An illustrated social story about winning, losing and fairness for KS1 and KS2 children who find competition, loud celebrations or rule-breaking hard. Barnaby Badger loves rules and likes things to be fair. But at the Forest Games, things don’t go his way. Fern the fox wins the running race, Rosie the rabbit celebrates very loudly, and Benji the beaver starts the sack race too early. Barnaby gets a “hot, cross feeling”, and the story gently shows him what he can do next. What is a social story? A social story is a short, simple story that describes a situation a child finds difficult. It explains what other people might be thinking or feeling, and suggests helpful things the child can try. They are widely used to support autistic children and children with SEND, but they work well for any child who struggles with big feelings. This story helps children to: understand that everyone has different talents and nobody wins every time see that people celebrate in different ways, and loud cheering isn’t meant to upset anyone know what to do when someone breaks a rule: tell an adult calmly and let them decide accept that feeling cross or disappointed is okay use simple calm-down strategies when they feel frustrated practise good sportsmanship and saying “well done” feel proud of their own strengths Caring about fairness is treated as a positive quality, not a problem. The language is calm and predictable (“Barnaby can try…”), and every page follows the same layout, which many children find reassuring. What’s included: 18-page full-colour PDF (A4 landscape) Illustrated cover and 16 story pages Visual calm-down page with strategies “Let’s talk about it” page with seven discussion questions “I shine when I…” box for children to draw or write about their own talents Ideal for: Years 2–5 (ages 6–10) 1:1 support, small groups, nurture groups and ELSA sessions PSHE lessons on feelings, friendship and sportsmanship Preparing for sports day, PE, team games and class competitions Sharing with parents and carers for use at home How to use it: Read the story together before a competitive activity such as sports day, PE or a class quiz. Return to it often so the ideas become familiar. You can print and laminate it, make it into a booklet, or show it on the interactive whiteboard. Use the discussion questions to link Barnaby’s experiences to the child’s own, and finish on the “I shine when I…” page to celebrate what they’re good at. I created this for a child in my own Year 4 class who found losing and loud celebrations really difficult, and it has helped us talk about those feelings together.