Leo's Terrific Tumble

Leo loved his local playground more than anything. The sun was warm on his face, the swings squeaked a happy song, and the soft-fall ground under the climbing frame felt bouncy like a giant marshmallow. Being a boy who loved trying new things, Leo zoomed down the slippery dip head-first, then scrambled across the wobbly bridge, his sneakers thumping a fast, fun rhythm.

Just then, he saw an older kid on the grassy patch do something amazing. She tucked her head, rolled into a tight ball, and popped right back up onto her feet! It was a perfect forward roll, a terrific tumble. Leo's eyes went wide. A new thing! He had to try it, right now!

Leo ran to the grass, tucked his head like he saw, and pushed off. Wibble-wobble-thump! He landed in a tangled heap, with one leg pointing at the sky. He tried again. Wibble-wobble-thump! His arms and legs felt like floppy spaghetti. A hot, grumpy feeling started to bubble in his tummy. "It's too tricky!" he huffed, his face screwing up into a frown.

He was about to give up when he remembered what his mum always said: "Practice makes progress, little wombat." Leo took a big breath. This time, instead of rushing, he went slowly. He tucked his chin right down to his chest, made his body as round as a ball, and pushed gently. He rolled over, and with a small wobble, he landed right on his feet!

A huge, proud smile spread across Leo's face. He did it! He tried his terrific tumble again, and it was even smoother. He learned that loving new things was fun, but sticking with them when they were hard was what made him feel like a real champion. The rest of the afternoon was filled with happy rolling, the wibble-wobbles gone for good.