Look for clues
Sometimes we can tell how a friend is feeling by the look on their face, the way they are sitting or the way they are standing.
Beth, Patrick and Kim are in the playground. Is Kim enjoying the game?
The kids are all in a park playing. Initially it looks like they鈥檙e all having fun, but we realise that only Beth and Patrick are. They鈥檙e playing piggy in the middle and Kim is in the middle.
NARRATOR: Beth, Patrick are all playing a game of Piggy in the middle with Kim's teddy, Baby Teddy in the park, but it looks like Kim isn鈥檛 having as much fun as the rest of them.
PATRICK: Too slow Kim!
Turns out its piggy in the middle with Kim's 鈥檅aby teddy鈥. She鈥檚 embarrassed about it and feels like they鈥檙e making fun of her.
PATRICK: Come on Kim, you鈥檙e never going to win if you don鈥檛 try!
KIM: I don鈥檛 like this game. I want my teddy back.
BETH: You鈥檙e a bit too old to be playing with a teddy don鈥檛 you think Kim?
Kim slumps forward, with her face in her hands.
KIM: I鈥檓 not playing anymore. I want to go home.
At this point Jeanie walks over.
JEANIE: What鈥檚 going on here kids? Is everything ok Kim?
Before Kim speaks Beth chimes in.
BETH: I don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 wrong with Kim, we were all having fun and then she just stopped playing and started huffing with us.
JEANIE: Hmm, that doesn鈥檛 sound like you Kim. Were you having fun like Beth said?
KIM: No鈥 I鈥 I鈥 I don鈥檛 like this game. They took my Teddy, and they鈥檙e better at throwing than me and I always end up as piggy in the middle.
Kim lifts her head to say this and then slumps back down at the end.
PATRICK: How were we supposed to know you weren鈥檛 having fun?
JEANIE: It鈥檚 important to listen to what people are saying with their words, but sometimes their face and actions can tell us how they are feeling too.
BETH: How can you listen to someone's face? That鈥檚 silly.
JEANIE: Well Beth, maybe while you were playing your game you should have looked at Kim too. You would have noticed that she wasn鈥檛 smiling and that she was starting to get upset.
Patrick and Beth look sheepish.
PATRICK: I鈥檓 sorry Kim. We won鈥檛 make you play that game with us again.
BETH: Yeah we鈥檙e sorry Kim. We didn鈥檛 mean to make you sad.
The kids all group hug. Beth hands the teddy back.
BETH: I don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e too old to play with teddys either. I have loads at home.
The kids all smile and start playing something else together.
NARRATOR: It鈥檚 always important to listen to your friends and keep an eye on what their actions tell you. If they don鈥檛 look happy it might mean there is something wrong and you need to ask them to talk to you about it.
End.
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