A gas station
Colorful gears and the title in front of a gas station
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Shifting Gears

Your racer is loving their favorite stretch of the Derby route when the road ahead turns into the part that fights them. A tricky thought pops up about the switch. You get to pick that thought, choose what your racer does, and help them find their low gear and get through. Everyone on the route says, "Shift down, power up, don't get stuck!" By the end, you will know what it really means.

About This Story

What your child will experience

"Shifting Gears" drops your child into a Derby practice run alongside a vehicle character they choose. Mid-ride, their racer hits an announcement: the road ahead turns into the stretch that's hardest for them — and the switch is coming right now, while they're still loving where they are.

Your child picks the thought that pops up, decides what their racer does next, and chooses what powers them through. A trailside marker — "Shift down, power up, don't get stuck!" — threads through the whole ride, landing with real meaning by the end.

Why this approach helps

This story uses a CBT-informed approach to make one idea concrete and liveable: a tricky thought can show up on its own, but you still choose what you do next. That separation — thought vs. action — is one of the most useful things a young child can start to feel in their body before they can name it.

Practiced over time, stories like this build emotional vocabulary, flexible thinking, and quiet confidence in hard moments.

What to notice as a parent

  • Which thought your child picks can reveal how they talk to themselves when transitions are hard at home or school.
  • If they choose a less-helpful thought, that's genuinely useful — low-stakes exploration of what those thoughts feel like is part of the learning.
  • Gentle follow-up: "Is there a part of your day that feels like the hard stretch?"

Personalize This Story

Make this story truly special by adding these details:

  • ✓Pick a racer.

Story Questions

Questions your child may be asked while creating this story:

  1. What thought just zipped into the main character's head?
  2. What does the main character decide to do?
  3. What does the main character want to power up for?
  4. What is the main character's first small step?
  5. What will the main character do next time the road turns hard?
Create This Story

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

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