Sunday Week 2: Compassion as Empathy
Click here to read this week's background information
In addition to the link above to Background Information for this week's topic, there is a lot of useful background information about Compassion in general on the Home Page
Click here to navigate to that page.
Click here to navigate to that page.
class outline
Teaching Our Children About and With Compassion
Foothills Congregational Church Summer 2013
Class Outline
BEFORE CLASS
9:30 Set-up your classroom for the day.
Preschool-2nd grade will meet in the downstairs classroom.
2nd-6th grade will meet in the upstairs classroom.
Youth in 7th-12th grade are encouraged to stay in church, but are also welcome to be
teaching assistants in the other classes. (7th-9th downstairs,10th-12th upstairs)
9:45 Meet in the upstairs classroom to confer with teachers and staff about any last minute
logistics or questions about the curriculum.
10:00 Enter church
10:15 Come forward for the Children’s Sermon and then exit church with the children.
Escort your class to your room.
IN CLASS
Welcome
It is important to welcome each child by name. Since we are teaching about compassion, the intimacy this fosters is important. You probably will not know each child by name. You may choose one of several methods to learn their names:
You could have the children introduce themselves and answer a question
Example: My name is Michelle and my favorite animal is a cat.
You can challenge students to see if anyone already knows everyone’s name and then have that person name everyone.
You could simply introduce yourself and shake hands as you say the names of the kids who you know and ask the names of the people whose names you don’t know.
Click here for more fun ways to learn names.
Theme Song Play the video of the theme song The Lord is Merciful and Compassionate.
Encourage the kids to sing along and follow the hand motions.
Centering Activity
Part of compassion is being able to notice the activities and people around us, including ourselves. We will begin each class by playing The Noticing Game.
The Noticing Game
Ask children to sit comfortably in a position they can be still in for 5 minutes.
They can assume a common meditation pose if they would like, sitting cross legged on the floor or sitting straight-backed in a chair, with the hands on their lap. Any position will work as long as it’s comfortable.
Say: “Breathe in through your nose. Notice where you can feel the breath moving into your body. Can you feel it in your nose? In your throat? Can you feel your chest rise? Hold your breath for a brief moment and then exhale. Where can you feel your breath exiting your body?
Now take a second to notice your body. Pay attention to your head and your shoulders. If they feel tight, take a deep breath and imagine your breath travels to the tightness and makes you feel relaxed. Pay attention to your core, between your neck and your legs. If you notice any tension, take a deep breath and imagine your breath travels to the tension and you feel relaxed. Pay attention to your arms and legs, your hands and your feet. Try to make them smooth, warm, and relaxed. If they feel fidgety or tight, take a deep breath and imagine your breath travels to them, warming them and relaxing you all over.
Now notice what is around you. Is there a shape or a color that catches your attention? Can you find something else in the room that is the same shape or color? Notice who is here today. Is there someone you expected to see today who is not here? Is there someone here you are especially excited to see today?
Take a deep breath and let it out with a heavy sigh (demonstrate)
Do this one more time. Now turn your focus into the center of the class so we can all see each other. Everyone will now share something they noticed during this exercise.”
Go around the room and let each person share something they noticed. Make room for small
things and big things. “I noticed the red circle on the bulletin board” and “I noticed I felt like
crying.”
Take note of the names of anyone who was missed or kids the others were excited to see.
Give these names to the Children's Program Coordinator, Amelie, so she can follow-up.
Introduce the topic of the day
Each Sunday we’ll introduce an aspect of compassion. Give the kids an opportunity to tell
you what they already know about the aspect you are studying today, then you can share a
brief definition.
Give kids a choice of activities
Each Sunday there will be several activities for you to choose from. These activities are based on the theory of multiple intelligences. Click here for an explanation of this theory. The basic idea is that each child has a preferred way of learning. By choosing activities from different preferred methods, more children learn more comfortably. Please choose two activities to use the Sunday you teach.
Ending Ritual
The Children’s Program officially ends at 11:15. Sometimes parents come into the room as
soon as church is out, which is earlier than 11:15, especially in the summer. Begin your ending ritual at 11:10 or when parents begin to come into the room. You can invite the early arriving parents to join you.
We will end each class with a prayer for the world. Begin by asking the children to repeat
after you, line by line. You could say, "This is a repeat after me prayer."
We pray that all beings will be free.
We pray that all beings will be happy.
We pray that all beings will be safe.
We pray that all beings will awaken to the light of their true nature.
We pray that all beings will be free.
If there is time, go back over each sentence and ask children to name people/places/animals they would like to pray for.
“Who do we wish would be happy/safe/free?”
At the end say, “Amen,” and invite the children to help you clean-up the room.
Foothills Congregational Church Summer 2013
Class Outline
BEFORE CLASS
9:30 Set-up your classroom for the day.
Preschool-2nd grade will meet in the downstairs classroom.
2nd-6th grade will meet in the upstairs classroom.
Youth in 7th-12th grade are encouraged to stay in church, but are also welcome to be
teaching assistants in the other classes. (7th-9th downstairs,10th-12th upstairs)
9:45 Meet in the upstairs classroom to confer with teachers and staff about any last minute
logistics or questions about the curriculum.
10:00 Enter church
10:15 Come forward for the Children’s Sermon and then exit church with the children.
Escort your class to your room.
IN CLASS
Welcome
It is important to welcome each child by name. Since we are teaching about compassion, the intimacy this fosters is important. You probably will not know each child by name. You may choose one of several methods to learn their names:
You could have the children introduce themselves and answer a question
Example: My name is Michelle and my favorite animal is a cat.
You can challenge students to see if anyone already knows everyone’s name and then have that person name everyone.
You could simply introduce yourself and shake hands as you say the names of the kids who you know and ask the names of the people whose names you don’t know.
Click here for more fun ways to learn names.
Theme Song Play the video of the theme song The Lord is Merciful and Compassionate.
Encourage the kids to sing along and follow the hand motions.
Centering Activity
Part of compassion is being able to notice the activities and people around us, including ourselves. We will begin each class by playing The Noticing Game.
The Noticing Game
Ask children to sit comfortably in a position they can be still in for 5 minutes.
They can assume a common meditation pose if they would like, sitting cross legged on the floor or sitting straight-backed in a chair, with the hands on their lap. Any position will work as long as it’s comfortable.
Say: “Breathe in through your nose. Notice where you can feel the breath moving into your body. Can you feel it in your nose? In your throat? Can you feel your chest rise? Hold your breath for a brief moment and then exhale. Where can you feel your breath exiting your body?
Now take a second to notice your body. Pay attention to your head and your shoulders. If they feel tight, take a deep breath and imagine your breath travels to the tightness and makes you feel relaxed. Pay attention to your core, between your neck and your legs. If you notice any tension, take a deep breath and imagine your breath travels to the tension and you feel relaxed. Pay attention to your arms and legs, your hands and your feet. Try to make them smooth, warm, and relaxed. If they feel fidgety or tight, take a deep breath and imagine your breath travels to them, warming them and relaxing you all over.
Now notice what is around you. Is there a shape or a color that catches your attention? Can you find something else in the room that is the same shape or color? Notice who is here today. Is there someone you expected to see today who is not here? Is there someone here you are especially excited to see today?
Take a deep breath and let it out with a heavy sigh (demonstrate)
Do this one more time. Now turn your focus into the center of the class so we can all see each other. Everyone will now share something they noticed during this exercise.”
Go around the room and let each person share something they noticed. Make room for small
things and big things. “I noticed the red circle on the bulletin board” and “I noticed I felt like
crying.”
Take note of the names of anyone who was missed or kids the others were excited to see.
Give these names to the Children's Program Coordinator, Amelie, so she can follow-up.
Introduce the topic of the day
Each Sunday we’ll introduce an aspect of compassion. Give the kids an opportunity to tell
you what they already know about the aspect you are studying today, then you can share a
brief definition.
Give kids a choice of activities
Each Sunday there will be several activities for you to choose from. These activities are based on the theory of multiple intelligences. Click here for an explanation of this theory. The basic idea is that each child has a preferred way of learning. By choosing activities from different preferred methods, more children learn more comfortably. Please choose two activities to use the Sunday you teach.
Ending Ritual
The Children’s Program officially ends at 11:15. Sometimes parents come into the room as
soon as church is out, which is earlier than 11:15, especially in the summer. Begin your ending ritual at 11:10 or when parents begin to come into the room. You can invite the early arriving parents to join you.
We will end each class with a prayer for the world. Begin by asking the children to repeat
after you, line by line. You could say, "This is a repeat after me prayer."
We pray that all beings will be free.
We pray that all beings will be happy.
We pray that all beings will be safe.
We pray that all beings will awaken to the light of their true nature.
We pray that all beings will be free.
If there is time, go back over each sentence and ask children to name people/places/animals they would like to pray for.
“Who do we wish would be happy/safe/free?”
At the end say, “Amen,” and invite the children to help you clean-up the room.
Example of a sighing breath for the opening activity
resources for Week 2: compassion as empathy
topic for Week 2: Compassion as Empathy
com·pas·sion(km-pshn) n.
Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.
It is important to note that compassion is an action word. It is not simply feeling something about an issue, but doing something about it.
em·pa·thy(mp-th) n.
1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.
2. The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.
Drawing from the "Teaching Empathy" video on the Background Information page, we will be focusing on the three necessary empathy skills they identified: Reading Faces, Understanding why someone feels a certain way, understanding how to make things better.
Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.
It is important to note that compassion is an action word. It is not simply feeling something about an issue, but doing something about it.
em·pa·thy(mp-th) n.
1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.
2. The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.
Drawing from the "Teaching Empathy" video on the Background Information page, we will be focusing on the three necessary empathy skills they identified: Reading Faces, Understanding why someone feels a certain way, understanding how to make things better.
theme song
activity choices
Choose two or three of the following activities. Make sure you choose two that work for different learning styles.
face charades: kinesthetic and interpersonal learners
Supplies:
Printed worksheets
Pencils
A box/hat/bag for slips of paper
Slips of paper with various emotions from the worksheet written on them.
One large or several small mirrors
Print the worksheet below and have kids match the faces with the emotions.
Have them look in a mirror and make the faces.
Then play Face Chardes.
Put a piece of paper with each emotion of it into a hat/box/bag and have one child pull out a page and make the face of that emotion. The other children should guess. Play until everyone has had a turn.
Printed worksheets
Pencils
A box/hat/bag for slips of paper
Slips of paper with various emotions from the worksheet written on them.
One large or several small mirrors
Print the worksheet below and have kids match the faces with the emotions.
Have them look in a mirror and make the faces.
Then play Face Chardes.
Put a piece of paper with each emotion of it into a hat/box/bag and have one child pull out a page and make the face of that emotion. The other children should guess. Play until everyone has had a turn.
feelings stressballs: Interpersonal, Kinesthetic and verbal/linguistic learners
Supplies:
One or two balloons per child
Uncooked Rice
A funnel
A sharpie
Hold the funnel inserted into a balloon. Have kids pour rice in to their balloon.
I found it worked best for the kids to pour and then for me to take out the funnel and blow a bit of air in to the balloon to get the rice to move down, then re-insert the funnel to pour more in.
One or two balloons per child
Uncooked Rice
A funnel
A sharpie
Hold the funnel inserted into a balloon. Have kids pour rice in to their balloon.
I found it worked best for the kids to pour and then for me to take out the funnel and blow a bit of air in to the balloon to get the rice to move down, then re-insert the funnel to pour more in.
When the balloons are full, draw faces with different emotions on them with sharpies. Have each child pick the emotions for his or her balloon. Then have them act out familiar stories with the balloons, making the character speak in the emotion of the ball. What would a scared Goldilocks sound like? What about a happy Goldilocks?
Click here for a list of popular children's stories they can act out. OR ask the children for an idea.
Click here for a list of popular children's stories they can act out. OR ask the children for an idea.
Today I Feel Silly: visual and Verbal/Linguistic Learners
Supplies:
The Book Today I feel Silly & Other MOODS That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis.
OR use the Video of it below.
Feelings Stress Balls (if you made them)
A piece of cardstock with the question "WHY?" on it?
(You can print it from the document below or make your own)
Sit in a circle so everyone can see each other, if using the book.
Sit facing the screen, if using the video. Make sure to adjust the video so it is playing on the full screen.
Tell (or play) the story.
After each page pause, hold up the "Why?" card, and ask, "Why is she feeling silly/grumpy/angry, etc."
The Book Today I feel Silly & Other MOODS That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis.
OR use the Video of it below.
Feelings Stress Balls (if you made them)
A piece of cardstock with the question "WHY?" on it?
(You can print it from the document below or make your own)
Sit in a circle so everyone can see each other, if using the book.
Sit facing the screen, if using the video. Make sure to adjust the video so it is playing on the full screen.
Tell (or play) the story.
After each page pause, hold up the "Why?" card, and ask, "Why is she feeling silly/grumpy/angry, etc."
i know just how you feel: INTERPERSONAL and verbal/linguistic learners
Supplies:
3x5 cards
Paper
Pens and Pencils
Write emotions on the top line of standard 3”-by-5” index cards. Distribute one card
to each child. Then ask each to write about a time when he felt that way. When all of the children have finished, collect the cards. Read the stories aloud and ask the children to identify which emotion each story represents. If the group is old enough and has a supportive culture, you may wish to have children take turns drawing cards at random to read out, instead of reading them yourself.
3x5 cards
Paper
Pens and Pencils
Write emotions on the top line of standard 3”-by-5” index cards. Distribute one card
to each child. Then ask each to write about a time when he felt that way. When all of the children have finished, collect the cards. Read the stories aloud and ask the children to identify which emotion each story represents. If the group is old enough and has a supportive culture, you may wish to have children take turns drawing cards at random to read out, instead of reading them yourself.
sculpt a feeling: kinesthetic learners
Supplies:
Emotions on slips of paper
Bucket/Hat/Bowl to put the slips of paper in
Knowing how to “read” how someone else is feeling constitutes a key skill for empathy.
Help children develop this skill with a simple sculpting game. Write emotions on slips of paper and put them in a bucket. Have one child volunteer to be the first “statue.” This child does not move. Choose a “sculptor” from the remaining children. The sculptor will draw an emotion from the bucket and “sculpt” the “statue” to display that emotion. The other children will then try to guess what emotion the statue displays. The statue
then becomes the sculptor and the game continues.
Click here for a list of feeling and emotions that would be helpful to include on your slips of paper.
Emotions on slips of paper
Bucket/Hat/Bowl to put the slips of paper in
Knowing how to “read” how someone else is feeling constitutes a key skill for empathy.
Help children develop this skill with a simple sculpting game. Write emotions on slips of paper and put them in a bucket. Have one child volunteer to be the first “statue.” This child does not move. Choose a “sculptor” from the remaining children. The sculptor will draw an emotion from the bucket and “sculpt” the “statue” to display that emotion. The other children will then try to guess what emotion the statue displays. The statue
then becomes the sculptor and the game continues.
Click here for a list of feeling and emotions that would be helpful to include on your slips of paper.
zoom: VISUAL and Verbal Linguistic Learners
Supplies:
Bible Story Cards from the cabinet in the downstairs classroom
(each story has 4 cards)
·
Wilderdom.com includes Zoom in a list of icebreaker activities. Listening well and seeing
things from another person's perspective, which are crucial for empathy, feature prominently in this game. Randomly distribute a set of pictures that tell a story. Children must not let anyone else see their pictures. The goal is for the children to recreate the story, in order, by listening to the others to figure out where their parts of the story fit.
Have each child describe the picture she holds. If there are more than 4 children, have the ones without a card decide what order they should stand in. You can put the pictures together upside down to assemble a puzzle on the back that will let you know if the story is in the correct order. Repeat with a second story, making sure different kids get cards.
Bible Story Cards from the cabinet in the downstairs classroom
(each story has 4 cards)
·
Wilderdom.com includes Zoom in a list of icebreaker activities. Listening well and seeing
things from another person's perspective, which are crucial for empathy, feature prominently in this game. Randomly distribute a set of pictures that tell a story. Children must not let anyone else see their pictures. The goal is for the children to recreate the story, in order, by listening to the others to figure out where their parts of the story fit.
Have each child describe the picture she holds. If there are more than 4 children, have the ones without a card decide what order they should stand in. You can put the pictures together upside down to assemble a puzzle on the back that will let you know if the story is in the correct order. Repeat with a second story, making sure different kids get cards.
that takes me back: Musical and Kinesthetic learners
Supplies:
Video clips of different moods of music
A wide-open space as if for Red Light, green Light
Music is a powerful tool for expressing emotions. Use it to help build empathy with
this game that is similar to a musical version of Red Light, Green Light. Line children up side by side (as if for a race) and play clips of music. If a child can identify a time when something happened that made him feel the same way the music did, he may take a step forward. Call on a child or two to identify the feeling in the music. (It is OK if children identify different emotions for the same music clip.) If the setting is emotionally safe, you may ask the child to share the story, but it is not necessary.
Video clips of different moods of music
A wide-open space as if for Red Light, green Light
Music is a powerful tool for expressing emotions. Use it to help build empathy with
this game that is similar to a musical version of Red Light, Green Light. Line children up side by side (as if for a race) and play clips of music. If a child can identify a time when something happened that made him feel the same way the music did, he may take a step forward. Call on a child or two to identify the feeling in the music. (It is OK if children identify different emotions for the same music clip.) If the setting is emotionally safe, you may ask the child to share the story, but it is not necessary.