We’re All Wonderfully Made - A Children's Story

We’re All Wonderfully Made

By Bill Conley

Moral of the Story:
We all look different, and we all grow in different ways.
Some walk, some roll, some hear with their hands or talk without words.
But every child is filled with beauty, purpose, and promise.
We’re all wonderfully made—just as we are.

In the little town of Harmony Hill, there was a special school called Sunbeam Academy.

It wasn’t the biggest or the fanciest, but it had the warmest hearts of any school around.

Because at Sunbeam Academy, every student was different, and that made every day an adventure.

Some kids wore glasses, some had wheelchairs.
Some used sign language.
Some didn’t talk much but could sing like the wind.
Some ran fast. Some liked to draw. Some needed a little more help, and some helped a lot.

And everyone was welcome.

One morning, a new student named Ellie joined the class.

Ellie had bright eyes and bouncy curls, but she also walked slowly with a crutch and wore a brace on her leg.

When she entered the room, some kids stared. Some didn’t know what to say.
But then a boy named Milo, who used a wheelchair, rolled up to her and smiled.

“Cool crutch,” he said.
“Thanks,” Ellie smiled back. “Wanna race?”

Everyone laughed.

Just like that, Ellie had a friend.

In music class, Jasmine, who was deaf, taught the class how to sing a song using their hands.

She signed each word with graceful movements, and when they finished, everyone clapped—using silent applause with their hands in the air, waving.

“Your hands are like music!” Ellie told her.

Jasmine beamed.

At lunch, Ollie, who had Down syndrome, shared his jelly sandwich and told the funniest joke anyone had ever heard.
He laughed so hard, he snorted.
And then everyone snorted.
It was the loudest, silliest lunchtime of the week.

One afternoon, their teacher, Mrs. Lark, wrote on the board:

“What makes you special?”

Hands shot up.

“I can draw dinosaurs from memory!”
“I know all the names of the planets—backwards!”
“I helped my sister tie her shoes this morning!”
“I can count to 100 in Spanish!”
“I can make anyone smile!”

Mrs. Lark nodded and said,
“See? Every one of you is wonderfully made.
Your bodies may be different. Your minds may work in unique ways.
But you all shine with something that no one else has.”

Ellie raised her hand.

“I used to wish I didn’t need a crutch,” she said.
“But now I know it helps me stand tall.
And standing tall feels… wonderful.”

Everyone cheered.

And from that day on, no one at Sunbeam Academy ever wondered if they belonged.
They just celebrated how they belonged.

Because in their school…
Different was beautiful.

🌟 A Poem to End the Tale 🌟

Short or tall or in between,
Fast or slow or somewhere seen
As quiet, loud, or differently made—
Each one shines, no need to trade.

We don’t all walk or learn the same,
But every heart holds a glowing flame.
So celebrate what’s deep inside—
With love, not fear, and arms open wide.

Thought-Provoking Questions:

1.     What makes you special that no one else has?

2.     How can we help someone feel included when they seem different?

3.     Have you ever learned something amazing from someone who does things in a different way?