13
"Should I Talk About My Friends Behind Their Backs?”
Big Idea
Gossip separates close friends
Materials Needed:
1. Three index cards. Write each of the following sentences on their own card:
A. Saying bad things about another person when they are not around.
B. A small, spotted lizard that lives in the desert and eats flies, worms, and third graders.
C. A small, square-shaped vegetable that tastes like broccoli, only a lot smellier
2. Large piece of paper with a great, big letter "G" written on it
Setup:
None.
Lesson
1. Review the big idea from last meeting's lesson: "Tell everyone the good
news." Ask the question, "Should I tell others about Jesus?" and have
the children repeat the big idea a few times, doing the motions below
as you say each word.
Tell: cup hands around mouth
Everyone: spread both arms out in a big circle
Good: thumbs up
News: pretend to read a newspaper
2. Explain the following:
The question we're going to talk about this week is "Should I talk about my friends behind their back?" (Write this question on a chalk/wipe board.)
3. Ask for a volunteer to come up. Write the word "gossip" on the board. Have your volunteer read this word out loud, then explain the following:
The word 'gossip' is a pretty strange sounding word. It's probably not a word you use very much, and some of you might have never even heard it before.
On these three cards are written three possible descriptions of the word 'gossip.' One is correct, the other two are made up. We'll have our volunteer read these three definitions to you, and afterwards, you can vote as to which one you think is correct.
Hand the three cards to your volunteer and have him/her read each out loud. When he/she is finished, briefly repeat each definition one at a time, allowing the children to vote for the one they think is correct by raising their hands.
Ask your volunteer to rejoin the group.
4. Explain the following:
A gossip isn't a small lizard, and it isn't a smelly vegetable either.
Gossip is a word we use to describe when someone says bad things about another person when they aren't around.
So, is it a bad thing to gossip? Does it really hurt to say bad things about someone if they aren't around to hear them? In a second, we'll check out what the Bible says about people who gossip, but first, let's act out what gossip looks like.
5. Select four volunteers. Have them stand two or three feet apart from one another. Explain the following:
Here we have four kids, and all of them are in the same class. They all have the same teacher, Mrs. Hoosenfussenhuckelyberry. And just like in the normal class, some of the kids are good friends, and some don't get along at all.
(Point to the two children on the left.)
These two kids are good friends. They hang out a lot and talk about everything.
(Point to the two children on the far ends.)
These two kids aren't friends at all. They don't really get along, they never hang out, and they never, ever talk to each other.
(Point to the child on the far left.)
One thing this kid likes to talk to his friend about is how he doesn't like that kid over there. He/she really likes to gossip.
(Hand the Letter "G" paper to the child on the far left.)
This piece of paper will represent gossip. He/she complains about how he/she doesn't like that kid's haircut. He/she complains about how he/she doesn't like what that kid's mom packs in his lunch. He/she even complains about how that kid crosses his/her T's and dot's his I's.
But, he/she doesn't feel bad saying all these things about that kid because that kid never hears him/her say them. He/she just talks to his friend when that kid isn't around. He/she doesn't think he's/she's doing anything wrong because that kid never knows about what he's/she's saying. The only person who hears his/her gossip is his/her friend. (Hand the Letter "G" paper to the second child from the left.)
But there's something he/she never thought about. You see, this kid (point to the second child from the left)
has other friends. (Point to the second child from the right.)
In fact, he/she is good friends with this kid. And they like to talk as well.
One thing this kid (point to the second child from the left)
like to talk about his/her friend is all the things his/her other friend said about that kid over there (point to the kid on the far right).
He/she tells him/her how his/her other friend doesn't like that kid's haircut, or what his/her mom packs in his/her lunch, or how he/she dot's his/her I's and crosses his/her T's. He/she even adds a few things of his/her own that he/she doesn't like about that kid, like how he/she ties his/her shoelaces in a weird way, or how he/she sounds like a rooster when he/she sneezes.
But, he/she doesn't feel bad about saying these things. He/she thinks, "It's not like that kid feels bad. He/she can't hear what I'm saying." The only person who hears his/her gossip is his/her friend. (Hand the Letter "G" paper to the second child from the right.)
But there's something he/she never thought about. You see, this kid (point to the second child from the right)
has other friends. (Point to the child on the far right.)
In fact, he/she is good friends with this kid. And they like to talk as well.
This kid (point to the second child from the right)
likes to tell his/her friend what he/she has heard others say about him/her. So, he/she tells him/her what this kid (point to the second child from the left)
and this kid (point to the child on the far left)
said about him/her. He/she tells him/her about how they didn't like his/her haircut, what his/her mom packed for lunch, how he/she dots I's and crosses T's, how he/she ties shoelaces, and how he/she sneezes. (Hand the Letter "G" paper to the second child.)
And so, even though these two kids never even talked to each other, the gossip moved from one kid to the next until this kid (point to the kid on the far right)
heard all the mean things kids were saying about him/her. And hearing things like that can make anybody feel bad.
Ask your volunteers to return to their seats.
6. Read Proverbs 16:28b from your Bible:
"...a gossip separates close friends." Explain the following:
God doesn't like gossip at all. In fact, he hates it. He knows that gossip can ruin our friendships. We may think it's okay to say mean things about someone who isn't around, but they will eventually hear what we say, and when they do, they will be hurt.
So, to answer our question, "Should I talk about my friends behind their back?", I think we can all say the answer is a big, fat "NO!"
7. Explain that the big idea from today's lesson is: "Gossip separates close friends." Ask the question, "Should I talk about my friends behind their back?" and have the children repeat the big idea a few times, doing the motions below as you say each word.
Gossip: use your hand to mime a puppet talking too much
Separates: hold your forearms together in front of you and pull them apart
Close: cross fingers on one hand
Friend: cross fingers on other hand.