Who Is the Most Important?

It’s not the same without us!

by Rebecca Parkinson (revised, originally published in 2007)

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To encourage us to realize that everyone is important and that our school or homes would not be the same without us.

Preparation and materials

• Have available the following ingredients and equipment to make a cup of tea and a cake:
  
  - a teabag, some water, some sugar, some milk, a cup and a teaspoon
  - some sugar, some margarine, some eggs, some flour, a mixing bowl, a spoon and a baking tin
  
  You could use other recipes, such as for pizza or milkshake, if you prefer. It just needs to be something that can be made simply from a few ingredients.

Assembly

1. Explain that you are going to make a cup of tea and ask for a volunteer to help you. With the help of the child, make the drink. (You may want to use cool water for health and safety reasons. Alternatively, you could use hot water and make it yourself.)

2. Now, ask the children if any of them know how to make a cake. Invite another child to help you mix the ingredients and put them in the tin. (You may want to cook the cake later so that you can give pieces to the children to take home to remind them of the assembly. Alternatively, if it is a microwave cake, you could make it during the assembly and let the delicious aroma distract everyone from what you’re saying – or add to the effect!)

3. Ask the children what they think is the most important ingredient in either the cup of tea or the cake. They will probably have various ideas, but try to get them to discuss what difference it would make if each of the ingredients in turn was missing. For example, the sugar changes the taste and the flour helps the cake to rise.

4. Explain that whatever they personally think is the most important ingredient, in fact, any missing ingredient would make a huge difference to both the drink and the cake.
   
   We often like the idea of being the most important. However, just like every ingredient above is important for different reasons, so we are all important for various reasons. Just as the cake would not be the same without sugar, flour or margarine, so our school and homes would not be the same without us: we all have a vital role to play!

Time for reflection

In the quietness, remind yourself that you make a huge difference to those around you.

You are important, and your home and our school would not be the same without you.

Remind yourself that the people around you are important, too, and your home and our school would not be the same without them.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that, to you, we are all important
and that each one of us makes a huge difference to the world around us.
Please help us to value and care for each other.
Amen.

Song/music

‘Shalom’ (Come and Praise, 141)