Feelings are Important

AIM: Understanding feelings, though taken for granted, are very critical in a child's development. 

They aid in personal well being as well as building new relationships. In this lesson we focus on helping children identify and manage their as well as other's feelings. 

Kids are very receptive to feelings. They instinctively know when someone is hurting. However they may or may not always know how to deal with varying situations. 

We began by showing kids some faces and asked them to identify the feelings therein. 

Images got from here

So how do you thing our pal (lets call him Ken) feels today? 

Why do you think he feels that way? Does Jesus likes us being Happy? 

What about now? How does Ken feel now? 

Why do you think Ken feels sad now? 

Do you ever feel sad? When? Why does that happen? Do you think Jesus wants you to feel sad? 

What can I do to feel better? 

What has happened to Ken now? He sure looks angry now, doesn't he? 

Wonder what made him this mad? Do you get mad at times? What causes you to get angry? What do you do when you are angry? Is it right to show your feelings? Is it right to show my feeling by hurting others? What would Jesus do? Did Jesus ever get angry? 

oh! oh! looks like Ken here is a little nervous!! He must be nervous about something thats about to happen - or he might be thinking its about to happen....We all feel nervous at times. I feel nervous when I am waiting for some news to reach me....Is it ok to be nervous? For how long? Should i get sick with nervousness? 

Heres Ken now. He looks scared. I hope he does not stay that way for long! We all get scared, but we should remain scared forever. God wants us to be free !!

Ahhh , here's Ken , feeling loved and content. You too are loved. You too are special . Smile always because you are special and you are loved - Always!!

Feelings are very important. It is okay to feel sad, hurt, scared even angry. But its not always okay to act on our feelings. If I am angry , its okay to let my friends and family know I am angry - but hat does not give me the right to punch someone !!! I will make them angry- and if they get angry and punch me back - It will be a mess!!

JESUS had feelings too: 

Jesus was angry too, when He saw sellers in His Father's house in the temple. He showed His feelings to everyone- BUT He did not go about hitting and shouting at anyone!!He did what was necessary. 

Jesus was scared too ( as human - as you and me) when He was about to die and He was praying to His Father - but He did not run away from His problems. He faced them and it passed. Our problems too will pass - but we must take it Jesus in prayer. He will help us. He will send His angels to help us. 

Jesus used to laugh and smile a lot with His friends. He had lots of friends. Jesus wants us to be happy the same way always. 

So what do we do? 

1) when I really want something real bad? 

First of all, ALWAYS ask Nicely. It is always good to be polite. Request - Never snatch. Do it with a smile. 

Try it. If you snatch what is not yours - you will be making your friend very angry and there can be sadness and a fight. 

2) When someone is teasing me, annoying me? 

If there is no teacher or adult (like your parent nearby) .

First ask them to " Please Stop"  

If they still do not listen,  The best would be to IGNORE till you get some help. It will be noce of you to pray for them , once you get home- before that please go somewhere safe. 

3) What is the best way to be happy and play fair? 

Share with friends. Sharing is Caring. 

Say, "Please" 

Play fair, play together

Wait your turn while playing. 

Action Song: 

I AM HAPPY TODAY: 

I happy today, I’m happy today,
In Jesus Christ I’m happy today,
He’s taken all my sins away,
And that’s why I’m happy today.

I'm sharing today,I’m sharing today,
In Jesus Christ I’m sharing today,
He’s taken all my sins away,
And that’s why I’m sharing today.

I'm praying today, I’m praying today,
In Jesus Christ I’m praying today,
 He’s taken all my sins away,
And that’s why I’m praying today.

I'm smiling today, I’m smiling today,
In Jesus Christ I’m singing today,
He’s taken all my sins away,
And that’s why I’m smiling today.

I'm singing today, I’m singing today,
In Jesus Christ I’m singing today,
He’s taken all my sins away,
And that’s why I’m singing today.

I happy today,  I’m sharing today,
In Jesus Christ I’m praying today,
He’s taken all my sins away,
And that’s why I’m singing today.

IMAGE COURTESY : http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/research.html

Creation - God Made Everything

AIM:     God made everything. The aim of this lesson is to enforce the Creative Will and Purpose of God. 

Everything that God created is inherently good. God Blesses works of His hands. We are created in the image and likeness of God, Our Father. 

Creation Story according to Genesis
Reproduced from here

Kid's Animated Creation Video
 Reproduced from here

Isn't that simply Awesome? 
Our God is an Awesome God. 
Who can make such beauty? Such Magnificence? and all this for whom? 
For you - and for me - for us to love and care and take care of!!
So here is what we learnt : 

CREATION STORY : 

In the beginning there was Nothing - no earth , no people, no sky, no animals NOTHING!!

Can you imagine that? 

There was only empty space - it was dark - nothing!!!

But God had a magnificent plan - he wanted to MAKE something. He wanted to make Someone!! He wanted to make you and me!!!

So what do you think He did? 

Our God is so great and so loving - He thought of us and decided to make the world READY for us!! 

So here's what He did: 

DAY 1: 

And then God spoke in the darkness:  “Let there be light!”  

And right away there was light. 

God found it good and He divided the Light from the Darkness .

God gave them a name each. God called the Light time "Day" and the Dark time " Night" 

So that's how the very first Day and Night started!!

So the morning, evening , the night passed that was the FIRST DAY!!!

DAY 2: 

On the second day, God made the Land and then He made a Sky to hang above the Land. 

God stood back and took a look - He liked all that He saw and said, "It is Good" 

And so the second day was over.

DAY 3: 
God then got busy arranging the Land. He decided to separate the land and the water. 
He brought all the dry land together and called it Earth.Then he brought all the water together and called it Seas

When God finished this - He commanded the earth to bring forth grass, fruit yielding trees - and so he made lovely flowers of every kind roses, daffodils, tulips, apple trees, pear trees etc. 

And so the earth had flowers, grass and lots of tress!

God looked back and saw  that it was good. Morning came and Night came - that was the end of the third day!

DAY 4: 

The next day, God decided to make the Sun and the Moon.

Sun to rule over day time  

and moon to rule over night time. And it was done. The Sun and the Moon marked day and night as well as seasons. 

God looked on and saw it was all good. He was pleased with His work so far. 

So ended the fourth day. 

DAY 5: 

God decided He would not leave the sea alone and decided to make it even better. 

He wanted the water to have life - and so it was - Every kind of fish - big, small  started swimming in the seas!!

Splendid - don't you think? 

But that was not enough - God looked at the sky - saw it was empty and commanded it to have life as well. 

Lo and behold!! There were every type of bird- colourful and beautiful flying  in the sky!!!

The dusk fell over the water and the sky grew dark and that was the end of the fifth day.

DAY 6:

On Day 6, God decided to fill the land with animals - 

and animals there were of every colour, size and shape. 

there were horses, pigs, lions, tigers, bears, even rabbits and ants!!

After doing all that, God decided to add one last finishing touch - to complete it and make it better. 

He decided to make Man. 

And so a Man He made - He made Man in His own image and likeness!!

God saw all He made and said "It is Good" . 

DAY 7: 

On the seventh day, God rested. 

QUESTIONS TO PONDER 

1) Who made the Universe? 

Ans. God Made the Universe. 

2) Who made Everything? 

Ans. God made everything. 

3) Who made Man? 

Ans. God made man. 

4) Who made you? 

God made me. 

ACTION SONG: 

He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands!

He's got the itty, bitty, baby in His hands,
He's got the itty, bitty baby in His hands,
He's got the itty, bitty baby in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands!

Sharing With Friends

AIM:   To encourage the Christian Virtue of Sharing in little children. 

When we make new friends, we also like to share our things with them like our toys, colors,our lunch at school and even maybe a pencil.Even though some of us don't like to share our things,as good Christians we should practice good manners and courtesy towards each other.

Teacher: How many of you made new friends last class?
(All hands go up).
Teacher: What do you like to do with your new friends?
(some of them raise their hands to answer and they answer play with their friends, help them with homework and share their things with them).
Teacher:Who is our best friend? that one friend who never fights with us and even talks to us when we are angry or sad?
(All the children shout in a chorus saying JESUS).

Small Story: 

Perry Porcupine had no friends.People were all afraid of him.He was very sad. Fury Fred came by. "Oh, my! what beautiful needles! May I have two? I want to make a sweater."

"Take my needles!" Perry said. "And will you be my friend?"
Furry Fred hopped up to Perry. "Sure! I like you! I'll be your friend."
Like Fury Fred, We need friends.

Song: 

Sharing, if we would all keep sharing, 

Sharing all the things we have, 

Oh what joy, what peace and contentment , 

If we would keep sharing all we have. 

(Repeat above again)

Activity/ Handout: 

Jesus , Our Friend

Jesus Christ was truly God. He was also truly man. He thought with a human mind, acted with a human will and loved with a human heart. 

Jesus, the Son of God, wants to be our FRIEND.

Action song:

**Since Jesus came to me and washed away my sins

(Point to sky, then towards yourself and then act as if your washing some clothes)

I am inwards, outwards,upwards,downwards
(Both thumbs pointing towards chest,towards the front,towards the sky and then towards the floor)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

I am inwards, outwards,upwards,downwards
(Both thumbs pointing towards chest,towards the front,towards the sky and then towards the floor)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

**Since Jesus came to me and washed away my sins
(Point to sky and then act as if your washing some clothes)

I am forwards, backwards, rightwards, leftwards
(Take a step forward then backwards then towards the right and then towards the left)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

I am forwards, backwards, rightwards, leftwards
(Take a step forward then backwards then towards the right and then towards the left)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

**Since Jesus came to me and washed away my sins
(Point to sky and then act as if your washing some clothes)

I am inwards, outwards,upwards,downwards, forwards, backwards, rightwards, leftwards
(Repeat all the actions together)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

(Repeat many times and faster).

Hello - to new friends.

AIM:   To encourage social development in young children.

Friends.

We all need friends. Children need them even more!!
Especially when they come to a new environment like a Classroom , making friends helps them break the ice and cheer up! It also makes class more interesting & fun!!

One of our first classes was

"Hello to New Friends" 

A friend is someone who accepts you just the way you are, believes in you and encourages you. Someone who is trustworthy, who never forsakes you, who forgives your mistakes, who enjoys being with you, and who makes you laugh.

We started off by introducing ourselves and teaching kids the importance of friends.

Teacher: How many of y ou have friends? 

(Lots of hands go up) 

Teacher: How many of you have Best Friends? 

(Hands go up) 

Teacher: How many of you love making New friends?   

(Hands go up) 

Teacher: So, how do we make a friend? 

(Silence) 

Then the teachers have a little activity with the help of volunteers and basically teach the kids to say "Hello" and introduce themselves. 

We then proceeded to explain to the kids who a friend really is. 

Kids were encouraged to learn the names of other kids in class. 

As an activity we gave them handouts to fill and paste it on their notebooks. 
It was more of a checklist. 

Following this we encouraged kids to think of a Friend - who has all the best qualities and more. 


With a little prodding our young geniuses came up with the Correct Answers on their own: 

JESUS!!

Yes, Jesus can be our Very Best Friends and He Loves to talk to us. 
Prayer is one of the nicest things because the second we say a small "Hello" / "what's up Jesus? " Our Best Friend Jesus is ready and around to talk to us!!!

Action Song: 

Jesus Loves me: 

Jesus Loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
He is great and we are small. 

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so!!!

The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross is one of the Most Basic Prayers. 

Yes, I call it a prayer – because I use it often ( and am very sure most of you do) when I need God’s help and don’t have the most eloquent words to express it.  

Example: When I am driving and have just escaped something pretty unfortunate , or when I don’t know how to deal with a particular situation , it’s my quick 911 to God.

The Sign of the Cross is one of the most fundamental signs of us catholics- in it we proclaim our belief in the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit. 

We also show the world we are Christian. We wear our religion with pride. 

It is important to teach our children the proper way to make the Sign of the Cross, I do it as follows: 

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS: 

First you place your Left Hand on the Chest. 

In the name of the Father…

Start with the your right hand, and touch your head.  

When you touch your head you are also asking God to clean your mind from thoughts He does not want you  to have. Thoughts of sadness, thoughts of Anger, thoughts that “ I am not good enough, or, I am not special, or , I don’t like that boy or girl, “ etc. You also ask Him to clean your minds to listen to His Word better, to open your mind to understand and remember what you learn .

You say Our Father – because God is our Father. He made me. He lives in Heaven up above,  so move your hand to the highest part of your head, your forehead.

…and of the Son…

Next say “and of the Son.”

When you touch your chest you are also asking God to clean your heart from feelings He does not want you  to have. Feelings  of sadness, feelings of Anger, feelings of revenge

Jesus is Love and Love is felt in our hearts – He wants us to love everyone. So we need to ask Jesus to live in our Hearts. With Jesus in your heart, you can love everybody, especially those who make you sad.

…and of the Holy Spirit…

When you touch your shoulders you are also asking God to clean the work of your hands, be it your games, your fun activities, your studies etc.  You ask him to touch your hands when you do good to someone or something. Through your hands the whole will feel God’s love.

The Holy Spirit is God. God the Holy Spirit fills the world with Jesus’s love.

Amen

Amen  means “it is so.”  or "I agree" When you say “Amen” at the end of the Sign of the Cross—or any prayer—you agree with what was just said. This is a way of Praising God.

We distribute this hand-out in Class. Children are to colour these and stick it on their note books.

(For Parents) 

WHY MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS:  

Catholics, worldwide make the Sign of the Cross, millions of times through their livs. 

Why do we make the Sign of the Cross? 

The first, most simple reason is it a Prayer. It is a Prayer we say - when words fail us (example in times of an emergency - and i need a result - quick!!). It is a prayer to God and He knows exactly what we need. 

It is a public acknowledgement to the world that we are Christ's disciples. We tell the world we belong to Jesus.

We use it to protect our entire selves, our entire being. When we Sign ourselves with the Cross - the Devil is scared and stays away from us!. Our body has been protected by a very simple Cross. The Cross that gave us Victory over death and hell. 

When we are faced with a moment of temptation like  - anger building up etc. - all it takes is the Sign of the Cross (taken with faith) 

Whn taken with faith - the Sign of the Cross is very powerful and can protect us from many evils. 

Take faith- Be proud of being Catholic!!

Take the Sign of the Cross!

Amen!