A story to help boost self confidence in children - Iris the Wallflower by Red Sparrow

Hi there,

Here is my first blog story, inspired by my son's Kindy class. I hope your children enjoy it. It's for primary school aged children (but some preschoolers may enjoy it too). 

Remember they get to finish the story, and hopefully may be inspired to draw some of the illustrations they imagine whilst reading it, and maybe (hopefully) they might learn something too.

Love Red Sparrow 

Iris the Wallflower by Red Sparrow

Wherever Iris went nobody seemed to notice her.

There was always someone louder.

Someone taller.

Someone smarter.

Someone with more toys .....and someone with more friends, than Iris.

So Iris stopped trying to be seen and started to blend into the background more, and more.

She stopped putting her hand up in class.

The teacher didn’t pick her anyway.

Then, one day, the most peculiar thing happened.
Iris blended into the background so much that her teacher marked her as absent.
‘Mrs Clarke I’m here’ she cried but Mrs Clarke couldn’t hear her. Iris felt a little strange, she was in the classroom, but something was different. ‘Where am I?’ thought Iris.

Then she heard a voice. ‘Well hello there’ said a girl looking a lot like her friend Issy.

‘You look like Issy,’ said Iris. ‘Who are you?’ ‘I look like Issy because I am Issy!’ giggled the Issy-like girl.  ‘There’s something different about you though’ said Iris. ‘Ok’ said the Issy-like girl. ‘Maybe I’m not the real Issy but she made me, to be her.’ ‘Remember when you were asked to paint your self-portraits last week? Well, I’m Issy, made by Issy to be the best version of Issy ever. Very pleeeased to meet you!’  She certainly was as friendly as Issy, thought Iris.

Iris looked around and noticed all these familiar faces smiling at her. There was one that looked like Joe and Olivia, Marcus, Lucus and Hene, Benita, Ava, Alex, Andrea, Harry, Kingston, Lazar, Remy, and even crazy Montana was there. It seemed the whole of KCW were there.

‘Oh my’ shrieked Iris realising where she was.

‘I’m stuck in the arts n craft wall of my classroom. What am I going to do?’

‘Oh it’s not such a bad place’ said Jessica’s self-portrait. ‘you still get to see what’s going on in the classroom and you have all of us,’ she beamed! ‘And anyway, it’s not like you really liked to be down there and at least here you get the best versions of all of us!’

‘Best versions?’ queried Iris ‘Yes’ Zara piped in. ‘Here no one is mean or teases anyone so everyone is free to be themselves without having to worry about anything, oh and we do have a lot of fun too!'

‘That does sound nice’ thought Iris.

So Iris stayed in the arts n crafts wall and came to know and love all her new friends.

There was Gabby who was shy in class but in the arts n craft wall made everyone laugh with her dog impersonations. Then there was Sophia, the smart kid in class who would make everyone feel silly by saying how ‘easy’ everything was. Here in the arts n craft wall she would have everyone roll over in hysterics by burping the alphabet. Then there was Will also known as Mr Chatterbox who would have everyone captivated by making up the best spy stories ever. Finally, there was Max who used to worry about what everyone thought, but in the wall he would break out in the most amazing dance moves Iris had ever seen and before long everyone would be dancing!

Iris felt free and was so happy. She loved living in the arts n craft wall.

Then one day something happened.

Mrs Clarke started to take down the self portraits.

‘Goodbye Iris’ said Zara’s self portrait. ‘Time for me to go Iris’ said Issy’s self portrait. ‘Cheerio Iris’ said Will’s self portrait.

‘Please stop taking them away Mrs Clarke’ cried Iris.

Mrs Clarke couldn’t hear Iris and so she kept taking down the self portraits.

As Max was being unpinned he could see Iris was upset. ‘Iris maybe you should go back too?’ he said.  ‘We are all going back to our real selves, so maybe you should go back to your real self too?’ he said.

‘I love it here’ said Iris ‘I feel so happy and so free all the time’ she said.  

‘That’s wonderful, but you can feel like that in your real self too’ said Max. ‘Remember the only reason you feel like that is you are free to be yourself here like all of us. You can be like that in the classroom too.’ he said. 

‘But not everyone is as nice as they are up here’ said Iris. 

‘I know’ said Max ‘you are so lucky because you have seen all your classmates in the best way so even if they are not always like this you know they can be, always look for the best in everyone.’  ‘Oh and one more thing if you are ever feeling sad or worried or angry that’s ok but know you can always come here to this special place and most importantly remember how it felt and know you can feel like that whenever you like.’

‘Wow Max’ said Iris  ‘I always thought you were the funny guy in class but you really are a wise old sensei’ said Iris  ‘I get it from my Mum’ chuckled Max.

Then he was gone and Iris was by herself in the arts n craft wall. Iris thought to herself how wonderful it would be to feel that great in the real classroom.  Well thought Iris, I know I can feel happy and free so even if I’m not feeling that way I know that I can. Iris felt good and decided it would be a good idea to go back to the classroom. Then something happened.

‘Hello Iris, I’m Rose,’ said a Rose. Then came a Bee, an Ant, and more flowers. ‘You can’t leave now’ said the Daffodil the arts n craft  garden need you, you are the only one who can help us……….

to be continued by you..x

@storytelling @childrensselfesteem

www.redsparrowkids.com.au