Changing
Change is inevitable
by Manon Ceridwen Parry (revised, originally published in 2012)
Suitable for Key Stage 2
Aims
To consider that change is inevitable, even though it might be difficult.
Preparation and materials
- You will need a selection of greetings cards to celebrate special events such as Christmas, Easter, birthday, a new baby, a new job and a new home.
Assembly
- Ask the children whether any of them have had a birthday in the last week, or are about to have a birthday.
Ask these children how they feel, or felt, about their birthday. Are, or were, they excited? What are, or were, they most looking forward to? - Ask all of the children how they feel about birthdays. How do they feel about Christmas? Are there any other special days that they look forward to every year?
- Discuss the fact that these events are not just fun; they also mark the passing of time in our lives as the days, months and years go by.
In fact, as we get older, we may find ourselves feeling less excited about our next birthday (one or two of the teachers might be nodding ironically at this point!). - Show the selection of greetings cards.
Point out that all of these cards indicate change of some sort, such as a new job, a new home or the arrival of a new baby. These cards celebrate exciting times when something new happens, something that we’re pleased about. - However, change doesn’t always feel good. Sometimes, people have to get a new job because their place of work closed down. Perhaps they have a new home because they’ve moved to another town, but they miss their friends.
Sometimes, a change feels bad at first, but after we’ve got used to it for a bit, we realize that it’s OK. For example, we might have moved house and been sad at first, but we got to know new people so that soon, we had both old friends and new friends. A change that we think will be bad can work out much better than we’d expected. - Some changes can seem sad, though. For example, a friend may move abroad and we may never see them again. (It may be appropriate to talk about bereavement here, depending on the context.)
- We can never be sure whether a change will be good or bad. However, one thing is certain: all of us here today will be experiencing changes over the next months.
Ask the children whether they can think of changes that have happened recently and changes that they expect to happen in the next few months.
Listen to a range of responses. - Change is a feature of life. We have to accept it. We can’t stop time.
Time for reflection
Many religious traditions, including Buddhism and Christianity, encourage mindfulness. This involves living in the moment, not worrying too much about the past or about changes in the future. It encourages us to be happy living right here, right now, making the most of each moment.
Encourage the children to think about the following statements.
- Think about all the good things in your life right now.
Pause to allow time for thought.
- Think about the things that will be changing in the weeks ahead.
Pause to allow time for thought.
- Think back to this time last year, if you can.
Pause to allow time for thought.
- Now think about all the good things that have taken place since last year.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Christians believe that God never changes. This gives them hope and strength to cope when difficult change takes place.
Prayer
God, we thank you for change.
Sometimes, change can be hard.
Please help us to embrace change,
and enjoy the moments that we have now.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Give me oil in my lamp’ (Come and Praise, 43), available at: https://youtu.be/vwWTjdWU4ck (2.31 minutes long)
‘The climb’ by Miley Cyrus, available at: https://youtu.be/NG2zyeVRcbs (3.48 minutes long)
