Sentence completion worksheet for children

Sentence completion worksheets for children can provide therapists with a window into the inner world of kids, providing clues that can direct treatment. 

This article provides an overview of the benefits of using sentence completion worksheets for kids, including examples of sentence completion prompts to use with clients. 

We’ve included a free downloadable sentence completion worksheet for children to save to your electronic health record (EHR) and use in your practice.

What are the benefits of sentence completion activities?

Sentence completion activities help clinicians to understand their clients' thoughts, feelings, challenges, fears, and worries. There are more standardized approaches to sentence completion, such as the Sentence Completion Tests (SCT) and the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank, used by psychologists and psychiatrists to assess personality and psychological distress. 

However, sentence completion prompts can be used by clinicians as a more effective way to engage clients who may struggle to answer direct questions, which may make them feel less self-conscious. 

These client-centered prompts explore a range of topics, including:

• Family dynamics

• School performance

• Social support

• Risk factors

• Worries

• Self-esteem

• Conflicts

• Boundaries

• Unmet needs

• Passions and interests 

• Strengths

• Coping strategies

Example self-esteem sentence completion for kids prompts

• My friends say I am ___________

• I like ___________ about myself

• I like to learn about ___________

• My least favorite part of school is ___________

• School is ___________

• My family is  ___________

• If I am feeling sad I  ___________

• I love  ___________

• My three closest friends are  ___________

• I am grateful for  ___________

• I feel  ___________

• The three most fun things to do are  ___________

• My favorite color is  ___________

• The thing I most love to do is  ___________

• I am interested in learning about  ___________

• I am good at  ___________

• I struggle with  ___________

• At home I like to  ___________

• I am worried about  ___________

• I am scared of  ___________

• My parents love the way I  ___________

• I feel confused about  ___________

• The best thing that happened to me recently was  ___________

• I feel safest when  ___________

• I am happy when I am with  ___________

• I don’t like  ___________

• I wish people knew  ___________

• I feel nervous when  ___________

• My favorite memory is  ___________

• I don’t like it when my family  ___________

• I feel sad about  ___________

• One of my house rules is ___________

• I feel calm when  ___________

• I am looking forward to  ___________

• It’s easiest to talk to  ___________

• When I am upset, I can talk to  ___________

• I feel angry when  ___________

• The hardest part of school is  ___________

• My favorite teacher is  ___________ because  ___________

• I wish I could do more  ___________ at school

• I wish I did not have to do  ___________

• My favorite part of the week is  ___________

• One thing I love to do with my family is  ___________

• I like it when my friends  ___________

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How to use the sentence completion worksheet for children 

You can download and use the sentence completion worksheet for kids in several ways:

• Use the handout as a finish-the-sentence worksheet for kids that clients can complete during the session. 

• Give the family a copy of the sentence completion worksheet for children and suggest that they complete the reflection questions between sessions, then report their findings at their next therapy appointment. 

• Use the sentence completion worksheet for kids as a check-in at the beginning of the session.

• Combine this worksheet with other worksheets for children, including our feelings wheel for kids, stress worksheets for kids, child anxiety worksheets, and boundaries worksheet.

• Share the sentence completion worksheet for children with coworkers or leave copies in your office.

• Use this worksheet to provide training to interns or supervisees on the benefits of self-esteem sentence completion for kids. 

Sources

• Kohli, A., Jhanda, S., & Padhy, S. K. (2018). The utility of modified version of sentence completion test for children and adolescents. Industrial Psychiatry Journal.

• Pascual-Leone, A. (2010). Sentence completion task for priming emotions. University of Windsor.

• Social Work Tools and Resources. (n.d.). A voice of the child resource: Sentence completion tool for children.

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