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Well-Made and Unique!

by Rebecca Parkinson

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To affirm that each of us is special and wonderfully made!

Preparation and materials

  • If possible, arrange for some parents, grandparents, members of staff or others who make complex models or other items (aircraft, dolls’ houses, knitting, sewing) to show and talk a little about some of their work. Ask them to be ready to point out a tiny fault in their work or suggest an improvement if they were to make the same thing again.
  • Have available some models made by a few of the children. Try to arrange for children of different ages to be involved in this ‘showing session’.
  • Ideally, keep the models out of sight before the assembly begins.

Assembly

  1. Ask the children what they like doing best at school. When someone answers ‘making things’, explain that, during today’s assembly, you are going to be thinking about things that have been made by different people in the school community.

  2. Invite the adults to show what they have made and ask them a few questions, such as, ‘When did you first start making aircraft, knitting  . . .  ? How long did the models or items take to make? What did you feel like when the model or item was finished?’ Ask each person to remain at the front holding their examples of their work.

  3. Invite the children to show their models, asking them similar questions and to remain at the front holding their models.

  4. When everyone has shown their work, go along the line and ask each person again if they are happy about and feel proud of their work. They should say, ‘Yes’. Next, ask if any of the people at the front know of any little faults with their models or if there is anything they would change. They can then point out a small fault or improvement.

  5. Reiterate that many of the people at the front know there are little faults with their models. They can see something that needs to be changed slightly . . .  but it doesn’t make them less proud of their work. They still think what they have made is amazing and sometimes the tiny faults can even make the models seem better because this means they are different from every other model in the world – they are unique!

  6. The Oxford Dictionary definition of ‘unique’ is, ‘being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.’

  7. Explain that, just as these models are unique, so each person in the room is also unique. 

    We all have little (or big!) faults; we all have things that need to be changed; none of us is perfect. We are all special, however, and our differences make us even more amazing!

    Christians believe that God made each of us special and different. The first book of the Bible – Genesis (1.31, NLT) – tells us that, ‘God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good’. In Psalm 139 verse 14 (NLT), the author thanks God for making him: ‘Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous  . . .’.

    Christians believe that God made us and he is pleased that he did!

Time for reflection

Think for a moment about what you like best about yourself.

It may be the way you look, the way you get on with others, the way you play sport, how well you read, your family  . . .  Take a moment to say, ‘Thank you’ for these things.

Now think about the things that you like less about yourself.

Take a moment to remind yourself that you are very special and your favourite and least favourite parts all make you very special.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that you made the world. 
Thank you that you made me. 
Please help me never to compare myself unfavourably to other people, but always remember that I am special and there is no one else like me. 
Thank you for loving me just the way I am. 
Amen.

Song/music

‘There are hundreds of sparrows’ (Come and Praise, 15)

Publication date: December 2014   (Vol.16 No.12)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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