It's Your Turn
Children's Activity
Object:
Parents or Teachers: Throughout our lives there will always be people who
are better at something than we are. Being humble and yet comfortable and
proud of our achievements without bragging is a very fine line that not all
of us have achieved. There will be times in children's lives when they are
honored for a special achievement and can feel proud. But there will also
be many times when someone else is honored when your child will feel
cheated. It's one of those hard life lessons to learn. We can help our
children feel so good about themselves and their achievements or the
special kind of person they are that they don't take it so hard when
someone else is honored. Schools do this by choosing students of the week
or sending special notes home to all students for even the smallest
successes. As parents or church school teachers we can also be lavish
with sincere praise. Some children need to see praise in the form of notes
or awards. Other children need to hear it verbally. Still others need to feel
it with a pat on the back or a hug. Use a variety of methods at home or in
your church school class. Plan special times when each child is honored
for something special. One fun thing to do in a group setting, family or
classroom, is to put a paper plate on each person's back. Each person is to
go to each other person and write: You are special because _________. Or
I like you because _________. If the children are too young to write you
can do it in a circle with one person in the center receiving the praise
from the outer circle. Set a time limit and give each person a turn. At the
table at home or in church school, each person can say one nice thing about
the person on their left or right. There are many ways to make people feel
special so they won't feel sad when it's someone else's turn to receive
praise.
