Holly’s Clear Stop

Holly and George are carrying soft balls across the sports hall. They make silly slow steps between the cones. George starts nudging Holly with his ball. At first she laughs, but another nudge catches her arm while she is turning.

Holly steps away. “Stop. I do not like that now,” she says. George lowers the ball. Mr Brook comes over and checks what happened. Holly points to her arm and asks for more room.

Mr Brook helps them put the balls down. “You can change your mind about a game,” he tells Holly. George had thought the nudging was still funny. Now he knows she wants it to stop. They do not need to agree about how it felt.

Holly chooses to sit on the bench for a minute. Mr Brook stays within reach. George gives her space rather than following with the ball. He asks the leader what they could play without bumping into each other.

When Holly is ready, Mr Brook offers rolling a ball between separate cones. She can join, watch or choose something else. She decides to roll once from her own cone. George waits at his cone and sends it back along the floor.

Holly feels comfortable with the space between them. Saying stop helped the adults and George understand what she needed. If someone does not stop another time, she can move away and get help from an adult.