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Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What was the toy?
  • Who gave it to you?
  • How often did you play with it?
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77 unique answers with expert feedback

Band 7

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00:00

When I was a young child, my beloved grandfather gifted me a soft, adorable panda toy that became my most cherished companion the moment I was instantly captivated by its beautiful black and white fur, button eyes, and gentle smile. This panda wasn't just a toy, it was a symbol of my grandfather's love and affection. I would carry this special toy everywhere, to school, on family vacations, to relatives' house. Every adventurer became more exciting with my panda by my side, and I would spend countless hours playing, imagining incredible stories, and creating magical worlds. Together, the toy became my most concerned friend, providing comfort during uncertain moments and bringing joy to my childhood. Whenever I hugged the panda, I could almost feel my grandfather's warm embrace and hear his loving voice even now. Years later, this toy remains a treasured possession, representing not just a childhood memory but the beautiful, unbreakable bond I shared with my grandfather. The panda toy is a tangible reminder of his love, kindness, and the precious moments we shared during my early years.

Follow up questions


What other toys did you enjoy as a child?
Besides the panda toy, I also loved building blocks and action figures. The building blocks allowed me to create various structures, while the action figures sparked my imagination with heroic adventures. Each toy had its own special place in my heart, contributing to my joyful childhood.

How did your relationship with toys change as you grew older?
As I grew older, my relationship with toys evolved. I started to appreciate them more as collectibles rather than playthings. I began to focus on hobbies like reading and sports, but I still cherished my childhood toys, especially the panda, which became a nostalgic reminder of my early years.

Do you think toys play an important role in childhood development?
Absolutely! Toys are crucial for childhood development as they encourage creativity, imagination, and social skills. They help children learn problem-solving and emotional expression. My panda toy, for instance, provided comfort and companionship, which are essential for emotional growth during formative years.

Band 7

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00:00

My most famous toy in my childhood, as I recollect, was an elephant. It was gifted to me by my father. I played with it daily and I did carry it around with me wherever I go and whatever I was doing. I remember vaguely that I used to eat my lunch with my elephant beside me. It was this huge toy and it was very fluffy and soft. Although over the years it had become very thin and its fabric started to rip apart. Besides that, it was my favourite companion to have around. I would actually rather not share it with anyone else because he was my best friend. I also did name this elephant toy. I named it Buddy. As the meaning, it was really my buddy. It made my day bright and it made my days very much memorable. I used to play with it. I used to watch TV with it. The first thing that I remember whenever I think of my childhood was definitely this elephant. Over the years, as I said, the fabric was ripping apart. I had to say goodbye to this toy and it was very much disheartening to lose it. Although it was replaced with another toy which was a giraffe which was gifted to me by my mother this time. What I understood was that the elephant was pretty much irreplaceable because I did not have the same joy as I did with the elephant.

Follow up questions


What other toys did you enjoy playing with as a child?
Besides my elephant Buddy, I also had a few other toys like building blocks and a toy car. I enjoyed creating structures with the blocks and racing the car around the house. Each toy had its own special place in my childhood, but none compared to the bond I had with Buddy.

How did you feel when you had to say goodbye to your elephant?
Saying goodbye to Buddy was incredibly difficult for me. I felt a deep sense of loss because he was more than just a toy; he was my companion and a source of comfort. It was heartbreaking to see him deteriorate, and losing him felt like losing a part of my childhood.

Do you think toys play an important role in childhood development?
Absolutely! Toys like Buddy helped me develop my imagination and creativity. They provided comfort and companionship, which are essential for emotional development. Playing with toys also encouraged social skills when I interacted with friends, making them vital for a well-rounded childhood.

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IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

Answer

I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

location icon

Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

Answer

The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.

Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

location icon

Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

Answer

As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.

Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

location icon

Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

Answer

When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.

Describe a book you recently read
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

Answer

It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

Band 7

00:00

/

00:00

The toy that I most liked as a kid was my remote controlled car. This car was given to me by my uncle who is my mother's brother. The thing that I found most fascinating about this whole concept of remote controlled car is that I could use a tiny remote to control a car which is far away from me and this I found really interesting as a kid. I remember that I used to play with this toy almost everyday with a bunch of my friends. There were a bunch of interesting things I used to do with this car. I remember creating racetracks, tiny little racetracks and obstacles in the path and I would make, I would control this car to go around these obstacles. So this piece of toy motivated me to know more about electronics, about remote controlled cars which also fueled my interest in science and technology as an adult. So I feel this was a really important toy to me.

Follow up questions


How did your interest in electronics develop from playing with the toy?
Playing with the remote controlled car sparked my curiosity about how things work. I started to read books about electronics and even tried to build simple circuits. This foundational knowledge helped me later in school, especially in science classes.

Did you have any other favorite toys besides the remote controlled car?
Yes, I also enjoyed building blocks and action figures. Building blocks allowed me to be creative and construct various structures, while action figures let me engage in imaginative play with my friends, creating stories and adventures.

How do you think toys influence children's development?
Toys play a crucial role in children's development by enhancing their creativity, problem-solving skills, and social interactions. They encourage imaginative play, which is essential for cognitive growth, and can also introduce concepts like teamwork and competition.

Band 6-7

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No audio text available

Follow up questions


What types of toys do you think are important for children's development?
I believe toys that encourage creativity, problem-solving, and social interaction are vital for children's development. For instance, building blocks can enhance spatial awareness, while board games can teach teamwork and strategy.

How do you think toys have changed from your childhood to now?
Toys have evolved significantly; they are now more technologically advanced, with many incorporating digital elements. While classic toys still exist, modern toys often focus on interactive play and educational value, reflecting changes in society and technology.

Do you think children today have too many toys compared to your childhood?
Yes, I think children today often have an overwhelming number of toys, which can lead to overstimulation. In my childhood, we had fewer toys, which encouraged us to be more creative and imaginative with what we had, fostering deeper play experiences.

Band 6-7

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so in my childhood there was a particularly a doll which with which I used to play a lot so the background story of the toy is that my Masi who lives in USA bring a dancing or brings up done brought up dancing doll on my birthday which I liked so much if you will on that doll she will start dancing instantly and I used to play that doll play with that doll a lot and that was my favorite toy since my childhood I still have that doll I have and and the dog doll has also unique features like it has a mic in her hand and whenever you press the button she will start singing and dancing both at the same time which was a unique feature at that point of time because in India we don't have such dolls or toys and toys are very memorable for me at least because they have a lot of memory of my childhood and I have all my childhood toys secured with me

Follow up questions


What other toys did you enjoy playing with as a child?
Apart from the dancing doll, I also loved playing with action figures and building blocks. Action figures allowed me to create my own adventures, while building blocks helped me develop my creativity and problem-solving skills. Each toy had its own special place in my childhood.

How did your favorite toy influence your childhood?
My favorite doll influenced my childhood by sparking my imagination. I would create stories and scenarios where the doll was the main character. This not only provided entertainment but also helped me develop storytelling skills and a love for creativity that I carry with me today.

Do you think toys play an important role in childhood development?
Yes, I believe toys are crucial for childhood development. They help children learn important skills such as social interaction, creativity, and problem-solving. Playing with toys can also foster emotional growth, as children learn to express themselves and understand their feelings through play.
Show all 77 answers

Cue 1:What was the toy?

  • Start by describing the toy in detail, including its appearance and features.
  • Explain why this toy was special to you and how it made you feel.

Example

The toy I cherished the most during my childhood was a bright red remote-controlled car. It was small, sleek, and had shiny wheels that sparkled in the sunlight. I loved how I could control it with a simple remote, making it zoom around the garden and perform little stunts.


Cue 2:Who gave it to you?

  • Mention the person who gifted you the toy and your relationship with them.
  • Share any memorable moments associated with receiving the toy.

Example

My uncle gave me this toy on my seventh birthday. He always knew how to pick the perfect gifts for me, and I remember the excitement on my face when I unwrapped it. He smiled and said, 'This will take you on many adventures!'


Cue 3:How often did you play with it?

  • Discuss the frequency of play and any specific times or occasions you enjoyed playing with it.
  • Reflect on how playing with this toy impacted your childhood.

Example

I played with my remote-controlled car almost every day after school. It became a routine for me to race it around the garden with my friends. Those moments were filled with laughter and joy, and it truly made my childhood memorable.


Conclusion

  • Summarize your feelings about the toy and its significance in your childhood.
  • Mention how it has influenced your interests or hobbies as you grew up.

Example

In conclusion, my remote-controlled car was not just a toy; it was a source of happiness and creativity during my childhood. It sparked my interest in technology and engineering, which I still pursue today.


Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.


Tips to answer this Cue Card

1: Being Vague About the Toy

Candidates often provide unclear descriptions of the toy, which can make their answer less engaging. Specific details help the examiner understand your experience better.

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Tip

Describe the toy in detail, including its color, size, and what made it special to you.


2: Neglecting Personal Connection

Failing to explain who gave you the toy and why it was meaningful can lead to a lack of personal touch in your response. Personal stories resonate more.

bulb icon

Tip

Share a brief story about the person who gave you the toy and what it meant to your relationship.


Not Mentioning Frequency of Play

Overlooking how often you played with the toy can make your answer feel incomplete. This detail adds depth to your childhood experience.

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Tip

Include specific times or occasions when you played with the toy to illustrate its importance in your daily life.


calendar icon

IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

Answer

I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

location icon

Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

Answer

The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.

Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

location icon

Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

Answer

As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.

Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

location icon

Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

Answer

When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.

Describe a book you recently read
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

Answer

It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

All Answers

Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

Band 7

00:00

/

00:00

The toy that I most liked as a kid was my remote controlled car. This car was given to me by my uncle who is my mother's brother. The thing that I found most fascinating about this whole concept of remote controlled car is that I could use a tiny remote to control a car which is far away from me and this I found really interesting as a kid. I remember that I used to play with this toy almost everyday with a bunch of my friends. There were a bunch of interesting things I used to do with this car. I remember creating racetracks, tiny little racetracks and obstacles in the path and I would make, I would control this car to go around these obstacles. So this piece of toy motivated me to know more about electronics, about remote controlled cars which also fueled my interest in science and technology as an adult. So I feel this was a really important toy to me.

Band 7

00:00

/

00:00

When I was a young child, my beloved grandfather gifted me a soft, adorable panda toy that became my most cherished companion the moment I was instantly captivated by its beautiful black and white fur, button eyes, and gentle smile. This panda wasn't just a toy, it was a symbol of my grandfather's love and affection. I would carry this special toy everywhere, to school, on family vacations, to relatives' house. Every adventurer became more exciting with my panda by my side, and I would spend countless hours playing, imagining incredible stories, and creating magical worlds. Together, the toy became my most concerned friend, providing comfort during uncertain moments and bringing joy to my childhood. Whenever I hugged the panda, I could almost feel my grandfather's warm embrace and hear his loving voice even now. Years later, this toy remains a treasured possession, representing not just a childhood memory but the beautiful, unbreakable bond I shared with my grandfather. The panda toy is a tangible reminder of his love, kindness, and the precious moments we shared during my early years.

Band 7

00:00

/

00:00

My most famous toy in my childhood, as I recollect, was an elephant. It was gifted to me by my father. I played with it daily and I did carry it around with me wherever I go and whatever I was doing. I remember vaguely that I used to eat my lunch with my elephant beside me. It was this huge toy and it was very fluffy and soft. Although over the years it had become very thin and its fabric started to rip apart. Besides that, it was my favourite companion to have around. I would actually rather not share it with anyone else because he was my best friend. I also did name this elephant toy. I named it Buddy. As the meaning, it was really my buddy. It made my day bright and it made my days very much memorable. I used to play with it. I used to watch TV with it. The first thing that I remember whenever I think of my childhood was definitely this elephant. Over the years, as I said, the fabric was ripping apart. I had to say goodbye to this toy and it was very much disheartening to lose it. Although it was replaced with another toy which was a giraffe which was gifted to me by my mother this time. What I understood was that the elephant was pretty much irreplaceable because I did not have the same joy as I did with the elephant.

Band 6-7

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00:00

In my childhood, I would prefer to play with many of the teddy bears or soft toys, which keeps me more comfortable. And one of my favorite toys was a Doraemon toy, which is a stuffed toy. It was gifted by my parents, maybe in my first birthday party, and from there I played for four to five years with the same toy, because I had more memories with that, so it made me feel more, what, playful and joyful. So that's the reason I would always love to play with my toy. After returning from the school, I just ran over and grabbed the toy and played with it for almost two to three hours, like creating my own imagination world with the Doraemon, and playing with him in my own world. So that is just amazing memories in my childhood. And it made me so, so attached with it, for playing for almost four years, which gave me the great memories for my entire life.

Band 6-7

00:00

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00:00

During my childhood, my grandfather brought a toy. It's a car. I love very much. My grandfather died before 10 years ago, but I remember the time he gave the gift. I love very much and I play every day with my sister. I think the color of the car was green. It has two doors and it includes three or four seats. Me and my sister enjoyed very well in using that car. Moreover, I didn't forget about the gift. It is precious gift I ever received. Thank you.

Band 6-7

00:00

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00:00

Everyone's childhood has their memories with games and toys and I too had one memory with a toy I wanted very much that was a soft stuffed bear. At that time when I was in my 5th class, I was told by my cousin brother Rhythm that if I will ace my examinations then he will buy me a gift which was very close to my heart at that time that was a soft orange coloured teddy bear. It was around 600 or 700 at that time and that is considered as expensive in my locality. So I left no stone unturned as because mathematics wasn't my piece of cake but I passed it with flying curlers so that my brother can give me a soft toy and when I got that I was so overwhelmed that I was flexing it to my peers that I got this after acing my examinations and that was the moment I felt like I was gifted so precious thing of my life. Back then I used to play with it very frequently but nowadays it is just kept in my bedroom. I do not play with it now but when I used to cry I used to hold it with my arms to make me feel cozy and comfortable that someone is hugging me. So that was the best gift I ever known.

Band 6-7

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00:00

well like any other child I had so many toys in my childhood well actually I'm the eldest one in my family so whenever someone came to see me they bought me a toy one of my favorite toy in my childhood is hippopotamus stuffed toy I called him hippoo and I'm so fond of him it was a gift from my mother it was actually my first toy in my fourth age well it was really comfy and it was pink in color and with white eyes well it's so beautiful to see and I'm so comfortable around it and whenever I don't see my hippo I always feel devastated and I was screaming like a loud and my mother always told me that wherever I go I carry it with me and I don't even give to any children for playing because I'm really like that I really like that one after so many years I my mother said that I used to keep it hidden from other children because I'm so jealous of being jealous of jealous

Band 6-7

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00:00

The toy I liked the most in my childhood was my favourite car which was of a red colour and blue eyes which was built of a completely melted I just loved it because it looked so attractive that everyone would come to me and ask me that I just want to play with the toy for few minutes but I never gave it to anyone as it was given by my mom to me I just loved that toy so much I was so fond of that toy that I never ever gave it to anyone I just used to keep it next to me every moment like whenever I slept and all the time it was it was like a handbag that I used to carry all the time with me and the speciality of it was there were lights in it the door used to open and it was so special toy for me as it was given by my mom I never ever even gave it to children or to anyone even now I have preserved that toy in my room I have kept it in glass so that no one could even get a scratch on it I just need one bit I should preserve it and it should go to the next generation and pass on to generation and generation and that toy was very special for me and yet I just like to watch it every now and then

Band 6-7

00:00

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00:00

My childhood favorite toy is named the spinner. I used to play it almost every time. Even while studying I will be using it in my hand. It's like spinning it with just two fingers but I would be practicing with every fingers to make it fun and it was a nice experience for me. Another toy of my favorite is magnet. I used to stick it with iron materials like clips and iron doors and a gate and some other things. I used to place it in top of the mirror while combing my hair so that I can hang my clips in it and while combing my hair I can use it whenever I need it. I used to play it in books placing one magnet on one side and another magnet on the other side of the paper and while swinging the one magnet the other magnet will also swing but it will look like a magic. So I like it when I was a child and I used to play many games and in that a toy named hen. It was like looking like a hen. It will be like kind of battery controlled. It will be nice looking.

Band 6-7

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00:00

I love to play with toys, why means... Thank you for giving this opportunity to talk about my favorite toy. My favorite toy is teddy bear which I received from my aunt on my birthday. I like teddy bears. I am having 10-12 teddy bears in my home. These all I used to get on my birthday only. One of my favorite teddy bear is which I received from my aunt on my birthday when I was 16. It is not like a normal teddy bear. It will be very huge and it is my height. The teddy bear will be in my height and it will be very huge and comfy and soft. The color I received also I was very shocked which was my favorite color like pink and purple. I also kept a name for the teddy bear. The teddy bear name is Nick. I love the teddy bear and I used to sleep with it. How often I played means I used to play when I was sad or when I am very happy. In these situations I used to play. Whenever I used to get a free time, I used to talk with him like my friend. I used to say a story to my teddy bear. It is kind of childish but I love my teddy bear. I like teddy bears. It is very huge and I love it very much.
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