Older children want an uninterrupted football match; younger children need room to move and a chance to join in. Their first playground plan needs a second look.
01Read the Arabic story
مَلْعَبٌ لِلْأَطْفَالِ الصِّغَارِ وَالْكِبَارِ
كُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ كُرَةَ الْقَدَمِ مَعَ أَصْدِقَائِي فِي سَاحَةِ الْحَيِّ بَعْدَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ. كُنَّا نَضَعُ حَقِيبَتَيْنِ لِتَحْدِيدِ الْمَرْمَى، وَنَسْتَخْدِمُ السَّاحَةَ كُلَّهَا. فِي أَحَدِ الْأَيَّامِ، مَرَّتْ كُرَتُنَا أَمَامَ طِفْلَةٍ تَتَّجِهُ إِلَى الْأَرْجُوحَةِ، فَتَوَقَّفَتْ خَائِفَةً. طَلَبَ الْمُشْرِفُ مِنَّا التَّوَقُّفَ قَلِيلًا. قُلْتُ: «إِذَا تَوَقَّفْنَا كُلَّمَا مَرَّ أَحَدٌ، فَلَنْ نَلْعَبَ أَبَدًا».
جَمَعَ الْمُشْرِفُ بَعْضَ الْأَطْفَالِ وَسَأَلَنَا عَمَّا نَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ. قُلْتُ إِنَّنَا نُرِيدُ مَكَانًا لِلْجَرْيِ وَمُبَارَاةً دُونَ تَوَقُّفٍ مُسْتَمِرٍّ. قَالَتْ نَدَى، وَعُمْرُهَا سِتُّ سَنَوَاتٍ، إِنَّهَا تُرِيدُ الْوُصُولَ إِلَى الْأَرْجُوحَةِ دُونَ الْخَوْفِ مِنَ الْكُرَةِ. ثُمَّ أَضَافَتْ أَنَّهَا تُحِبُّ أَيْضًا أَنْ تَلْعَبَ مَعَنَا أَحْيَانًا. لَمْ أَكُنْ قَدْ تَوَقَّعْتُ طَلَبَهَا الْأَخِيرَ.
رَسَمْنَا خُطَّةً عَلَى وَرَقَةٍ. حَدَّدْنَا مَكَانَ الْكُرَةِ بِأَقْمَاعٍ مُلَوَّنَةٍ، وَتَرَكْنَا مَمَرًّا وَاسِعًا إِلَى الْأَرْجُوحَةِ. رَسَمَ الصِّغَارُ مُرَبَّعَاتٍ بِالطَّبَاشِيرِ لِلْقَفْزِ فِي جُزْءٍ آخَرَ. وَكَتَبْنَا جَدْوَلًا لِسَاعَةِ اللَّعِبِ: عِشْرُونَ دَقِيقَةً لِلْمُبَارَاةِ، ثُمَّ أَلْعَابٌ مُشْتَرَكَةٌ بِلَا كُرَةٍ. وَافَقْنَا عَلَى تَجْرِبَةِ الْخُطَّةِ لِثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ، ثُمَّ مُنَاقَشَةِ مَا نَجَحَ وَمَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَعْدِيلٍ.
فِي الْيَوْمِ الْأَوَّلِ، سَاعَدَ الْمَمَرُّ الْوَاضِحُ عَلَى اسْتِمْرَارِ مُبَارَاتِنَا. لَكِنَّ نَدَى سَأَلَتْ بَعْدَهَا: «مَتَى أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أُجَرِّبَ الْكُرَةَ؟» فَهِمْنَا أَنَّ الْجَدْوَلَ لَمْ يَتْرُكْ لَهَا هَذِهِ الْفُرْصَةَ. أَضَفْنَا عَشْرَ دَقَائِقَ بَعْدَ الْمُبَارَاةِ لِتَمْرِيرِ كُرَةٍ خَفِيفَةٍ بِبُطْءٍ بَيْنَ الصِّغَارِ وَالْكِبَارِ. وَبَقِيَ نِصْفُ سَاعَةٍ لِلْأَلْعَابِ الْأُخْرَى. فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، شَارَكَتْ نَدَى وَأَخُوهَا.
بَعْدَ الْأَيَّامِ الثَّلَاثَةِ، أَبْقَيْنَا الْجَدْوَلَ الْمُعَدَّلَ، وَعَلَّقْنَاهُ بِجَانِبِ الْبَوَّابَةِ. صَارَ الْمُشْرِفُ يُذَكِّرُنَا بِالْوَقْتِ فَقَطْ، بَدَلًا مِنْ إِيقَافِ الْكُرَةِ كُلَّ قَلِيلٍ. يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ، وَصَلْتُ قَبْلَ أَصْدِقَائِي وَوَضَعْتُ الْأَقْمَاعَ فِي أَمَاكِنِهَا. رَأَيْتُ نَدَى عِنْدَ الْبَوَّابَةِ فَسَأَلْتُهَا: «هَلِ الْمَمَرُّ وَاسِعٌ بِمَا يَكْفِي؟» مَشَتْ نَحْوَ الْأَرْجُوحَةِ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَتْ يَدَهَا وَابْتَسَمَتْ. بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ أَخْرَجْتُ الْكُرَةَ.
Show English translationHide English translation
I used to play football with my friends in the neighbourhood square after school. We put down two bags to mark the goal and used the whole square. One day, our ball passed in front of a girl heading towards the swing, and she stopped in fright. The supervisor asked us to pause. I said, “If we stop whenever someone passes, we will never play.”
The supervisor gathered some of the children and asked what we needed. I said that we wanted space to run and a match without constant interruptions. Nada, who was six, said that she wanted to reach the swing without fearing the ball. Then she added that she also liked playing with us sometimes. I had not expected her last request.
We drew a plan on a piece of paper. We marked the ball area with coloured cones and left a wide path to the swing. The younger children drew chalk squares for jumping in another area. We wrote a schedule for the hour of play: twenty minutes for the match, then shared games without a ball. We agreed to try the plan for three days and then discuss what worked and what needed adjusting.
On the first day, the clear path helped our match continue. Afterwards, however, Nada asked, “When can I try the ball?” We understood that the schedule had not given her that opportunity. We added ten minutes after the match to pass a light ball slowly between younger and older children. Half an hour remained for the other games. The next day, Nada and her brother joined in.
After the three days, we kept the revised schedule and put it up beside the gate. The supervisor now only reminded us of the time instead of stopping the ball repeatedly. On Thursday, I arrived before my friends and put the cones in place. I saw Nada at the gate and asked, “Is the path wide enough?” She walked towards the swing, then raised her hand and smiled. After that, I took out the ball.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| الْمَرْمَى | the goal |
| الْأَرْجُوحَةِ | the swing |
| الْمُشْرِفُ | the supervisor |
| تَوَقُّفٍ مُسْتَمِرٍّ | constant interruptions |
| بِأَقْمَاعٍ مُلَوَّنَةٍ | with coloured cones |
| مَمَرًّا وَاسِعًا | a wide path |
| بِالطَّبَاشِيرِ | with chalk |
| تَعْدِيلٍ | an adjustment |
| لِتَمْرِيرِ كُرَةٍ | for passing a ball |
| الْجَدْوَلَ الْمُعَدَّلَ | the revised schedule |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- The first plan solves access to the swing but misses a younger child’s wish to try the ball.
- A trial gives the children evidence for changing their schedule before keeping it.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
بَعْدَ الْمُبَارَاةِ
Use the time phrase to place shared ball practice after the match.
Arabic Adjective Agreement: Gender, Number, Definiteness and Case
مَمَرًّا وَاسِعًا
Notice how the adjective matches the indefinite masculine noun for a wide path.
