Joy 1: What do you enjoy doing – and why?
(Be prepared to come into school to talk about two personal active
enthusiasms, one in school, and one out of school. Are there two
related items you could show your pupils?)
Aim
Objective
Intro
Looking
deeper
To explore the things that give us pleasure
Each pupil will have the opportunity to think about their
personal enthusiasms and discuss them.
Talk about two activities you personally enjoy doing in school
and out – and explain why. (Keep this to 5 minutes or less,
and appropriate to the age-group…!)
Ask pupils to think about all the things they enjoy doing,
both in school and out of school. We’re all different, but our
‘enthusiasms’ reveal something very important about us. They
show how our minds work. It could be that we like challenges,
discovering something new, being creative, or doing things
with other people. As we get older, some of these
enthusiasms might even turn into something bigger – an
important life skill, a hobby, or even a job!
Write a title on the board ‘My enthusiasms, then divide the
page underneath into 2, headed ‘At home / In school. In R2L
books, set pupils the task of drawing / listing at least 2-3
things they really enjoy doing – and why. Afterwards, discuss
these with talking partners.
Plenary
Ask some (willing) pupils to reveal their enthusiasms. Explain
that these enthusiasms are very important – and that if we
discover something that we enjoy doing, then we shouldn’t
forget it. Perhaps this is something we need to practice
getting better at, because it could be very important for us
when we’re older.
Meditation There was once a famous athlete, a runner named Eric
/ Prayer
Liddel, who won a gold medal in the Olympics. When he was
asked why he enjoyed training so much, he replied, ‘Because
when I am running, I can feel God’s pleasure in me!’
Father God, I’m special, and you made me this way for a
purpose. Thank you for all those things I enjoy doing. Help
me to think about this more. Amen.
Joy 2: Making my play more enjoyable
Aim
Objective
To think about the choices we have for enjoying free time.
Each pupil will have the opportunity to think about
alternative playground activities.
Intro
Enjoy the chance to play at having a little rant about being
bored: eg: ’I’m bored! I’m bored with this classroom, I’m
bored with this chair, I’m bored with these walls, I’m bored
with children, I’m bored with… ’
Then ask ‘What does it mean when we say we’re bored?
Discuss in pairs, then feedback and display answers. Draw
out the fact that ‘boredom’ is usually to do with being tired
of something being the same.
Have you ever felt like that? You might be in the classroom
Looking
in a particular lesson, or in the playground, or at home…and
deeper
you say ‘I‘m bored!’ That’s good, because you are starting to
notice things – but what do you do with it? If someone felt
bored in the playground, then what sorts of things might
they do next? Discussion in pairs, then feedback. Draw out
the choices: we can choose to carry on moaning, or to do
something different. Often, the lazy way to stop being bored
is to be negative, by trying to damage something or hurt
somebody else’s feelings. The creative way is to come up with
something new to do or be - and it’s a lot more fun.
In pairs, list in R2L books as many different playground
games and activities as possible.
Plenary
Feedback, with teacher listing all the possibilities for
display. Are there any surprises? Draw out the idea that
actually, we have more choices for enjoying ourselves than
we realise - but we have to think about it! Also point out that
some playground games stop being fun when people get
aggressive with each other – that’s the lazy way again! We
can choose to enjoy life in all sorts of different ways if we
think about it!
Meditation Eyes shut – imagine yourself playing something different this
/ Prayer
playtime. Prayer: Father God, thank you for giving me the
ability to choose. Help me to try thinking a little differently
about how to use my playtimes.
Challenge: try something different this week at playtime!
You may be surprised!
Joy 3: ‘Enjoyment’ vs. ‘Fun’
(For this, you need to demonstrate a personal skill you enjoy: juggling?
Playing a musical instrument? Knitting? Drawing? Mental Maths? Writing a
poem dramatically? Telling a funny story?)
Aim
To explore how enjoyment is something that has to be worked
at.
Objective
Each pupil will have the opportunity to reflect on a skill that
they can develop further.
Intro
Demonstrate a personal skill. Tell the story of how you first
learned it, including the pitfalls and difficulties, and who helped
you to improve – and say what you like about doing it.
Looking
Ask: If we said somebody was genuinely talented, then what
deeper
would that mean? Ask for and list the names of some famous
people with the headings ‘Famous People’ and ‘Talented for
What?’ on the board. Try to include people with a range of
talents – sport, music, art, technological, managerial,
compassion… and not just celebrities.
Explain that although everybody is born with a range of talents,
but we don’t naturally get better at them unless we persevere
with them. Somebody once said that ‘Being a Genius is 10%
Inspiration, and 90% Perspiration!’ : having a natural talent isn’t
enough to make you really good at something – you need to take
it further! We have to practice our skills and learn new ones
from other people who are already good at it. Add that
Enjoyment requires effort from you – unlike ‘having fun’, which is
instant and easy.
In pairs, decide on a common game or activity to talk about, and
make it the title in their R2L books. What skills or knowledge do
you need to have to become very good at it? How would you go
about acquiring those skills or knowledge? In the centre of the
page, draw something associated with that game or activity.
Around it, write or draw the things that will help someone to
become a real expert.
Plenary
Feedback pupil responses. Ask pupils if they have a talent they
want to develop.
Meditatio
Shut your eyes, and imagine yourself being really good at your
n
talent. Imagine what it would feel like! Father God, I want to
/ Prayer
become really talented about something. Show me how to do
that, and give me the courage to persevere with it when I get
tired. Amen.
Joy 4: Enjoying being me
Aim
Object
ive
Intro
Looking
deeper
Plenary
Medita
tion
/
Prayer
To explore how we can develop our enthusiasms into something really
useful or enjoyable in future.
Each pupil will have the opportunity to consider what their
enthusiasms reveal about their future abilities.
Show or draw a packet of seeds. Explain that seeds are usually very
small and hard to tell apart unless you are a real expert. Ask how we
use seeds.
Explain that we are all born with a variety of skills and talents – and
when we are young, they work like seeds that could grow up to be
something really interesting! The trick is to identify the ones which
are really important.
In pairs, pupils discuss their talents: things they are good at and enjoy
doing, both in and out of school. Feedback, asking when they first
found out they were good at it. Emphasise that social skills like ‘Being
a good friend’ and ‘Being able to sort out peoples’ problems’ are also
important talents. Pupils unsure of their talents should be asked:
‘What do you enjoy doing most of all?’ and drawn out in further
individual discussion.
Explain that some talents could be very useful as we grow older. A
person who enjoys playing with others will be good at working with
others. If you like drawing, you could be good at designing or making
things. If you’re good with words or numbers, you might be using them
to do something important one day.
Ask: how are you going to develop these talents? Explore this, using
R2L books. Draw a plant pot at the bottom of the page, and add a
growing plant. Label it with your skill or talent. Next to it draw a
watering can, the Sun and a box marked ‘Fertiliser.’ Label these with
the things you will need to do to develop your natural talent further.
Turn this into a tree, add flowers or fruit, and label them with the
things this talent could turn into.
Feedback pupil ideas about their talents and ambitions.
Ask each child to cup their hands, and shut their eyes. Ask them to
imagine their talents as seeds resting in their hands. Imagine letting it
fall to the floor, then picking it up and holding it in a fist – and then
opening the hand, letting it feel the sun’s warmth. Say that a talent is
something you can forget (drop) keep to yourself (the fist), or
something you can share with others (open). What do you want to do
with your talent – bury it, keep it to yourself, or share it? Father God,
you made me for a purpose. Help me to find out what that purpose is.
Help me to use my talents well. Amen.