Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Tina the Turtle Learns to Share and Wait Her Turn - A Children's Story

Tina the Turtle Learns to Share and Wait Her Turn

By Bill Conley

Moral of the Story:
You don’t always have to have what someone else is using. Sharing means giving others a chance, just like you’d want one. Waiting your turn shows kindness, patience, and understanding. The best friendships are built on taking turns, not taking things.

In the sunny meadows of Willow Hill lived a sweet little turtle named Tina. Tina had a shiny shell, curious eyes, and a giggle that sounded like wind chimes in the breeze.

Tina loved playing with her friends—Daisy the Duck, Freddy the Fox, and Bella the Bunny. They did everything together: coloring, digging in the sandbox, and riding scooters up and down the winding path behind the pond.

But Tina had one little problem.

She always wanted what someone else was using.

One sunny morning, the friends gathered under the big oak tree with a big box of crayons.

“Ooh! I want purple!” Tina shouted, diving for the crayon in Bella’s hand.

“But I’m using it right now,” said Bella politely. “You can have it next.”

Tina frowned. “But I want it now!”

“There’s a whole box of colors,” Freddy said, holding up the red and blue. “You can start with one of these.”

But Tina crossed her arms and pouted. “I don’t want red or blue. I want what Bella has.”

Bella took a deep breath. “Tina, I’ll be done in a minute. If we all grab at the same thing, nobody gets to enjoy it.”

Tina slumped down, huffing and puffing, but Bella kept coloring. And you know what? Two minutes later, Bella smiled and said, “Okay, Tina. Your turn with purple.”

Tina blinked. “Really?”

“Of course,” Bella said kindly. “You waited. That was very patient.”

Tina smiled and started coloring. She realized that the picture looked even better because she used red, orange, and yellow first, and purple at the end.

Later that day, the friends moved to the sandbox.

Freddy had the big green shovel—the biggest one in the box. And Tina immediately wanted that too.

“Can I have it?” she asked.

“I just started digging my tunnel,” Freddy said. “But when I’m done, it’s yours.”

Tina started reaching for it anyway, but then she stopped. She remembered what Bella said earlier.

Instead of throwing a fit, she grabbed the small blue scoop and started making a turtle-shaped sandcastle.

Freddy glanced over. “That’s a pretty cool castle.”

“Thanks,” said Tina. “I figured I’d make this while I waited.”

A few minutes later, Freddy tapped her on the shell. “Here you go. Your turn.”

Tina’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Freddy!”

Tina was starting to get the hang of it.

The next day, everyone was riding scooters behind the pond. There were four scooters, but one was bright pink and sparkled in the sun. Naturally, Bella got to it first.

“I want the pink one!” Tina said.

“You can use mine after me,” Bella replied. “We’ll each take a turn.”

“But I don’t like this one,” Tina said, pointing at the plain blue scooter.

“It still goes fast!” Daisy said. “Let’s have a race!”

Tina pouted but finally climbed on the blue scooter. And guess what?

She won the race.

She forgot all about the pink one—until Bella called, “Tina, it’s your turn now!”

Tina was so surprised that she had already forgotten she was waiting. And that’s when something changed.

She looked at her friends. Nobody was yelling. Nobody was grabbing. Everyone was smiling and laughing.

Because everyone was taking turns.

That evening, Tina’s mom tucked her into bed.

“How was your day, sweetheart?”

“Good,” Tina said. “I wanted the purple crayon, the big shovel, and the sparkly scooter. But I waited.”

Mom smiled. “And how did that feel?”

“Pretty good, actually,” Tina said. “I still got my turn. And while I was waiting, I had fun with other things. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t get what I want right away.

Her mom kissed her forehead. “That’s called growing up.”

Tina grinned. “I think I like growing up.”

And from that day on, whenever Tina saw someone else with something she liked, she didn’t grab or shout or pout. She smiled, waited her turn, and found something else to enjoy in the meantime.

Because Tina the Turtle had learned an important lesson:

Sharing isn’t about who gets it first. It’s about making sure everyone gets a turn.

Moral to the Story Poem:

To share and wait is kind and smart,
It shows you have a loving heart.
You don’t need things right now, today—
Your turn will come—just play your way.

Questions to Talk About with a Parent or Caregiver:

1.     Why is it important for a child to wait their turn instead of grabbing something another child is using?

2.     How do you think Tina felt when she waited patiently and still got her turn?

3.     Can you and your parent or caregiver remember a time when you shared or waited, and it made someone else happy?

 

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