This is a single activity session plan from The Lifeskills Handbook. There are 61 activity sessions altogether. The handbook is available from our resources section where you’ll also find downloadable storybooks, books and posters to help you in your work.
LifeSkills Handbooks Activity 56
My Timeline
Purpose of Activity
- To help children identify and discuss past events
- To help children think about long term goals
Life Skills: Self-awareness, Critical Thinking
Important Points
This activity develops further Activity 3: the timeline. Timelines help children visualise the future and think about the steps they need to take to ask to that future.
Materials: Example of a timeline.
Steps
(If the group participated in Activity 3: The Timeline, refer back to the results and the discussions from this session.)
- Prepare or present an example of a timeline.
- In small groups or pairs, children draw out or explain their past timelines to each other.
- Ask the children to draw or write in three future events that they hope will happen in the years ahead. These may include:
- Going to primary/secondary/high school
- Getting a job
- Getting married
- Moving to another place
- Having children
- Ask children to cut or tear the drawings or words and sort them into three piles:
- Next year
- Before I am 20
- After 20 and before I am 30
- In pairs or small groups, children explain their timelines to each other.
Final Discussion:
Is your timeline about your dream or reality? Is it helpful to think of the future? Why or why not? Does your timeline frighten you or help you? If they have done this before, have the life skills sessions helped you make improvements? How?