Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

(A lesson about choices and decisions that we make) Good for the beginning of the school year.

Tools you will need

Have someone pretend that they are starting a new job and need some help in choosing the clothes that they want to wear to the first day of their job.

Leader

It’s back to school time! Can I hear a big rousing, “Yay!” (children yelling) You know what? You have a lot of decisions that you have to make when you go back to school, so we’re going to talk about those decisions.

Actor

Ms. Cindy, I’ve been trying to find you all morning. I have a tough decision to make.

Leader

What’s your decision?

Actor

I’ve got a brand new job I’m starting tomorrow as an assistant at school, and I need some help on what to wear.

Leader

Oh my. I know the kids can help out, right?

Actor

You are going to help me? Should I wear a dress? Or should I wear a shirt and pants? (Let children respond and pick the outfit they like.)

I’m so glad that you helped me make this decision. Old people like me have decisions to make. . Thank you for helping me with this most important decision.

Leader

Wow, that’s exciting. She has a new job. That is an exciting thing, isn’t it? She had a decision, and what was her decision? What was she trying to decide?

Leader

Right. She was trying to decide what she was going to wear for her job. Is that the most important decision that she’s going to have to make at her new job? No. Probably her most important decision is that she’s going to have to decide to get up every day and go to work and do her best.

I wonder how many of us have thought about some of the important decisions that we’re going to have to make at school this year. I know you might be thinking about what you’re going to wear tomorrow.

Leader

I used to think about what I was going to wear. I would plan it out and I would get my shoes. I would fix my hair really nicely the next day. I had that decision to make, and you’ll have that decision to make tomorrow, too.

Other decisions that you’ll make at school are: What am I going to eat for lunch? Am I going to have the chicken nuggets or am I going to have the pizza? You’ll have to decide where you’re going to sit in the cafeteria. You’ll have to decide which pencil to use, because I know you have lots of beautiful new pencils. Are those decisions the big important decisions at school? (children answering) No, they’re not the important decisions.

The important decisions are decisions like this: Am I going to do my best in my new grade this year? Am I going to get my homework every night? Am I going to listen to my teacher and follow the rules? I can tell you from experience I always had a list of rules in my classroom, and sometimes the boys and girls might not understand the rules. They might question me about it and I would answer them.

Jesus had the same problem. He told his followers certain things and sometimes they didn’t understand. I just want to read something from the Bible from the book of John.

And Jesus said, “I am the living bread that has come down from Heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever.”

That’s kind of hard to understand. Do you agree? A lot of them were sitting just like you, right now. After Jesus said that, they looked at each other. Can you look at each other, and kind of shake your head and pretend like you’re saying, “I don’t understand.” Just pretend like you’re saying that. That’s what his followers did. They grumbled and they complained and they didn’t know whether they wanted to follow his rules or not.

Jesus heard that and he knew it, just like your teacher, when you grumble and complain. Teachers know that kind of stuff. Jesus said to his disciples, “I know that they’re leaving. I see them getting up. I see them grumbling. I know that they’re upset and they don’t understand. Are you going to leave me, too?

Here’s what Peter said.

He said, “Lord If we don’t follow you, who else would we follow?”

Isn’t that something to think about? If you don’t follow your teacher’s rules, who else you going to follow? You’re going to follow your friend sitting next to you, that tells you to do the wrong thing? Are you going to look at the people that get in trouble? Are you going to follow them? No. Listen to your teacher because if you don’t follow your teacher, who else would you follow? We need to follow our teacher’s instructions. Another thing we need to carry in the classroom with us everyday is the instruction that you get at church. Think about how to treat others and how to be a good Christian example to the boys and girls in your classroom.

Let’s have a word of prayer. Dear Jesus, (children repeating), help us to follow the rules (children repeating) and we pray (children repeating) that our teachers will be good leaders (children repeating). Amen (children repeating).

Tomorrow when you go to school, go up to your teacher and just whisper something-tell her that we prayed for her in church and that will really make her day.