A Brixel and Voxel story
Best Bit, Tricky Bit
A story about starting school
Voxel had started at big school. It was a great big playroom, full of new toys.
So many new faces! Voxel stayed close to Brixel all day long.
At home time Big Bot asked, ‘How was your day?’
‘Fine,’ said Voxel.
‘What did you do?’ ‘Nothing.’
‘Who did you play with?’ ‘Can’t remember.’
But it wasn’t nothing. Voxel’s whole day was jumbled up inside him, like a box of bricks tipped out on the floor.
He didn’t know which bit to pick up first.
At bedtime Big Bot had an idea. ‘Let’s have antenna time. You have two antennae, so we tell two things.’
‘One best bit. One tricky bit. I’ll go first.’
Big Bot said, ‘My best bit: I mended the wobbly wheel on the toy train.’
‘My tricky bit: I dropped a whole box of bricks. Crash! I felt cross.’
Voxel giggled. Even Big Bot had tricky bits.
Then it was Voxel’s turn. Ting! ‘My best bit: I painted a red rocket.’
Ting! ‘My tricky bit…’ Voxel went quiet.
‘There are so many new toys. I only know Brixel. I don’t know how to make a new friend.’
Big Bot gave him a great big squeeze.
‘Thank you for telling me. Tricky bits get smaller when you tell them. And now we can work it out together.’
‘Your helper buttons can help you make a friend,’ said Big Bot.
‘Green. Stop and breathe.’
‘Yellow. Say hello, and say your name.’ ‘Hello, I’m Voxel,’ said Voxel.
‘Blue. Ask a question,’ said Big Bot. ‘What are you making? Can I play?’ said Voxel.
‘And pink is for when they say not now,’ said Big Bot. ‘That is all right. Find somebody else to ask, or ask your teacher to help.’
The next day two toys were playing trains.
Voxel pressed his green button. In… and out.
‘Hello, I’m Voxel. Can I play?’
‘Not now,’ they said. ‘We’re in the middle of our game.’
Voxel’s tummy went wobbly. But he pressed his pink button and had a good look around.
There was a little purple robot, building all alone.
‘Hello, I’m Voxel. What are you making?’
‘A bridge,’ said the little robot. ‘I’m Tock. Do you want to help?’
‘Yes, please!’ said Voxel.
They built the longest bridge in the whole school.
Then Voxel called Brixel over. ‘This is my new friend, Tock.’
‘Hello, Tock!’ said Brixel. Boing, boing, boing!
At home time Big Bot didn’t even have to ask.
‘Antenna time!’ said Voxel. Ting! ‘My best bit: I made a new friend called Tock.’
Ting! ‘My tricky bit: two toys said not now, and my tummy went wobbly. But I tried again.’
Big Bot listened to every word.
Because best bits and tricky bits are both worth telling.
And somebody who loves you always wants to hear them.
Voxel’s four helper buttons
For making a new friend. Tap a button to hear it.
Antenna time
Your turn. Tap an antenna light, then tell.
The end
For grown-ups
‘Fine’ and ‘nothing’ are normal answers after a day in reception. Small children are worn out by home time, and a whole day is too big a thing to describe. It does not mean nothing happened, or that something is wrong.
Hearing about the day
- Wait a while. A snack and some quiet come first. Bath time or bedtime is often when it all comes out.
- Go first. Tell your own best bit and a real tricky bit, so they hear that grown-ups have both.
- Keep antenna time to two things, at the same time every day. The last page of this book is there to tap together.
- When a tricky bit comes, thank them before you try to fix it. Children tell more when telling feels safe.
Making a new friend
- Practise the hello at home with the toys: ‘Hello, I’m Voxel. What are you making?’
- Aim for one new friend, not the whole class. Ask the teacher who they play near, and invite that one child round.
- Explain that ‘not now’ is not ‘no for ever’. Voxel hears it too, and tries somebody else.
Having a best friend there helps. A child with one safe friend often finds it easier to add a second.
If a few more weeks go by with nobody new, ask the teacher what they see. They can pair children up in class.
Pictures and narration made with Higgsfield. Tock is new for this story. The helper buttons come from Not the Baddie Again! and Room for One More.