Mine, Yours, His, Hers, Its, Ours, Theirs

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On Monday morning, Mia and Leo tidy the art table. Mia picks up a blue pencil and says, “This is mine.” Leo smiles and holds up a green pencil. “And this is yours.”

Their teacher, Ms Lane, points to the paint pots. “Now look carefully,” she says. “Mia’s paintbrush is hers. Leo’s ruler is his. The little plant on the windowsill is its own plant.”

Mia laughs. “So mine is for me, yours is for you, his is for Leo, and hers is for me?” “Yes,” says Ms Lane, “and its is for a thing or an animal.”

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After break, the class play a sharing game. Ms Lane places a red ball in the middle. “This ball is ours,” says Leo, because the whole class will use it. “And those crayons are theirs,” says Mia, pointing to another group at the next table.

A soft toy cat sits by the reading corner. Mia strokes it gently. “Its tail is fluffy,” she says. “The cat belongs to the corner?” asks Leo. “No,” says Ms Lane, “it means the cat has a tail.”

The children nod. “Mine, yours, his, hers, its,” says Mia slowly. “We can use them every day.”

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At the art corner, Mia draws her lunchbox. “This lunchbox is mine,” she says. Leo draws a water bottle. “That one is yours,” he says.

Ms Lane points to a big picture on the wall. “The class poster is ours,” she says. Mia looks at the blocks. “And the other class’s blocks are theirs.”

Leo grins. “It’s like a little language map.” “Exactly,” says Ms Lane. “These words help us share clearly and kindly.”

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Later, the class go to the garden. Mia holds the watering can. “It is mine for now,” she says. Leo laughs. “Then the spade is mine.”

Ms Lane points to the flower bed. “The flowers are ours to look after,” she says. A bird hops near the fence. “Its beak is tiny,” Mia says with a smile.

The toy cat sits beside the bench. “It likes the shade,” says Leo. “Yes,” says Ms Lane, “and the garden feels calm when everyone shares.”

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At the end of the day, the class show their picture wall. Mia points to a drawing. “This one is mine.” Leo points to his. “This one is yours.”

Ms Lane smiles. “His, hers, its, ours, theirs,” she says kindly. “Now you can use all the words.” The children repeat them together.

Mia and Leo wave goodbye. “We learned a lot,” says Mia. “Yes,” says Leo. “And it was ours to learn together.”