Good Game, Finn!
Dexter’s team lost, and Dexter feels like stomping. But there’s a surprise at the end.
Dexter wanted to win more than anything. He practised every day. He even slept with the football beside his pillow. Today the Sunny Rovers were playing the Red Rockets.
The game was tough. Dexter ran and ran, and Bear did too. But the Red Rockets were just a little bit better. When the whistle blew, the score was 4-2. The Sunny Rovers had lost.
Dexter’s face went hot and red. He threw down his gloves and stomped across the grass. ‘It’s not FAIR!’ he said. Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Finn from the Red Rockets. Finn held out a hand. ‘Good game,’ he said. ‘You ran so fast. I could hardly keep up.’
Dexter looked at the hand. His cross feeling started to fizzle like a bubble. He took a breath and shook it. ‘Good game,’ Dexter said quietly. ‘You played really well.’
Afterwards, both teams sat together on the grass eating a banana. Bear told a silly joke about a football that wanted to be a pumpkin. Everyone laughed.
That night, Dexter was still a bit sad. But he also felt proud. He had done his best and been kind. And tomorrow, he would get a new chance to play.
The little lesson
Losing is part of playing, and kind words make any game a good one.
Let’s talk about it
- How do you feel when you lose a game?
- What kind thing could you say to someone who won?
Finish stories to collect Dexter as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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