In a Kindergarten Curriculum course, I participated in Story Workshop, a program that views children as imaginative storytellers.  Our professor provided us with several natural objects, backdrops, and characters to inspire our own creative tales.  Below, you will find the story my group developed.  It’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) underpinnings contribute to its heartwarming theme.

Always Be You

There once was a girl who liked to dance.
Always wore her tutu and never pants.
You could often find her in the hall,
twirling and spinning with no care at all.

The kids would point and laugh and stare.
Suddenly, this dancer began to care.
She left school with her head hung low,
not quite knowing where she would go.

She met a pig on the ground,
and asked him, “Why are you upside down?”
“I can’t get up, I’m just too big!”
“Well, that’s not a problem,” she said to the pig.

“It’s fun and easy to roll instead,
just tuck in your legs and tuck in your head.”
“Well, that’s sure fun!” pig said to the girl.
“Thank you!” he called as he left in a whirl.

Along the way, she spotted a sheep,
hiding behind a mushroom, not making a peep.
“Come out from there with those big beautiful ears.”
Then out came the sheep, his eyes full of tears.

“You like my ears? What’s that you say?
The other sheep tease me for looking this way.”
“Your big black ears are what make you unique,
so walk tall and proud, no need to be meek!”

The girl and the sheep began walking along,
when suddenly they smelt something stinky and strong.
“Oh, what is that smell? It doesn’t smell nice.”
Then out popped the heads of two little grey mice.

“It’s just our cheese, don’t run away.
Please be our friends, we want you to stay.
People often run and hide,
it hurts our feelings deep inside.”

“Others shouldn’t judge what you love,
if it makes you happy, you can rise above.”
“I’ll be your friend,” said the sheep to the mice.
They walked off together, without thinking twice.

The girl went off alone once more,
she walked down the path along to the shore.
A bright pink reflection caught her eye.
She no longer felt a need to cry.

She helped her friends love who they are,
and now in the water, what she saw was a star.
Because your uniqueness is what makes you you,
stay true to yourself in all that you do!