Change the Label
The importance of positive labels
by Alexandra Palmer
Suitable for Key Stage 2
Aims
To consider that we can label ourselves and others with positive or negative words.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Change the Label) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘Judge bugs – a story about judging others’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is available at: https://youtu.be/tmXYz4usW5A (show up to 3.32 minutes)
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Ask the children, ‘Have you ever labelled yourself?’ Use the two labels on the slide as an example: sporty and creative.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Ask the children to give a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down, depending on their response. - Show Slide 2.
Ask the children, ‘Are the labels “sporty” and “creative” positive or negative?’
Ask the children to give a thumbs-up for positive or a thumbs-down for negative.
The answer is that they are positive labels. - Ask the children, ‘What other positive labels can we think of?’
Pause to allow time for thought and then listen to a range of responses.
Suggestions might include: unique, strong, happy, cheerful, adventurous, kind, caring, courageous, cheerful and confident. - Show Slide 3.
Ask the children, ‘Have you ever labelled others in a positive way?’
Pause to allow time for thought and then ask the children to indicate their answer by giving a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.
Ask the children, ‘How do you feel when somebody says something positive about you, such as saying that you are kind and caring?’
Pause to allow time for thought and then listen to a range of responses. - Show the YouTube video ‘Judge bugs – a story about judging others’ up to 3.32 minutes.
Ask the children to discuss the video with a partner and then answer the following questions.
- At the start of the story, what did Gabe say that he liked doing? (Answer: he liked to hop and he could jump really high.)
- How did Gabe feel when the other insects said that he was red, purple and blue? (Answer: Gabe felt sad. Encourage the children to think of other words to describe how Gabe felt.)
- Why was it important for Gabe to hop away after the other insects had been mean to him? (Answer: it was better not to start an argument or retaliate.)
- What advice did Gabe’s mum give him? (Answer: it’s important not to judge others because we all see things differently.) - Show Slide 4.
Read through the words on the slide and ask whether we think of them as positive or negative labels.
Explain that sometimes, we use negative labels. Perhaps we might have heard ourselves described as having some of these characteristics. - Show Slide 5.
Ask the children, ‘How can we change a label?’
Pause to allow time for thought and then listen to a range of responses. - Show Slide 6.
Explain that one way of changing a label would be to replace a negative word with a positive word. Re-read the list of labels, saying the negative word first, and then the positive word.
- Bossy becomes authoritative.
- Rude becomes honest.
- Difficult becomes spirited.
- Stubborn becomes persistent.
- Defiant becomes bold.
- Impatient becomes eager.
Explain that when we are talking about others, we should remember to use positive words, not unkind ones.
Time for reflection
Show Slide 7.
In the Bible, it says that we shouldn’t judge others and that we should be careful with the words that we use. There is also a famous saying about not judging others, which goes like this: don’t judge a book by its cover.
Ask the children, ‘What do you think this saying means?’
Pause to allow time for thought and then listen to a range of responses.
It means that we shouldn’t judge someone at first glance by their appearance or behaviour. We need to get to know them first.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for all the positive words that we have to describe ourselves and others.
Thank you that we can change negative words into positive ones.
Thank you for the way we feel when we have positive words said about us.
Please help us to remember not to judge others.
Amen.
