Cognitive Distortions for Kids: Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)
A short animation naming the ten common thinking traps
Cognitive distortions are hard to teach because they are invisible. This animation solves that by giving them a shape children can picture: ANTs, automatic negative thoughts that arrive uninvited and have to be noticed before they can be argued with.
It walks through the common distortion patterns using situations elementary students recognise, then models talking back to them. The vocabulary maps closely onto the catch, check and change language used in Millie and Her Tangled Thoughts.
Spot the ANT
Notice the thought and give it the name.
Question it
Ask whether it is true and whether it helps.
Answer back
Replace it with something more accurate.
It gives a class shared vocabulary in under five minutes, and the metaphor sticks. Students use it on themselves weeks later, which is the point.
Upper elementary lessons on thought patterns, counseling sessions, and as a follow-up to a read-aloud of Millie and Her Tangled Thoughts.
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Mental Health Center Kids · April 7, 2025 · 4:42
Educational content, not clinical treatment. Students with persistent anxiety benefit from qualified support.