A New Friend at the Playground
Tommy is a little boy. He is four years old. Every morning, Tommy goes to the playground with his mom. He loves to swing high and slide down fast. Sometimes, his friend Mia comes too. Mia has curly red hair and always brings her teddy bear.
One sunny day, Tommy sees someone new at the playground. A little girl is sitting on the bench. She is holding her daddy's hand. She is looking at the swings. Her hair is very short, and she has bright glasses. Her name is Sara.
Tommy looks at Mia and whispers, “Who is she? She looks different.”
Mia smiles and says, “I don't know. Maybe we can say hello?”
Tommy feels a little shy. Tommy has never talked to a girl like Sara before. But Mia holds his hand and says, “Come on, Tommy! Let's be brave!”
They walk over to Sara. Tommy says, “Hi, my name is Tommy. This is Mia.”
Sara smiles. “Hello, Tommy. Hello, Mia. My name is Sara.”
Tommy looks at Sara's glasses. He wants to ask her about them, but he feels shy. Mia says, “Do you want to play with us, Sara?”
Sara looks at her daddy. Her daddy nods and smiles. Sara's smile gets big. “Yes, please! I want to play.”
Playing Together
Tommy, Mia, and Sara walk to the swings. Mia climbs up first. Tommy pushes her gently. Sara watches. Tommy sees Sara looking at the swing.
“Do you want to try?” Tommy asks.
Sara nods, but she looks a little scared. “I have never been on a swing before,” she says softly.
Tommy remembers when he was scared of swings. He says, “It's okay. We can help. Mia and I will help you.”
Mia says, “We can go slow. It's fun, I promise!”
Sara sits on the swing. Tommy holds one side. Mia holds the other. They push very softly. Sara giggles. Her glasses shine in the sun.
“This is fun!” says Sara. “Thank you, Tommy. Thank you, Mia.”
After the swings, they run to the sandbox. Sara and Tommy sit together. Mia builds a sand castle. Tommy gives Sara a red shovel.
“Do you like building sand castles?” Tommy asks.
Sara nods. “Yes! At my old home, I made big castles. My mommy helped me.”
Tommy and Sara dig and pat the sand. They make a tall castle. Mia puts her teddy bear on top.
Tommy looks at Sara and says, “You make nice castles. I like playing with you.”
Sara smiles. “I like playing with you too, Tommy.”
Learning About Differences
Suddenly, two older boys come to the sandbox. They look at Sara's glasses. One boy says, “Your glasses are funny.”
Sara looks down. She feels sad.
Tommy stands up and says, “Sara's glasses help her see. I think her glasses are cool!”
Mia says, “Everybody is different. Sara is my friend.”
The boys look at each other. One says, “Okay. Can we play too?”
Tommy smiles. “Yes! You can help build the castle.”
All the children play together. They laugh and share their toys. Sara smiles again.
After a while, Sara's daddy calls her. “It's time to go home.”
Sara waves and says, “Thank you for playing with me. You are kind friends.”
Tommy and Mia wave back. “See you tomorrow, Sara!”
Tommy feels happy. He likes his new friend. He learned something important today.
At home, Tommy tells his mom, “Sara is different, but she is kind. I like her. I want to play with her again.”
His mom hugs him. “That is wonderful, Tommy. It's good to be kind. It's good to like people who are different. We are all special.”
Tommy smiles and thinks about Sara. He can't wait to see her again. Tomorrow, he will play and share and be kind. And he knows—being different is okay.
Everyone is different. Everyone can be a friend.
