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PRACTICE: Doing something over and over again until you do it just right!

Ever since he learned how to talk,Max woke up in the morning, ate hisbreakfast, hugged his mother, andtold her he loved her before leavingfor school.

Practice:

Love

But as he got older, there were somemornings that Max would forget totell his mother how he felt about her.

It wasn’t that he loved her any less,he just had more and more things tothink about each day.

On the days when he forgot, Max didn’tfeel as happy inside. He wondered ifhis mother felt the same way. Andthat made him feel awful.

Then Max remembered his mother telling him, “When you practice showing your love toward others, it brings happiness to both youand those you love.”

His mother explained that practice means to do something over and over again until you do it just right. Max decided that he was going to try his best not to forget this important lesson. He knew it would take lots of practice.

Max’s mother was so surprised and happythat she gave him a really big hug andtold him how much his kindness meant to her.

Before going to school the next morning, Max decided to do something extra special to show his love for his mother. He got out of bed early and fixed breakfast for both of them all byhimself, and even cleaned up the kitchenwhen he was done!

After that day, Max made it a practice to hug his mother and tell her he loved her every time he left the house, no matter how many other things he had to think about.

She sure was right about the good feelingsthat come from showing your love!

In Sofi’s classroom at school, the teacherbrought in a “Feed the Needy” box. Thestudents were supposed to bring in cannedfood whenever they could. This food wouldthen be given to families who didn’t haveenough to eat.

Practice:

Giving

Sofi was one of the first students to donatea can of food.

Even though she saw the box every day, Sofididn’t think about asking her parents for morefood after that first time. She thought shehad already done her part in helping the needy.

Then one day in Sunday school, Sofi’s teachertalked about how important it is to practice givingto those in need. The teacher explained that when we are blessed to have the things we need in life, one way to give thanks for those blessings is to help people who do not have the things they need.

Sofi instantly remembered the “Feed the Needy”box in her classroom. She realized that donating one can of food one time wasn’t going to help very much. She knew she needed to make giving to others a regular practice.

She went home and asked her parents if they could practice giving to others by donating at least one can of food after every trip to the grocery store.

Sofi came up with an idea!

Her parents loved the idea and agreed with Sofi’s suggestion. Together they donated a lot of food to people in need. It wasn’t long before the whole class followed Sofi’s example.

They all learned something surprising – the practice of giving to others makes those who give feel as good (maybe even better) than those who receive.

Practice:

WISDOM

Riley was not good at solving problems. He did not like to ask for help when he couldn’t figure something out on his own.

When his teacher asked if he neededany help, Riley would always say “I’m okay.”He was ashamed because he didn’t know the answer.

Riley remembered his parents were wise enough to help him solve many of life’s problems. Do you know what it means to be wise?

Riley’s parents told him by asking histeacher for help, he would have solved theproblem.

A wise person has knowledge, understanding and makes good choices. To become wise, you can learn from a wise teacher.

Not wanting to see him unhappy any longer, Riley’s parents sat him down and explained the meaning of wisdom. Wise people are not afraidto ask for help. They know it’s one of the bestways to learn.

Riley’s parents continued to explain, “Another good way to gain wisdom is learning from our mistakes. The important thing about makingmistakes is to learn what we did wrongand not repeat it. That’s wisdom!”

Riley felt a lot better to find out everyone needshelp solving their problems sometimes. He promised if he does not know the answer, he would practice asking questions.

By asking questions and learning from his mistakes, Riley will practice gaining wisdom. Being wise will not only make life easier,but will also allow Riley to help others.

1.) Why did Max sometimes forget to tell his mother how he felt about her? What did Max do to show he loved his mother? What can you do to practice showing love to a friend or family member?

2.) What is one way to give thanks for being blessed with the things you need? What was Sofi's plan to help feed the needy and practive giving? How did it make her feel?

3) Why didn't Riley ask his parents for help? What does it mean to be wise? Do you give advice to others and help them gain wisdom? How?

Practice questions:Love

giving

wisdom

Draw Max!Use the grid to drawyour very own max. Draw what you see in the small grid on to the large grid to complete the picture.

Practice Word find

Find these words

1. Love2. wisdom3. Giving4. trust5. forgive

6. practice7. soFi8. riley9. Max10. caring

Y O C W X B Q S L K N T F H A DA Z U A M B T Q G O I P Y L P MB A R I L E Y A H E C B O S J HT S A O A K S B G G A V A K T EA S C A R I E A C A E E O T A SD P H L A K A Y A S A N N R A OA E R B L E A N R G E N E U S F T V S C A R I N G A A U A S B IA I M A R K U S E A S V A T N AE G J A X C K H P I T E C O O LA R M A X A L A U W I A R A Y AA O A G I V I N G A L E R V A FN F T A U S D D A H M O T A Q AH A Y A R O M G A M A X P A A SA S O M F F A A W I S D O M A TD O C A T P R A C T I C E S U N

Practice Word findYOCWXBQSLKNTFHADAZUAMBTQGOIPYLPMBARILEYAHECBOSJHTSAOAKSBGGAVAKTEASCARIEACAEEOTASDPHLAKAYASANNRAOAERBLEANRGENEUSF TVSCARINGAAUASBIAIMARKUSEASVATNAEGJAXCKHPITECOOLARMAXALAUWIARAYAAOAGIVINGALERVAFNFTAUSDDAHMOTAQAHAYAROMGAMAXPAASASOMFFAAWISDOMATDOCATPRACTICESUN

Word find Answers

“Hi Sofi and Riley!” said Max. “What’s wrong?You two look sad. Didn’t you have a goodtennis match?

“No, we didn’t,” said Sofi, “We lost our match.”

“Yeah,” said Riley. “Last weekend we wereawesome! I don’t understand how we couldhave played so badly today.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said Max. “You both werepracticing so hard the last couple of weeks.How did your practices go this week?”

“We didn’t practice this week at all,”said Riley. Max asked, “Why not?”

“If you could have seen how well we playedlast weekend, you would understand. Wecouldn’t have played any better than that, sowhy should we have practiced? We alreadyknew how to do it right,” said Sofi.

“I get it. You think if you do something right onetime, you don’t have to practice anymore?”asked Max.

Riley replied, “I thought the purpose of practicing was to keep trying until you get it right.”

“That’s true,” said Max, “but that’s only halfof it. First we need to practice until we learnhow to do something right. Then, once we learn how to do it right, we need to keep practicingso that the right way becomes a routine.”

“What do you mean by a routine?” asked Riley.

“I know!” exclaimed Sofi. “It means that if wedo something right over and over again in practice, we are less likely to do it wrong whenit comes time for the big game!”

“That’s exactly correct, Sofi,” said Max, “andit’s the same with everything in life - not justtennis. Now, let’s go grab a snack!”

Sofi and Riley looked at each other and smiled. “No thanks, Max,” they said together,“We have some practicing to do!”

1) Why were Riley and Sofi upset that they lost their tennis match?

2) What did Max tell them about practicing after you get it just right?

3) What can you practice more to make the right way a routine?

Practice questions:routine

PRACTICEHow many words can you createusing the letters from the word practice? create extra lines if you need to! Good luck!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Word Challenge!

A

B

C

D

E

FG

H

IJKLMN

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

VW

X Y Z

INC.

Ant Hill Inc. is an educational entertainment company aiming to motivate and change the lives of youth and families with the concepts of the ant. Inspired by the life and love of the late Bobby L. Hill, Jr., Ant Hill strives to impart lessons of love, encouragement, and strength for life. We educate our audiences on these principles through various products and services. Thank you for your purchase and support of Ant Hill Inc.

visit us at www.anthill-inc.com

Ant Hill Inc. and all related characters are trademarks of Ant Hill Inc and are used with permission © 2012 Ant Hill Inc. All rights reserved

Ant Hill Inc. is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) company.

Executive ProducerJane Harris Hill

Illustrated byMarcus Williams

Written byMarcus Williams & Cathy Mc Evily

Edited by Michelle Bland & Dominique Olagbegi