The Day Ollie Kicked the Ball
Ollie the rabbit has never kicked a ball before. Today is the big day!
Ollie the rabbit loved watching the big kids play football at Lantern Park. The ball went zoom, zoom, zoom! He wished he could play too.
‘Do you want to play?’ asked Toby the bear. Ollie nodded. Toby rolled the ball across the grass, all the way to Ollie’s feet.
Ollie took a big swing and KICK! Oh no! The ball bounced the wrong way and rolled into the bushes. ‘Never mind,’ said Toby. ‘Try again!’
Ollie tried again. And again. He wobbled. He tumbled. He giggled. Kicking was much harder than it looked!
Then Ollie took a deep breath. ‘Eyes on the ball,’ he whispered. He kicked. THUMP! The ball rolled straight to Toby. ‘You did it!’ cheered Toby.
They kicked the ball back and forth until the sun began to sink. Ollie had a cold cup of water for being brave.
Ollie skipped home with muddy knees and a great big smile. Tomorrow, he would kick even better. Hooray for Ollie!
The little lesson
Every great player starts with one small, wobbly kick.
Let’s talk about it
- What is something new you tried that felt wobbly at first?
- Who helps you when you are learning something new?
Finish stories to collect Ollie as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Football stories
Willow’s Ball Hog
Willow loves to dribble the ball all alone, until the team learns a secret.
Max’s Goal That Wasn’t
Max scores a goal that no one saw was wrong. What would you do?
Ruby’s Football That Glowed
Ruby finds a football that glows, and every pass builds a bridge of rainbow light.
You might also like
Who Is Making That Noise, Amy?
Amy hears a strange knock in the night. Who could it be?
Dexter the Dragon Doesn’t Like Fire
Dexter is a dragon who is afraid of fire. How can a dragon breathe fire if he doesn’t like it?
The Egg Hunt of Lola
Lola the hen cannot find her egg. The whole farm helps look.