Feelings · for 1–2 years · 1 min read

Kiss, wave, high five: see you after snack

Mira and Papa have a special goodbye at the nursery door: kiss, wave, high five. Say it together, and do the actions as you read.

Mira in orange dungarees holds her blue bunny Pip and Papa’s hand at the nursery door with the round window.

Here is the nursery door. Mira holds Pip. Papa holds Mira’s hand.

Papa kneels by the nursery door and gives Mira a high five while Bea, in a purple cardigan, waits nearby.

Time for our goodbye. Kiss. Wave. High five! “See you after snack,” says Papa. Bye-bye, Papa!

Mira looks a little sad and hugs Pip while Bea kneels beside her on the rug with a kind smile.

Mira feels sad. That’s okay. Bea kneels down close. Mira hugs Pip tight.

Mira builds a tower of coloured blocks with Bea, then smiles at the little snack table with a cup.

Build, build, blocks. Sing, sing, a song. Now it is snack time. Munch, munch, crunch!

Papa, back at the nursery door in his green jumper and yellow scarf, gives a smiling Mira a high five.

Snack is all done. The door opens. It’s Papa! High five. Wave. Kiss! Hello, Mira!

Papa carries Mira home; she holds Pip and waves goodbye to Bea at the nursery door.

Papa said, “After snack.” And here he is! Bye-bye, Bea. Home we go!

the end

let’s play: our goodbye game

  1. Do Mira’s goodbye together: kiss, wave, high five!
  2. Now do it backwards to say hello: high five, wave, kiss.
  3. Make up your own little goodbye, and use it next time you part.

talk about it

  • How do Mira and Papa say goodbye?
  • How did Mira feel when Papa left?
  • When did Papa come back?

for grown-ups

What this story helps with: Grown-ups leave and they come back. A little goodbye routine (kiss, wave, high five) helps a toddler feel safe until then.

Feeling upset when a grown-up leaves is a normal part of growing up for little ones. A short goodbye routine that is the same each time can help, and so can always saying goodbye rather than slipping away. Try telling your child when you’ll be back in terms of their day, like “after snack”, and then keep that promise. Over time, they learn that you come back. Swap “Papa” for whatever your child calls their grown-up.

sources we checked

Written and illustrated by the wishyou.today team. Every story is checked for age, kindness, safety and facts before it is published. Spotted something? Tell us on Instagram.

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