One day, a little boy called Tom decided to go to the park with his mom.  Tom always took his football with him because football is his favourite sport.

 

 “I’m a football champion!” giggled Tom as he kicked his football.

 

“Gooaal,” he shouted in excitement.

 

Tom was brilliant at scoring goals and his mom cheered proudly every time he scored.

 

Tilly had arranged to go to the park too.  Tilly is Tom’s best friend and although she enjoys playing football her favourite sport is tennis.

Both children enjoy playing their favourite sports as it’s so much fun and also keeps them fit and healthy.

 

“Come on Tilly,” called Tom cheerfully, “let’s play football.”

 

Tilly ran over to Tom and looked at him with her hands on her hips.  “Aren’t you forgetting something Tom?”

 

Tom looked puzzled, “what?” he asked.

 

“We have to do our warm ups first,” said Tilly.  “You always forget but it’s so important to do warm ups first.”

 

They both started jumping up and down on the spot, “boing! boing! boing!” they both giggled loudly.

 

“Come on let’s start,” instructed Tilly.  “Are you ready?”

 

“Yes I’m ready,” replied Tom kicking his football out of the way.  He didn’t want to trip over his football so made a nice clear space so he could do his warm ups safely.

 

 

“1 2 3 4 5 clap your hands and touch your toes

6 7 8 9 10 turnaround and stretch your arms

Let’s jog on the spot

And be a robot

Now that we’re all done

It’s time to have some fun.”

 

Tom and Tilly’s moms also joined in with the warm up and sang along with them. “This exercise helps us to keep fit and healthy too,” they agreed.

 

Soon it was time for lunch.  Both moms had prepared delicious picnics to eat of cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, grapes, bananas, cucumber, crisps, chocolates, water and juice.

  

 

Tilly had a ham sandwich, cucumber and some grapes.

 

“Grapes are one of my favourite fruits, so juicy and yummy!  I only eat crisps sometimes and chocolates are a treat for me when I’ve done well at school.  My mom says too much sugar is not good for my teeth,” said Tilly thoughtfully.

 

“My mom says sweets and chocolates are for special occasions,” said Tom, “and that way we get to enjoy them even more.”

 

“I’m good at looking after my teeth and I always remember to brush in the morning and before bedtime.  I always get a sticker from my dentist,” said Tom proudly.

 

“Tom, Tilly,” called a familiar voice from over by the field.

 

“Look it’s Danny,” said Tom, waving back at Danny.

 

 

“Mom, can we go and play with Danny please?” asked Tilly.

 

“Yes, of course you can,” replied Tilly’s mom, “but make sure you take your bottles of water with you because you’ll get thirsty.”

 

Danny was on the football team with Tom and he was also really good at cricket. 

 

Tom and Tilly raced over to Danny and gave him high fives after carefully putting their water bottles on the floor.

 

“Can I bat first?” asked Tilly jumping up and down with excitement and doing her little wriggle. 

 

“You need to do your warm ups first Danny,” instructed Tom.  Danny quickly did his warm ups and the three friends played happily together until their moms told them it was time to go home.

 

“Come on kids, you’ve all had lots of exercise and fun today.  Well done and don’t forget to drink your water,” said Tom’s mom.

 

As Tom walked home with his mom he asked, “mom why do you always tell me to drink my water?”

 

“Well,” said Tom’s mom, “that’s a very good question.  Why don’t you have a think about it first?”

 

“I know when I’m playing I get thirsty very quickly,” said Tom taking a big sip from his water bottle.

 

 

“When I drink my water it makes me feel better and it cools me down when I’m sweating and scoring lots of goals,” he said confidently.

 

“That’s right,” said Tom’s mom, “our bodies are made up of a lot of water which helps us in lots of ways so we must remember to drink plenty of water every day.”

 

The following day was the school Sports Day and this was Tom’s favourite school event as children had so much fun with activities and seeing their parents and families on the side lines cheering them on.

 

For this year’s Sports Day children didn’t need to wear their PE kits but were allowed to wear their favourite sports clothes. 

 

Dressed in their favourite sports clothes the children walked in line onto the field with their teachers. 

 

Excited for Sports Day too, the parents and families waved enthusiastically at their children.

 

The Head Teacher, Mrs Hussain, said a few words before the activities started.  “Children, I hope you all have a wonderful time today because keeping active is fun.  Remember the fun is in taking part and enjoying yourself and not about winning every time.”

 

Miss Howells, the Deputy Head Teacher was also looking forward to watching the children take part in the activities.  “Please remember to drink your water.  It’s a very sunny day and water helps to increase your energy and helps you to concentrate better,” she said.

 

There were lots of different races and Tom and his class had so much fun.  They all cheered and clapped for their friends and reminded each other to drink their water.

 

Mrs Hussain was right, “it’s not about winning, but enjoying yourself and having fun with your friends,” thought Tom.  He definitely had the best time today!

 

Later that evening Tom was feeling quite tired after his dinner.         

 

“It’s not time for bed yet,” said Tom yawning again when his mom suggested he go to bed early tonight.

 

“I’ll tuck you in and read you a bedtime story,” said dad.

 

“But dad it’s not 7 o’clock yet,” said Tom, reminding his dad of his usual bedtime.

“Tom, you’ve had a busy day today and used up a lot of your energy for Sports Day.  Sometimes our bodies need a little bit more rest than normal and it looks like you’re ready to fall asleep,” said dad as he noticed that Tom was struggling to keep his eyes open.

 

Dad helped Tom to brush his teeth and then followed him to his bedroom.

 

Tom jumped into bed and snuggled into his duvet.  “I feel so comfortable now,” said Tom smiling at his dad, “thanks dad, you’re the best.”

 

“Going to bed early tonight will help you get your energy back for tomorrow.  You have your football match in the morning, so get plenty of rest now my football champion!” laughed dad.

 

As dad started reading Tom’s bedtime story, Tom’s eyes began to slowly close and a few seconds later Tom was snoring.

 

“Good night” whispered dad kissing Tom’s forehead as he quietly left the room.