Gentleness
Taking care
by Manon Ceridwen James (revised, originally published in 2014)
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To explore gentleness as a fruit of the spirit.
Preparation and materials
- You will need a cuddly toy that is hidden in a bag.
Assembly
- Explain that today, we are going to be thinking about gentleness. To help us, you have brought with you a special friend.
- Take the cuddly toy out of the bag.
Explain who the toy is, what its name is, what sort of toy it is (a teddy, duck, dog and so on) and its significance to you. - Ask the children to tell you about their own cuddly toys. Do they have a favourite? What do they like about their favourite toys?
Listen to a range of responses. - Explain why you like your toy – maybe it’s because it feels soft and cuddly, or maybe it’s because someone special gave it to you.
- Ask the following questions.
- How do the children handle their toys?
- How would they treat a toy like this that is soft and cuddly?
Listen to a range of responses. - Discuss how we are careful with toys that we care about. We don’t throw them around or drop them. In other words, we are gentle.
- Discuss how it is good to be gentle, and not just with toys. If we have baby brothers or sisters, or pets, we have to be gentle with them too.
Ask the children why that is. One reason is that they can become scared or scratch us if we are rough with them. - Explain that this is true for people of all ages. It’s great to play games, laugh and be loud sometimes. Many of us like playing football, tag or other games that involve running around. Even so, it is also important to be gentle.
- Explore with the children whether they have rules in class. For example, do they have to remember to keep their arms, hands and legs to themselves? There are times when they have to be quiet and listen. We can use gentle voices as well as being gentle with our arms and legs.
- Reinforce that gentleness is a good thing and helps not to scare other people or make them feel bad.
Time for reflection
Encourage the children to think about when they like other people to be gentle with them. Perhaps it is when they have a cuddle with someone in their family or when they are tucked up in bed with their favourite cuddly toy. Gentleness makes us feel peaceful and special. Gentleness is good.
The Bible talks about the fruits of the Spirit. Christians believe that these are characteristics that are very important in our lives. One of the fruits of the Spirit is gentleness.
Prayer
Dear God,
We thank you for the people in our lives who are gentle with us.
Help us to be gentle and make other people feel warm and special.
We thank you for our toys, pets and friends.
Amen.
Song/music
‘With a little help from my friends’ by The Beatles, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C58ttB2-Qg (2.44 minutes long)
‘Spirit of God’, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvuHw3tO5VY (2.42 minutes long)
