Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Max the Monkey Gets in the Game - A Children's Story

Max the Monkey Gets in the Game

By Bill Conley

Moral of the Story:

It doesn’t matter what activity you choose—as long as you choose something and give it your best. When you find something you enjoy, stick with it, practice often, and don’t give up just because it gets hard. You don’t need to be perfect—you just need to be proud of your progress. Life is more exciting when you get off the sidelines and into the action, spending more time exploring, playing, and learning what makes you come alive.

In the heart of Banana Bay lived a little monkey named Max.

Max was kind, clever, and full of energy—but he never wanted to join anything.

“Wanna play tree tag with us?” the other monkeys would ask.

“I don’t know,” Max would say, sitting on a stump.

“How about art club?” suggested Mia. “We’re making leaf prints!”

“I’m not really good at drawing,” Max shrugged.

The truth was, Max didn’t think he was good at anything. So he didn’t try.

He sat on the sidelines, watching others swing, jump, run, paint, and play.

He wasn’t bored—just… stuck.

One day, Max’s grandpa stopped by the treehouse.

“Why so quiet, champ?” he asked, handing Max a juicy slice of mango.

“I don’t know what I’m good at,” Max mumbled.

Grandpa nodded. “Well, you won’t find out by doing nothing.”

“But what if I try and mess up?” Max asked.

“Messing up means you’re trying,” Grandpa said. “Nobody gets good without practice. You’ve just got to get in the game.

The next day, Max saw a sign outside the clearing:

“Join Jungle Band – All Instruments Welcome!”

Max hesitated. He had never played anything before.

But he remembered Grandpa’s words.

“I’ll try,” he whispered.

At Jungle Band tryouts, the leader, Parrot Pete, showed Max a set of small jungle drums.

“Give it a go,” Pete said.

Max tapped.

Then thumped.

Then got a rhythm going.

“Hey!” Pete squawked. “You’ve got natural rhythm!”

Max grinned.

It was fun. And a little tricky. But he liked it.

Over the next few days, Max practiced on sticks, buckets, and even coconuts.
Boom-tap, boom-boom-tap.

At first, his paws slipped and his beats got mixed up.

But each time he messed up, he tried again.

Practice, practice, practice.

Soon, Max could keep the beat for the whole band. When they played under the moonlight at the Jungle Jamboree, everyone clapped and danced.

After the show, Max’s friend Milo ran over.

“That was awesome, Max! I didn’t know you could drum!”

“I didn’t either,” Max laughed. “I just had to try.”

From that moment on, Max decided to stay involved.

He joined jungle soccer, even though he’d never kicked a nutball before.
He helped plant flowers in the Meadow Garden, even though he didn’t know how deep to dig.

He made mistakes, but he always showed up and gave it his best.

Sometimes he got tired. Sometimes he wanted to quit. But each time, he remembered:

You don’t need to be perfect. You just have to keep trying.

Max also started spending less time on the family vine tablet. Instead of tapping on a screen, he was tapping real drums. Instead of watching other animals play games, he was out in the sun, laughing and running and living.

His mom said, “You’ve really come alive, Max.”

“I just needed to stop sitting and start doing,” he said with a smile.

Now, Max encourages other kids too.

“Find something you love,” he says. “Anything. Just don’t stay stuck. Get up, get out, and give it a go!”

And the forest cheered—because Max, once the quiet monkey on the sidelines, had become the one cheering everyone else on.

Moral Poem to End the Story:

Try your best and don’t delay,
Find what you love and jump in today!
Practice well and keep your stride,
Life’s more fun when you’re not on the side!

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