📖 The Friendship Garden

Maya loved playing at school with her best friend Emma. They would build sandcastles together, share their lunch, and read books side by side. Maya thought Emma was the most wonderful friend in the whole world.

One sunny morning, Maya saw Emma playing with Olivia and Jack near the climbing frame. They were laughing and having a great time together. At first, Maya felt a bit worried. "What if Emma doesn't want to be my friend anymore?" she thought.

Maya walked over to Emma and whispered, "Emma, you can't play with them. You're MY best friend. You should only play with me." Emma looked confused and a little sad. "But Maya, I like playing with you AND I like playing with other children too," Emma replied gently.

Just then, their teacher Mrs. Johnson came over with a big smile. "Girls, I can see you're having some friendship worries. Let me tell you about friendship rules that help everyone feel happy and included."

Mrs. Johnson sat down with the children and explained, "Friends are allowed to play with lots of different people. We are not the boss of our friends, and it's not fair to tell someone they can only be friends with us. True friendship means wanting your friend to be happy, even when they're playing with others."

Maya thought about this carefully. She realised that Emma having other friends didn't mean Emma liked her any less. "I'm sorry, Emma," Maya said. "Would you like me to join you, Olivia, and Jack? We could all play together!" Emma's face lit up with joy. "That would be fantastic!" she said, giving Maya a big hug.

From that day on, Maya learned that friendship was like a beautiful garden - the more friends you include, the more colourful and wonderful it becomes. She discovered that playing with Emma AND other children made playtime even more fun and exciting.

💭 Story Comprehension Questions