We're All Wonders!

Learning Objective:

- To help children look beyond the physical appearance and see the wonder in everyone.

- To appreciate their own good qualities

Our physical appearance is just one part of us. We can't think we know what people are like just because of how they look. Everyone is special and good at something and it's these qualities inside us that make us all unique and wonderful! If we always look with kindness and get to know people for who they really are inside, we'll realise that we're all wonders!

Activity: Circle Time Prompts

Have the children sit in a circle and use the prompts to explore differences and similarities.

Share one thing that you're good at

Share one thing you like about the person to your left

Say one thing about the person next to you that is different from you
What do you love about yourself the most? A talent, skill, behaviour.
How would you feel if someone didn't want to play with you because they said they were different to you?
Share a smile around the circle

Activity: We're All Wonders!
Decorate a cut out figure to resemble the outside appearance. On a second cut out, have the children think of what they are good at and the special qualities they have inside them. Attach both figures with a paper fastener, emphasizing how we must always look beyond what we can see and look for the wonder inside.

Read: We're All Wonders by R. J. Palacio

Activity: Diversity

Activity: What's Inside Counts

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Super Friend!

Learning to be super friends inspired by the excellent manners of Imam Ali (as)

Download: Super friend worksheet

See complete lesson detail: A Good Friend

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A Good Friend

Lesson Objectives:

- To understand what a good friend is

- To understand why it’s important to have good friends

Quran Verse:

T ‘aawanu alal birri - help each other to be good 5:2

Key Learning Point:

We must try to behave with the best manners and do what Allah teaches us so that we can be super friends!

We should choose our friends carefully to make sure they will help us to do good and become close to Allah.

Activities:
Super Friend!
Choosing Friends experiment
Friends rub off on us!

Download complete lesson A Good Friend

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Choosing Friends

Lesson Title: A good friend

Quran verse: 'T'aawanu alal birri', Help each other to be good 5:2

Key Learning Point:
We should choose our friends carefully to make sure they will help us to do good and become close to Allah.

1. Put a small apple slice into a ziplock bag: Let's imagine, this is a boy called Adam.

2. Run through a scenario emphasising how Adam did not have good manners and did not behave in a way that would make Allah happy. For each negative trait, pour a drop of vinegar into the bag.
(Have the children smell the vinegar)

3. Along came Isa. He thought Adam was fun to play with because he had lots of cool toys. Put another apple slice into the bag.

4. So the boys played together. Adam would shout, get angry if he didn't get a go, snatch the cars and didn't even listen to his mum when she told them to tidy up! Isa noticed that Adam did not have good manners, but He thought well, I'm not like him. I just want to be friends with him so I get to play with his cool toys.

5. Isa carried on going round to Adam's house everyday. Adam would say mean things about some of the people they knew from school. Isa knew it wasn't a good thing to say but soon he started to laugh too.
At each part, add in drops of vinegar and swirl the contents.
What do you think is happening to Isa? Is he still a juicy piece of apple or do you think the taste is changing?
The more Isa played with Adam, the more he started to become like him too!

6. One day when Isa got home, his mummy told him to get ready for dinner. Isa started shouting, 'I don't want to eat rice, I want chips!' He got angry and threw the plate on the floor.

His mummy realised that Isa's manners had changed. He always used to do such good listening and would never shout at her like that. Isa's mummy explained to him how Adam was not a good friend. He did not have good manners and by spending a lot of time with him, Isa was becoming like him too.

Isa understood that his mummy was right. He was sorry. It was more important to do the right thing and make Allah happy by having good manners than play with Adam just because he had some cool toys.

PART 2
Adam started missing Isa. He used to have fun playing with him. He went round to Isa's house and found him playing with his new friends.
Put a few apple slices into a clean, fresh clean bag.

They were all playing so nicely, sharing, taking turns, and helping each other too.
With each positive trait add some sugar into the bag.

Isa asked Adam if he would like to join them.
Add Adam's apple slice to the bag and give it a swirl.

Because Adam's new friends were good, he started to pick up on their sweetness. The children's good manners had rubbed off onto Adam and they had helped him to become good too!

What kind of friend do you want to be? Allah says we should be friends that 'help each other to do good'. We can sweeten our friends with our good manners!

What kind of friends do you want to have? Good friends remind us how to behave in the right way. They help us to do good and become close to Allah.

Our behaviour can change others, so be the best you can be and choose your friends carefully.

Download complete lesson A Good Friend

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Friends rub off on us!

Learning Objective:
To be able to visualise how we pick up on the behaviour and manners of the people we are close to. We start to become the way our friends are.

Have the children draw and colour in their friends with chalk onto black card.
Let them rub over with their fingers, the qualities they would like to 'rub off' on them!
Cross out the remaining negative traits.

Doenload complete lesson A Good Friend

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