Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Say Sorry Comic Strip: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 3
- ForYear 3
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Say Sorry Comic Strip is a free printable PSHE worksheet for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8). Children finish a story in four panels. They draw what happens, show how the characters feel, and add speech and thought bubbles. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and answers.
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 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children finish a comic strip about Priya and another child. There are four panels, with lines for writing and boxes for drawing or notes. Panel 1 asks what happened, and children draw it and add a speech bubble. Panel 2 asks how Priya feels, so they draw her face and a thought bubble. Panel 4 asks how both children feel at the end, and children draw them together.
- Panel 1: What happened? Draw it and add a speech bubble.
- Panel 2: How does Priya feel? Draw her face and a thought bubble.
- Panel 4: How do they feel at the end? Draw them together.
Tips for drawing the comic panels
Keep the drawings simple
Stick people are fine. A circle for a head, a line for a body and four lines for arms and legs is enough. The story matters more than the art.
Let faces do the work
Show feelings with eyes, eyebrows and mouths. Try a few faces on scrap paper first, such as a sad face, a cross face and a calm face.
Choose the right bubble
A speech bubble has a pointed tail that touches the speaker and shows words said out loud. A thought bubble is cloud shaped with small circles leading to the head and shows what someone thinks but does not say.
Plan before you write
Say the words aloud before writing them in a bubble. Short sentences fit best, and children can rub out and try again.
Why a comic strip for saying sorry?
Saying sorry is a skill that children build over time. A good apology is more than one word. It shows that you know what happened, you understand how the other person feels, and you want to put things right. Children in Year 3 are often ready to think about this, because friendships matter more to them and small fall outs are common.
A comic strip suits this topic because it slows a moment down. Each panel holds one step: what happened, how someone feels, what is said and how things end. Drawing faces helps children name feelings before they speak. Speech and thought bubbles separate what people say aloud from what they keep inside, which is a useful difference to notice.
Skills and curriculum link
- Naming feelings
- Saying sorry kindly
- Solving friendship problems
- Seeing another point of view
- Drawing and writing to tell a story
Ideas to help you talk about it
- Feelings can be mixedA person can feel more than one thing at once, such as cross and sad. Let your child use more than one feeling word if they want to.
- Words and actions both matterSaying sorry can be spoken, but it can also be shown by what we do next. Ask what a kind action might look like.
- Both sides have feelingsWhen something goes wrong, everyone involved may feel upset. Encourage your child to think about each child in the story.
- There is more than one kind wayThere is no single perfect apology. Praise any ending that is honest, kind and helps the friendship.
Key words
- ApologyWords or actions that show you are sorry for something you did.
- FeelingWhat goes on inside you, such as happy, worried or cross.
- PanelOne box in a comic strip. Each panel shows one moment of the story.
- Speech bubbleA bubble with a tail that shows the words a person says out loud.
- Thought bubbleA cloud shaped bubble that shows what a person thinks but does not say.
- RepairTo put something right again, like mending a friendship after a fall out.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the story aloud first. Ask your child what they think is happening before they pick up a pencil.
- Let them draw each panel, then add speech or thought bubbles to show what each child says and feels.
- Talk about each choice together, then check against the notes and answers on page 2. Ask, "Why did you pick that?"
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence, and children may think of a different ending.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Give your child a word bank of feelings: sad, cross, worried, calm, happy. Let them talk through each panel out loud before they draw. Act out a face in the mirror if it helps. Begin with the first panel and come back to the rest later.
To stretch confident children
Write a second ending where Priya says sorry too. Then explain why both children might need to listen to each other. Ask your child to think about what each child could say, and how their words might change the ending.
Make it a game
Act out the scene in pairs. One child plays Priya and the other plays the second child. Then swap roles and try a kind ending. Afterwards, talk about which words and actions felt best to hear.
Talk about it
- What do you think happened just before the story starts?
- How can you tell how someone feels by looking at their face?
- What is the difference between something a person says and something they only think?
- What makes a sorry feel real and not just words?
- What could the children do after saying sorry to help the friendship?
- Has a friend ever said sorry to you? How did it feel?
Take it off the page
Feelings faces
Draw six small circles on paper. Make a different feeling face in each one and write its name underneath. Keep them as a feelings chart.
Role play with soft toys
Use two soft toys to act out a small problem. Let your child choose what each toy says, then try a kind ending together.
Kind words jar
Write kind things to say after a fall out on slips of paper. Fold them into a jar and pick one at random to practise saying aloud.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first panel, then let them lead. Read the story aloud and listen to their ideas before you add your own. Keep the mood light. There is no wrong face to draw, and honest answers are worth more than neat ones.
Teachers
Use it as a starter or plenary in a PSHE lesson on friendships, as an early finisher task or as a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, and children can share finished comics in pairs.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider PSHE plan. It pairs well with picture books about friends, role play and everyday talk. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or return to it later so a child can try a different ending.
Where this fits in your child's learning
Before this sheet, younger children learn to name simple feelings, take turns and play kindly with others. Year 3 children build on that by thinking about why a person feels a certain way and what they might do about it.
After this sheet, children go on to talk about disagreements, listen to different points of view and choose respectful ways to put things right. The speech bubbles also support English, where children later learn to write what characters say as direct speech.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Say Sorry Comic Strip for?
It is written for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8), in Key Stage 2. Older children can use it as a talking starter, and younger children can do it with a grown up reading and helping.
- What will children practise?
They practise relationships skills: recognising how friends feel when things go wrong and practising kind ways to repair a friendship. They also name feelings and use drawing and short writing to show them.
- How do I use it?
Read the story aloud first. Children then draw each panel and add speech or thought bubbles to show what each child says and feels. Talk about each choice, then check the notes and answers on page 2.
- What if my child finds it hard?
Offer a word bank of feelings: sad, cross, worried, calm, happy. Let your child talk through each panel before drawing. They can start with one panel and return to the others another day.
- Is it free, and do I need colour?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. You do not need colour. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.
- 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, and page 2 helps with support and stretch.
- Is it a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Home educators can also use it on its own or as part of a wider plan.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.