Thoughts for
the week

In the news
this week

Spring Term
Programme

Search our
Collections

Prayers
Collection
Collective Worship Resource


How can I say No

.


AGE: Primary

THEME: 'How can I say No?': Exploring temptation.

PREPARATION:
  • Encourage children to discuss their understanding of temptation and brainstorm some temptations they face.
  • Plan opportunities to address stranger danger, drug awareness or sex education, as appropriate before the collective worship, and gather relevant resources.
  • Find a minute timer and some sweets or pieces of chocolate for the introductory session.
  • Gather some stickers or other low-value but desirable objects.
  • Ask another adult to be the 'sticker owner'.

INTRODUCTION:
The recently broadcast Child of Our Time series shown on BBC1 included a fun experiment where children were given a challenge of either eating one piece of chocolate the moment they were offered it, or waiting a fixed amount of time (a minute perhaps) and then having a whole bar. Re-create the experiment with a number of children. (It may be worth having the children come in separately, so they are not influenced by what the others are doing.)

Was the decision an easy one to make? Were the children tempted by the other option? What reasons do they give for their response? How do they feel about the decision that they made?

Produce a number of stickers, or similar objects, and explain that you found them earlier and wondered if anyone would like one. Once they are all handed out, accept a question from another adult, who explains that the stickers belonged to them and that they were needed for later. How do the children feel now? What do they feel they should do? Do they want to keep them or should they give them 'back' to the rightful owner?

Introduce the idea that we all face temptation. Even Jesus was tempted. Before he died on the cross, he wanted to spend some time alone and living very simply. He went to the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. While he was there, he did not have the things he was used to, that could make his life more happy and comfortable - food, drink, a bed, clean clothes. In his life Jesus had amazing power - he could easily have provided the things he needed. But he did not. Why? Wasn't he tempted to make his life more comfortable?

Jesus knew that his time in the wilderness was part of the plan that God had for him. Although what he was doing was hard, he also knew it was the right thing to be doing. He trusted what he knew was right and did not give in to temptation. God was always with Jesus, just as he is always with us. God never breaks his promises. Jesus could have taken the easy option at any time, but he would have broken his promise to God and Jesus knew he definitely did not want to do that.

We set up a game, or test, today that did not have any consequences. It helped us to tell a story and to think about some new ideas. Sometimes when we are tempted the decision we take does not matter very much, but sometimes it does. Can we be like Jesus and remember God in our lives, so that we try to make the right decisions?

DEVELOPMENT:
Follow up the introduction using one of these ideas. You could use another for later acts of collective worship:
  • What temptations do we face? What implications do our decisions have? What helps us make these decisions?

  • After Jesus was born, three kings / wise men went to search for him. On their way, they met King Herod - an important person. He wanted them to tell him where Jesus was when they found him, so he could go and visit the baby. That was what Herod said, but really he wanted to harm Jesus. The kings probably wanted to keep in with Herod, but in the end they knew they shouldn't go back to him. Why? Weren't they tempted? Sometimes even when we are told not to do something, we are still tempted. We need to try to be like the three wise men and do what we know is right.

  • Sometimes the decisions we need to make are hard. Sometimes we get it wrong and make the wrong decision. We give in to temptation. What happens then? Read the story of Jonah from Jonah 1-4. We can and will make some bad decisions. Sometimes we will get away with it, sometimes bad things may happen as a result, but it's never too late to change. We can say sorry, we can make good decisions, and things can turn out well in the end.

REFLECTION:
Temptation is all around us. Often we know what is wrong. Stopping and thinking can help us do the right thing. Sometimes we get it wrong, but by being genuinely sorry and trying to change our ways we will be forgiven. God will always love us.

PRAYER:
Help us to do what we know is right, to trust in what we believe and know. Help us remember our actions have consequences and that giving in to temptation can affect our lives and those of others. Thank you, God, for being there, always ready to help me. Teach me and forgive me when I get it wrong.
Amen.

SONGS:
From The Complete Come and Praise, BBC Publishing
No.31 'Can you be sure'
No.47 'One more step'

FOLLOW-UP IDEAS:
  • Explore the school rules. These are our responsibilities. What rights do we have? What rewards exist for those who honour their responsibilities? Reinforce the idea of cause and consequence.

  • Explore the ideas of stranger danger, bullying and drug awareness (age appropriate). Link to ideas of temptation and consequences of actions.

  • Provide opportunities, like Bubble Time, for children to talk in confidence to a familiar adult about issues that concern them or temptations they are trying to avoid.

  • Encourage children to work together. Set up cross-class or year group sharing times (at lunch times if not the school day) where games or stories can be played / shared with children that might not normally spend time together.

Feedback  |  The Contributors  |  Copyright © Culham Institute 2000-2012  |  Cydaddoli - fersiwn Cymraeg >>

.
Copyright © Culham Institute 2000-2012