ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Vooks Storybooks Animated Read Aloud Stories for Children | Black History
Little Craig loved everything about birthday parties! He loved the balloons, the yummy cake, the fun games, and the cool prizes. But, he didn’t get invited to many parties. One day, while he was sitting at his desk in school, a bright blue invitation appeared right in front of him. It was from Joey, the new kid in school!
Craig imagined himself at Joey’s party: walking into a room full of blue balloons, eating a big slice of cake, playing games, and maybe even winning a prize. Craig looked at Joey and said, “I will be there.” Joey smiled back at him.
After school, Craig ran home excitedly. “I’m going to a party, Mom!” he shouted. “Really? When is this party?” his mom asked. Craig handed her the invitation. She went straight to the family calendar and wrote down Joey’s party date.
The next day, Craig came into the kitchen with another invitation, this time in a bright red envelope from his friend Dan. “I’m going to two parties, Mom!” he said happily. “Let’s put it on the calendar too.”
But when Mom looked at both invitations, she noticed something. Both parties were on the same day at the exact same time: Joey’s birthday party at 1 PM and Dan’s birthday at 1 PM. Craig was surprised. He had to choose between the two parties.
Craig thought, “Well, all my friends will be at Dan’s party. I’ll just go to that one.” He went to the calendar to cross out Joey’s name. But Mom said, “You told Joey first that you would go to his party. You’re only as good as your word, Craig, but it’s up to you. You’ll know what to do.”
Craig realized that being invited to two parties wasn’t as fun as he thought. In his room, he wrote a letter to Joey: “Dear Joey, I can’t go to your birthday party because it is the same day as Dan’s.” He wrote it in his best handwriting.
“Mom, can you please mail this to Joey?” he asked. Mom read the letter and said, “Imagine you were Joey. What if every kid you invited to your party wrote you a letter like this?” Craig imagined a line of kids giving him letters, and it didn’t feel good.
Craig crumpled up the letter. Back in his room, he thought, “I could just go to both parties.” He made a plan: 1 PM to 2 PM at Joey’s party, and 2 PM to 5 PM at Dan’s party.
“Mom, I solved my problem!” he said proudly. But Mom reminded him, “Imagine you were Joey and everyone left your party early to go to someone else’s.”
That night, Craig dreamed about Joey being all alone at his birthday party. The next day at school, Craig told Dan he wouldn’t be able to make it to his party. “Really? Thanks for telling me,” Dan replied. Craig decided to keep his promise to Joey.
When the party day finally arrived, little Craig walked through a sea of blue balloons and saw Joey’s smiling face. “Hey, Craig!” Joey said. “Hi, Joey! The party’s great!” Craig enjoyed a big slice of cake and played all the party games.
Craig felt happy inside, and it wasn’t just because he won at pinning the tail on the donkey; it was because he knew he did the right thing. Best of all, he made a new friend along the way.
“I’m so proud of you,” Mom said when he got home.
Role-Playing Activity: Gather a few friends or family members and act out the story of Little Craig’s Birthday Party. Take turns playing different characters like Craig, Joey, Dan, and Craig’s mom. After the role-play, discuss how each character might have felt during the story. How did Craig’s decision affect Joey and Dan? This activity helps you understand the importance of keeping promises and considering others’ feelings.
Promise Keeper Chart: Create a “Promise Keeper” chart at home. Every time you make a promise and keep it, add a sticker or draw a star on the chart. At the end of the week, count how many promises you kept. Discuss with your family why keeping promises is important and how it makes you feel when you do. This will help you practice being reliable and trustworthy, just like Craig learned to be.
Decision-Making Game: With the help of an adult, set up a simple game where you have to make choices. For example, you could have two activities to choose from, like drawing or playing outside. After making your choice, talk about why you chose that activity and how it made you feel. This game will help you think about decision-making and the consequences of your choices, similar to Craig’s decision in the story.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript, removing any unnecessary elements and ensuring clarity:
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**Title: Little Craig’s Birthday Party**
Little Craig loved birthday parties—the balloons, the cake, the games, and prizes—but he didn’t get invited to many parties. One day, while sitting at his desk, a bright blue invitation popped right in front of him. Little Craig looked up and saw Joey, the new kid in school, holding it out.
He imagined himself at Joey’s party: walking into a sea of blue balloons, eating a big slice of cake, playing games, and winning a prize. Craig looked at Joey and said, “I will be there.” Joey smiled.
Craig raced home after school that day. “I’m going to a party, Mom!” he exclaimed. “Really? When is this party?” he passed her the invitation. Mom went straight to the family calendar and wrote Joey’s party on the date.
The next day, Craig zipped into the kitchen with a bright red envelope from his friend Dan. “I’m going to two parties, Mom!” he said. “Let’s put it on the calendar.”
Mom held out both invitations. They were on the same day at the exact same time: Joey’s birthday party at 1 PM and Dan’s birthday at 1 PM. Craig couldn’t believe it; he would have to choose. He thought, “Well, all my friends will be at Dan’s. I’ll just go to that one.”
He went to the calendar to cross out Joey’s name. “You told Joey first that you would go to his party. You’re only as good as your word, Craig, but it’s up to you. You’ll know what to do.”
Maybe being invited to two parties wasn’t that fun after all. In his room, Craig got out a piece of paper and wrote, “Dear Joey, I can’t go to your birthday party because it is the same day as Dan’s.” He wrote it in his best handwriting with his sharpest pencil.
“Mom, can you please mail this to Joey?” he asked. Mom read the letter and said, “Imagine you were Joey. What if every kid you invited to your party wrote you a letter like this?” Craig imagined a line of kids passing him letters, and it did not feel great.
Craig crumpled up the letter. Back in his room, he held out both invitations. “I could just go to both,” he thought. He pulled out his paper and pencil again and made a schedule: 1 PM to 2 PM at Joey’s party, 2 PM to 5 PM at Dan’s party.
“Mom, I solved my problem!” he said proudly. But Mom reminded him, “Imagine you were Joey and everyone left your party early to go to someone else’s.”
That night, Craig dreamed about Joey all alone at his birthday party. The next day at school, Craig told Dan he wouldn’t be able to make it to his party. “Really? Thanks for telling me,” Dan replied. Craig decided to keep his word to Joey.
When the party day finally arrived, little Craig walked through a sea of blue balloons and saw Joey’s smiling face. “Hey, Craig!” Joey said. “Hi, Joey! The party’s great!” Craig ate a big slice of cake and played all the party games.
Craig felt good inside, and it wasn’t just because he won at pinning the tail on the donkey; it was because he knew he did the right thing. Best of all, he made a new friend along the way.
“I’m so proud of you,” Mom said when he got home.
**The End**
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This version maintains the essence of the story while removing extraneous elements like music cues and applause.
