From Happy to Sad and Back Again
Feelings change
by Janice Ross
Suitable for Whole School (Pri) - Church Schools
Aims
To use the Easter story to consider how our feelings can change.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the YouTube clip ‘Happy and Sad (Sesame Studios)’ and the means to display it. This can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rh6H8fa4UM
- You will also need the PowerPoint Slides accompanying this assembly (From Happy to Sad and Back Again) and the means to display them.
Assembly
- Ask the children how many of them were happy when they got up this morning?
How many were sad? Or grumpy? Or miserable? - Now ask the children to think about how they are feeling right now.
How many are sad? How many are happy? Grumpy? - Ask the children to raise their hands if their feelings have changed during the day.
- Identify that feelings can change very quickly and also very often. We can be happy one minute, sad the next, and then happy once again. Our feelings often depend the on things that happen around us. Often we have no control over these.
- Watch the YouTube clip ‘Happy and Sad (Sesame Studios)’. This can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rh6H8fa4UM
Ask the questions:
What things cheered up the sad person?
Why didn’t his happiness last? - Explain that the Easter story is all about happy times, then sad times then happy times again.
Review the story with the children by looking at Easter images. - Show Slide 1.
Ask the questions: What is happening here?
How are people feeling? What are they doing?
Why would Jesus’ friends be happy this day?
So the story of Easter starts with a very happy time. - Show Slide 2.
Ask the questions: What is happening here?
How do you think people would be feeling when Jesus was placed on a cross?
Why would Jesus’ friends be sad?
So the story of Easter then becomes a very sad one. - Show Slide 3.
Ask the questions: What is happening here?
How would people be feeling when they heard that Jesus was alive?
Why would Jesus’ friends be happy?
So the story of Easter then becomes a very happy one again. - Ask the question: Do you remember the video clip. What brought the sad little fellow joy in the end?
Listen to a range of responses.
The answer is having a friend
Time for reflection
We all need a friend to love us and to share our happy and sad times.
At Easter time Jesus came back from the dead to show us that he would always love us and be close to us for always.
Ask the children to close their eyes and think about the good news of Easter.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that at Easter time we celebrate that Jesus is alive!
Thank you that this would have made his friends happy.
Thank you for friends that care for us.
Please help us to be good friends to other people.
Thank you that you care for us and want to be our friend.
Amen.
Song/music
‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ by Randy Newman. This can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIYOJ_hSs0o
