Once upon a time, there were five best friends named One, Two, Three, Four, and Five. They loved to play hide and seek together. One day, they decided to play a game of hide and seek with a twist.

Five counted while the others hid. When Five finished counting, he couldn't find any of his friends. Frustrated, he sat down and started to think. Suddenly, he had an idea! He called out each number, "One! Two! Three! Four!" but no one answered. Just as Five was about to give up, he heard a small giggle. It was Seven hiding behind a tree. Seven told Five that all of their friends were hiding in numbers.

So, Five found Six hiding behind a bush shaped like the number six. Then, he found Nine hiding in a cave that looked like the number nine. Next, he found Eight swimming in a pond shaped like the number eight. Finally, he found Four hiding inside a flower garden shaped like the number four.

All of their friends were so happy to be found that they all hugged Five and said, "Thank you for finding us!" They all laughed and played together for the rest of the day.

From then on, they always played hide and seek using numbers. And they lived happily ever after. The end.

Reflections

1. What do you think is the most important lesson from this story?
2. Can you think of any other creative ways to play hide and seek?
3. Why do you think Five was able to find all of his friends?
4. Do you think the friends will continue to play hide and seek using numbers? Why or why not?