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Step by Step

To explore the idea that 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'.

by Gordon and Ronni Lamont

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To explore the idea that 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'.

Preparation and materials

  • You will need enough Lego bricks to build a small model house.
  • A flip-chart, board or OHP.

Assembly

  1. Say that you are going to build a great new house and you'd like to show it to the children. Hold up a single Lego brick and say 'Here it is'. Express amazement if the children find this amusing.

  2. Explain that every project has to start somewhere. Ask if they have heard the Chinese proverb: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

    Ask the children if they know the first word they ever said, or the first word they learnt to read, or the first book they could read. Explain that now they can do so many things that at one time they couldn't, and that everything had to start with a simple small step. They didn't learn to walk, talk, read or write in one go. They are still learning to do these things, to get a little bit better every day.

  3. Hold up your brick again. Of course, you know a single brick isn't a whole house, but you can't have a house, or any building, a car, a spaceship - you can't have anything unless you start with a simple, small step.

  4. Pick some volunteers (2 or 3) to use the bricks to build a house while everyone else sings today's song. After the song, take a look at the house - whether it is finished or not.

  5. Ask the children if they can add any ideas to this list:

    A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
    The highest building begins with a single brick.
    The longest book starts with a single word.

    Can they think of other sayings like this? Write the ideas down and use them in the reflection that follows.

Time for reflection

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
The highest building begins with a single brick.
The longest book starts with a single word.

(Add the children's own ideas, and end with)

Everything starts somewhere - what will I start today?

Song/music

'One more step' (Come and Praise, 47)

Publication date: June 2002   (Vol.4 No.6)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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