
Harold and Suzie enter the room to say goodnight and sees that Ben looks upsets.
HAROLD
Hey son, what’s wrong?
BEN
It just seems like everyone else is having so much fun. They’re doing all these cool things and going to these awesome places.
SUZIE
Ben, you have to understand something about social media if you’re going to use it. What you see isn’t what you think it is.
Sure, it looks like everyone is having a great time but that’s because they’re only showing you the good parts.
Because who wants to post pictures of not-so-fun stuff, right? What’s the fun in that?
BEN
But it’s just everywhere. It looks like everyone is doing such fun things.
SUZIE
Remember, what you’re seeing are highlights and what people CHOOSE to post. It doesn’t mean their whole lives are like that — it’s just a snapshot.
Plus, you have a great life.
BEN
It’s okay… (in an unconvincing tone)
HAROLD
Listen Ben, you can’t compare your life with others all of the time. Because there’ll always be people who have more than you and that’s okay.
What’s important is that you’re always thankful for what you do have — a home, 2 parents, a sister, friends, and your health.
BEN
I guess so.
HAROLD
(In a stern voice)
Ben, there are people in this world who have much less than us. But they find ways to live happily and not compare themselves all the time.
Always comparing a recipe for misery. There is no benefit to being angry, jealous, or always worrying about what other people are doing.
BEN
But I can’t help it.
SUZIE
Actually, you can help it.
You must learn to focus on what you do have control of. That is the most important thing you can do.
If you control your thoughts, then you control how you feel every day. So, if you want to feel happy and grateful, you can choose to think about things that make you happy or what you’re grateful for.
BEN
I can choose?
HAROLD
That’s right son. You get to choose what you think about. You see, with everything in life, you give a meaning to it.
If you give something a bad meaning, then it will lead to a bad thought and then a bad emotion.
BEN
But what if someone calls me a bad name?
HAROLD
Remember Ben, it’s only bad if you make it bad. If someone calls you stupid, you can CHOOSE to make it something funny instead of hurtful and it won’t make you feel bad.
In fact, it might make you laugh. Do you get it, son?
BEN
So, I have total control over what meaning I give to everything? And that controls whether I’m happy or sad?
SUZIE
That’s right!
BEN
Well then why would anyone give a bad meaning to something and make themselves feel sad?!
HAROLD
Well son, it’s not that easy and most people don’t know they have that much control.
There are some things in life that we truly can’t change to make us happy.
But for the most part, you do have control.
It takes time to train yourself to control your thoughts but when you do, you’ll be much happier.
Why?
Because you won’t be controlled as much by the outside world like what people say to you or what happens to you. Stuff happens to everyone.
But it’s the ones who can learn to control their emotions are the ones that are generally happier.
Remember this — the quality of your life is a result of the quality of your emotions.
BEN
And I can control my emotions because I can control my thoughts!
HAROLD & SUZIE
Exactly! You can also control how kind you are, how loving you are, and how much effort you put into everything.
Do you understand?
BEN
Yup, I will train myself to improve my thoughts every day!
HAROLD
Awesome! Now, before you go to bed, how would you say your day went?
BEN
Well, it started off good, then it went bad, then good, and then bad — let’s just says it was a rollercoaster of a day.
But now I have some cool tools I can use so it’s not as up and down!
HAROLD & SUZIE
Glad to hear that. Goodnight son, we’ll see you in the morning!
BEN
Okay, goodnight mom, goodnight dad, thanks for the talk. I didn’t know I had that much power!
FADE OUT
THE END
Well, that was my first attempt at writing a screenplay. It’s a little thin and could definitely be refined but hey, it’s something.
The reason I wrote it was because I feel like the education system needs more information and resources to help kids understand their thoughts and emotions and how to better control them.
It’s something that needs to be taught annually because controlling your emotions is a skill that can positively serve you for the rest of your life.
I believe it would’ve saved me many years of personal self-suffering if I knew some of the information I would ultimately find on my own after reaching a dangerous point in my life.
Anyway, more articles and stories to come.
Sincere wishes for a great life,
Dan Lu
About the Author
Dan Lu is an author/writer who specializes in the areas of personal development, entrepreneurship, and marketing. He is the creator of the Feardeology concept (a philosophy on how to leverage fear for positive life change) and the founder of Lifestyle Alchemedia.
His mission is to improve the lives of others through sharing insights, tools, and strategies in self-improvement as well as online entrepreneurship.
