Thoughtfulness
Week 17
Considering one another
In this block we discover that we are thoughtful; we plan ahead, we are kind to others, we can consider others and act upon it, and we can easily share. To highlight these precious traits, we compare these to specific animals that do not exhibit these traits.
Point to emphasize
I can consider others, contrary to the raccoons that are very inconsiderate, and do not care for others. (Do not emphasize the outward characteristics, since now we’re focusing on thoughtfulness).
References
Hebrews 10:24; Philippians 2:3-4
Sample content and conversation with children
Today we will talk about HOW DIFFERENT we are from a certain animal! I’ll give you some hints and we`ll see if you can guess!
- This animal looks cute, but it likes to eat trash, Yucky!
- It is mostly active at night, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t see one during the day.
- It’s an animal that we normally find in the forest, but you can also see it in the city, even around your neighborhood!
- This animal has grayish-brown fur, ringed tails and a mask of dark fur on their face.
- Yes! A raccoon!
Here are some pictures of raccoons, if you’ve never seen one before:
It does look cute, right? Raccoons have unique paws that allow them to get into everything. They can open and twist knobs and open doors. Now, let’s look at this picture of another raccoon.
[Show the picture below and lead the children into a discussion about what the raccoon is doing]
This raccoon was able to flip the lid of the trash can, tipped the trash can over and spread the trash (food, bottles, plates, cans, bags) all over the yard looking for food. It probably tore open some of those bags. Then, when it was done, what do you think it did? [ask the children] Yes! It just left the trash like that and did NOT clean after itself. Wow, raccoons are NOT considerate of the mess they make! They might be agile with their paws and smart but definitely not considerate! They don’t care about leaving a mess behind for others to clean.
My aunt used to live in the forest and her house had a little pet door so that her cat could go in and out, but one day a raccoon figured out how to use the little door as well! So, the raccoon would sneak in at night to eat the cat’s food. But not only would it eat the food, it would do the same as the raccoon above! It would grab the food, and go all through the kitchen looking for more, all while getting everything dirty and messy! So in the mornings, my aunt would wake up to find muddy paw prints all around the kitchen and food and trash everywhere that she then had to clean. What an inconsiderate raccoon! [Insert your own personal story or use this one in third person.]
You and I, on the other hand, can be considerate toward other people and their things! What does it mean to be considerate? [Ask the children.] To be considerate is to not only think about ourselves, but to think about the thoughts and feelings of others, and recognize what might make their life easier or simpler or more enjoyable.
Now, let’s watch a short clip and see how these children practice being considerate…
[Show the video below of children playing with Legos and putting them back in bins when they’re done. Then review with children and ask what they saw].
- How did these children take the time to consider their parents and baby sister?
- After they were done playing with Legos, they realized it was considerate to put them back where they found them not only to fulfill their chore, but also so that no one would step on it and get hurt or the baby would put it in her mouth.
- They were also considerate with parents and baby sister by going beyond and ALSO helping to put away baby’s toys.
[Ask the children to think of times that they think they were considerate towards others. Let them raise their hand and call one by one to respond.]
Maybe you’ve even seen when others come to your house to eat with you. Sometimes our guests not only clean after themselves but they go above and beyond. They may offer to do dishes, or help you clean the table or put tables and chairs away, so that your parents don’t have to do it by themselves. That is VERY considerate.
Wow, how different we are from the raccoons! Raccoons don’t think about others, but we do! God really made us in a VERY SPECIAL way!
Suggested songs
Before God put the leaves on the trees
I’m gonna stand up seat down…
God, our God
Suggested activities/games
Charades
(If on Zoom, assign children to take a guess; if in person, each child can act out). You can put a list of easy sample actions like: brushing your teeth, reading a book, baseball, writing, sleeping, running, driving a car, sweeping, swimming, eating ice cream, etc.
Find a match
-
- The first player finds any object from their home and holds it up for everyone to see for about 30 seconds.
- This player shouts “Go!” and all other players have to search their own homes for an item that is as similar to the shown item as possible. For example, if the shown item is a red t-shirt with a flag on it, you’d try to find a red t-shirt or even a t-shirt with a flag on it.
- The player who brings back the best match goes next.
- Make sure everyone gets a turn as the one to select an item others have to match.
- Some examples of things with younger children: a crayon, stuffed animal, shirt, ball, book.