Tommy's Talking Tummy

Tommy woke up on Wednesday morning feeling hungry. His tummy rumbled. GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE! Wait... did it just say?.. "Breakfast..." whispered his tummy quietly. Tommy's eyes went wide. Did his tummy just TALK? At breakfast, Tommy ate his cereal quickly. But his tummy wanted more. "Cookies..." it whispered. "Cooookies..." "Shh!" Tommy told his tummy. "Not now!" At school, it was quiet reading time. Everyone was silent, reading their books. Tommy's tummy rumbled again. Then suddenly.. "COOKIES! I WANT COOKIES!" his tummy shouted! Everyone looked at Tommy! "Was that your stomach?" giggled his friend Maya. Tommy's face turned bright red. "Sorry!" he whispered. At recess, Tommy found some cookies in his lunchbox. He ate them ALL. Munch, munch, munch! "Yummy!" said his tummy happily. After recess, Tommy had to go to the doctor for a checkup. He sat quietly in the waiting room. Everything was peaceful and calm. Then his tummy started up again - even LOUDER this time! "ICE CREAM! I NEED ICE CREAM! COLD AND SWEET!" The other patients stared at Tommy. The receptionist giggled. "My tummy talks," Tommy mumbled, embarrassed. On the way home, Mom stopped to get Tommy a small ice cream cone. Tommy ate it quickly. LICK! LICK! LICK! "Mmmmm!" hummed his tummy. That afternoon, Tommy went to the library with his class. The library was super quiet. Everyone was whispering. Tommy hoped his tummy would behave. But then... His tummy started SINGING! "PIZZA! PIZZA! SLICE BY SLICE! MELTED CHEESE IS OH SO NICE! PIZZA! PIZZA! DON'T SAY NO! GIVE ME PIZZA - LET'S GO, GO, GO!" The whole library heard it! Kids started giggling! The librarian said, "Shhhhh!" Tommy wanted to disappear! After school, Tommy's dad picked him up. "Can we get pizza?" Tommy begged. "My tummy really wants it!" Dad laughed. "Okay, but just one slice!" Tommy ate his pizza slice. Chomp, chomp, chomp! By dinner time, Tommy felt funny. His tummy felt... weird. "Ohhhhh," groaned his tummy loudly. "I don't feel good..." GURGLE! GURGLE! GROAN! "My tummy hurts," Tommy told his mom. Mom looked at Tommy. "What did you eat today?" "Well... cookies at recess... ice cream after the doctor... pizza after school..." "That's a lot of treats!" said Mom gently. "No wonder your tummy doesn't feel well!" For dinner, Mom made Tommy's favorite - chicken, rice, and broccoli. Tommy wasn't sure he wanted to eat. But Mom said, "Try a little. Healthy food will help your tummy feel better." Tommy took a small bite. Then another. Then another. His tummy started to feel better! GURGLE... gurgle... "Ahhhh," sighed his tummy softly. "That's better..." By bedtime, Tommy's tummy felt much better. It wasn't talking anymore "I'm sorry I fed you too many treats today," Tommy whispered to his tummy. His tummy rumbled gently, like it was saying "It's okay." Tommy learned something important that day. Treats were yummy - but too many made his tummy feel yucky. Healthy food helped his tummy feel good and strong! And his tummy? It finally stopped shouting and singing. Well... until tomorrow's breakfast, anyway! The End

About Tommy's Talking Tummy

Tommy's Talking Tummy Meaning & Lessons

Treats Are Nice, But Balance Is Important: Tommy's tummy loved cookies, ice cream, and pizza - and those treats ARE yummy! But when Tommy ate too many treats in one day, his tummy felt sick and unhappy. Your body is like a car that needs the right fuel to run well. Treats are like special fuel for fun times, but healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, and proteins are what help your body feel strong and energized every day!

Your Body Tells You What It Needs: Tommy's tummy was trying to tell him something important! At first it asked for treats, but when it ate too much, it groaned and felt yucky. Then when Tommy ate healthy dinner, his tummy felt better and made happy sounds. Learning to listen to your body is really important - it will tell you when you're hungry, full, tired, or need to move around!

Sometimes What We Want Isn't What We Need: Tommy's tummy WANTED all those treats, but what it really NEEDED was healthy food to feel good. This happens to all of us! Sometimes we want to stay up late, but we NEED sleep. Sometimes we want only dessert, but we NEED nutritious food. The smart thing is finding a balance between what's fun and what's good for us!

󠁧󠁢Did You Know?: Did you know that your tummy really DOES make sounds to talk to you - just not with words like in Tommy's story! When your stomach grumbles and rumbles, it's actually telling you things. A growling tummy usually means "I'm hungry, time to eat!" But your tummy also makes gurgling sounds when it's digesting food and breaking it down to give your body energy. And here's something cool - your stomach is about the size of your fist! When you eat, it can stretch to hold food, then shrinks back down when it's empty. Scientists say your tummy and your brain actually send messages to each other all the time. That's why you might feel butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous, or why eating too much makes you feel uncomfortable. Your body is always talking to you - you just have to listen!