Getting Well Again

An assembly in the ‘Hello, Scruff!’ series

by the Revd Sylvia Burgoyne

Suitable for Reception / Key Stage 1

Aims

To consider how we could cheer up someone who was feeling unwell.

Preparation and materials

• You will need a glove puppet or sock puppet of a donkey, called Scruff.
• As the assembly begins, ensure that you already have Scruff the puppet on your hand.

Assembly

1. Scruff waves to the children. Encourage them to say, ‘Hello, Scruff!’
   
   If this is the first time the children have met Scruff, you will need to use the following introduction.
   
   Scruff lives on a farm with Lucy Jane, her mum, Mrs B, her dad, Farmer Brown, and her little brother, Tom. Lucy Jane loves Scruff. She looks after him. She plays with him and she talks to him – when she’s happy and when she’s sad. Scruff is her best friend!
   
   
2. Lucy Jane was glad that she had Scruff to talk to when she was worried. Right now, she was feeling worried about her little brother, Tom. He had been rushed to hospital with appendicitis and had had an operation straightaway. But now, he was back home, and feeling very sorry for himself.
   
   Pause to ask the children, ‘Have you ever been in hospital?’
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   
3. Continue with the story.
   
   ‘I know he’s still feeling sore, Scruff,’ whispered Lucy Jane, ‘but he doesn’t even want to get out of bed. Just now, I went into his bedroom and told him what a sunny morning it was. I asked him if he’d like to go and sit in the orchard, but he said he was too tired, turned over and closed his eyes. Perhaps he’s worried that the pain will come back, and he’ll need another operation. Mum and Dad are getting a bit worried about him. It’s not like Tom to be so quiet. He doesn’t even want to watch TV! What can we do to help him get well and make him happy again?’
   
   Scruff nodded thoughtfully. ‘Hee-haw, hee-haw!’
   
   Pause to ask the children whether they have any good ideas about how to cheer up Tom.
   
   
4. Scruff jerked his head up. ‘Hee-haw, hee-haw!’ he said excitedly.
   Scruff had had a good idea and he looked straight into Lucy Jane’s face. She knew at once what he was thinking. ‘I’ll have a talk with Mum and Dad,’ she said as she ran off.
   
   It was warm and sunny the next day. Mum had insisted on getting Tom dressed, telling him that he would be more comfortable in joggers and a T-shirt. Farmer Brown helped him downstairs and led him into the farmyard, where Lucy Jane and Scruff were waiting.
   ‘Surprise!’ laughed Lucy Jane, as her dad helped Tom onto Scruff’s back. He started to look happier as Lucy Jane and her dad led Scruff down the farm lane. Their neighbour, Mrs Tonkin, was busy in her garden, but when she saw Tom, she shouted out, ‘I’m glad you’re feeling better. If you wait a minute, I’d like to give you something.’
   She disappeared into her cottage and soon came out carrying a tray with two glasses of juice and some homemade cookies.
   ‘Oh, thank you,’ said Tom, a hint of a smile beginning to show on his face as he tucked into the refreshments.
   
   Then, they were off again. Lucy Jane led Scruff into the park and headed for the football field, where a group of lads were kicking a ball around.
   ‘Look! It’s Tom!’ shouted one of them, and they all came running over. Dad helped Tom to climb off Scruff’s back and sit on a bench as the boys started to ask him lots of questions. Tom became livelier and livelier as he told them about everything that had happened to him.
   Lucy Jane smiled when she heard Tom say, ‘I’ll soon be playing football again with all of you,’ as he grinned from ear to ear.
   
   While they were watching Tom’s friends playing, he cheered them on loudly. When the game was over, everyone said goodbye. ‘See you at school soon!’ shouted Tom’s friends.
   ‘I’m really hungry,’ said Lucy Jane.
   ‘Me too!’ agreed Tom as he clambered onto Scruff’s back without any help. Tom had a big smile on his face, and so did Scruff!
   ‘Hee-haw, hee-haw!’ brayed Scruff enthusiastically. He was glad that he had been able to help.
   
   Take Scruff off.
   
   
5. Tell the children that there is a story in the Bible about Jesus helping a sick man who was lying near a pool in Bethesda. The Bible doesn’t name the man in the story, but we are going to call him Gideon.
   
   Hello! My name is Gideon. For years, I lay near the pool at Bethesda just outside the walls of Jerusalem. It was a place where you would get well if you plunged into the water when it was stirred up. There were lots of people like me there, people who were sick, blind or lame and hoping to be the first into the water so that they would be healed.
   
   I couldn’t walk, so I struggled to get off my mat and drag myself to the pool. Other people always got there before me and the water would become calm again before I climbed in. After a while, I thought, ‘What’s the point in trying? I’m never going to get there in time.’
   
   Then, one day, Jesus came to the pool. He stopped right in front of me and asked me if I wanted to get well. What a strange question to ask someone who is ill! But it shocked me. It made me think, did I really want to get well? Or had I got used to a life of lying around feeling sorry for myself, and relying on others to help me?
   
   I thought I had a good excuse when I told Jesus, ‘There’s no one to help me into the water. Whenever I try, someone beats me to it!’ But Jesus was not fooled; he knew that I had to make the effort to help myself.
   ‘Get up!’ he said. ‘Pick up your mat and walk!’
   There was something in the way he spoke that made me believe that I could do it. And I did! I stood up and began to walk. I was so thankful to Jesus!

Time for reflection

Think of a time when you’ve been ill. Perhaps you had a high temperature and a nasty cough, or you fell and broke an arm or a leg, or perhaps you had an operation in hospital.

Did you feel sorry for yourself? Who helped you to get well?

Listen to a range of responses.

Do you know anyone who is feeling unwell at the moment? What could you do to help to cheer them up?

Listen to a range of responses.

Encourage the children to take the time to consider other people’s feelings, whether they are sick or just feeling a bit down in the dumps.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the people who care for us when we are sick.
Thank you for doctors and nurses, mums and dads, grandparents and carers, and our friends.
Please help us to care for people who are sick.
Please help us to take the time to notice when people need some help from us.
Please help us to be people who care for others.
Amen.

Song/music

‘Count your blessings’ by Out of the Ark Music, available at: https://youtu.be/jNiNxprFg5w (1 minute long)