Allie the alligator had a big, bright playroom filled with wonderful toys. She had a bouncy red ball, a sparkly blue block, and a fluffy yellow ducky. Allie loved playing with all her toys, but she didn’t always like to share. “These are *my* toys!” she would say when her friends, Rosie the raccoon and Benny the bear, came to visit.
One sunny afternoon, Rosie and Benny came over to play. Allie started bouncing her red ball, all by herself. Rosie and Benny looked a little sad. They tried to build a tower with the blue block, but it kept falling over. Allie watched them, bouncing her ball higher and higher. She noticed Rosie’s ears drooped and Benny’s face looked glum.
Suddenly, Allie felt a little pang in her heart. It didn’t feel very good to see her friends sad. She remembered how much fun she had when Rosie helped her find her lost ducky last week. And Benny always made her laugh with his silly bear dances!
Allie took a deep breath and rolled the red ball over to Rosie. “You can bounce it now,” she said quietly. Rosie’s face lit up! She bounced the ball to Benny, and soon all three friends were laughing and bouncing the ball together.
Then, Allie carefully gave the blue block to Benny. “Maybe you can build a bigger tower with this!” Benny’s eyes sparkled. He and Rosie worked together, and this time, the tower stood tall and strong. Allie even joined in, adding the fluffy yellow ducky to the very top!
Playing together was so much more fun than playing alone. Allie realized that sharing her toys didn’t make her have less fun; it made playtime even better! She learned that seeing her friends happy made *her* happy too.
As the sun began to set, Allie, Rosie, and Benny snuggled together, tired but happy. “Thank you for sharing, Allie,” said Rosie. “Yes, it was the best playtime ever!” added Benny. Allie smiled. She knew that from now on, she would always remember how wonderful it was to share with her friends. And that made her feel warm and cozy, ready for a sweet dream.