The Chalk on the Playground
One sunny day at school, a group of kids were playing on the playground when Lily shouted, “Look! Someone drew all over the wall with chalk!”
Everyone ran over and saw a big rainbow with the words “I love puppies!” scribbled underneath. The teacher came quickly and asked, “Who did this?”
Max pointed at Mia and said, “It was her! I saw her holding chalk this morning!” The other kids started agreeing, even though no one had actually seen her do it. Mia’s face turned red, and she looked like she might cry.
Before the teacher could say anything, Sam stepped forward. “Wait,” he said. “Before we all blame her, maybe we should think—have we ever done something wrong too?” The playground got quiet.
Jessica said, “I took extra snacks the other day without asking, but my mom gave me a second chance by giving up my snack the day after.” Steven added, “And I blamed my brother for making a mess in our playroom, but I probably left most of the toys on the floor.”
The teacher smiled gently. “That’s right, children. We all mess up sometimes. What’s important is being honest and learning to do better.” She turned to Mia. “Did you draw on the wall?”
Mia shook her head. “No, but I understand why you thought it was me.”
Later that day, another student quietly told the teacher it was him and said he was sorry. The teacher forgave him, and he helped clean the wall.
From that day on, the kids remembered what Sam had said—that everyone needs forgiveness sometimes, and it’s better to help each other do what’s right than to point fingers.
A children’s story based on John 8:1-11: We should show mercy and forgiveness and not judge others because we all make mistakes.
