Mateo’s Great Forest Cup
The forest animals hold a football cup, but nobody can agree on the rules!
The forest was buzzing. At last, the animals were holding their very own football cup, and the winner would get a shiny silver bell! Mateo the mouse was in goal... Er, was ready to play.
But there was a problem. Pippa the pony was so big that the little ones kept bouncing off her. ‘That’s not fair!’ squeaked Tilly the turtle. ‘Maybe we have to change the rules!’
They all talked at once. Pippa wanted one rule. Tilly wanted another. The ball sat in the middle looking very bored. Then Mateo had a better idea.
‘What if Pippa plays with a soft ball and the little ones get a head start?’ said Mateo. ‘And everyone takes turns in goal!’ The animals thought about it. ‘Yes!’ they cheered.
The match began. Pippa gently tapped the ball. Tilly zipped round like a rocket. Mateo passed and passed. It was the funniest, fairest football the forest had ever seen.
In the end, nobody could say who had won. ‘Let’s all share a shiny silver bell,’ said Mateo. So they did. And they cut it into the right number of pieces so that every animal got one.
As the stars came out, the animals went home, tired and full of happiness. Next year, they would hold the cup again. And this time, everyone knew the rules.
The little lesson
When we listen to each other, we can make rules that are fair for everybody.
Let’s talk about it
- What makes a game fair?
- Which animal would you like to play football with?
Finish stories to collect Mateo as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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