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 61
Moving On
Purpose of the session
- To help children realise the important of endings and beginnings.
- To learn different ways to make an ending.
Life Skills: Self-awareness, Critical Thinking
Materials
- Large pieces of paper or flipchart
- Marker pen or crayon
Important Points
It is likely that by the time you are looking at this activity, the children in the group are at different stages in the life skills programme. Some may be ready to move on to something else, some children may be leaving the programme altogether or perhaps you, the educator, are leaving the programme. Whatever the specific situation you are in, this activity can be used to help children understand the importance of proper endings and this helps with new beginnings. This is an important lesson even if there are no real endings to celebrate in the session.
Steps
- Introduce the activity by asking the children to think about endings and beginnings. Give a few examples and then try to build up a list such as the one below. You can write this on the paper or flip chart.
- Make sure the children understand that an ending very often goes with a beginning for example, one educator leaving and another arriving. Ask the children to describe their feelings at endings and beginnings. To start them off mention some emotions and ask the children to shout out ‘ending’, ‘beginning’ or ‘both’
- Sadness
- Excitement
- Worried
- Happy
- Relieved
- Explain that it is often helpful to mark an ending or a beginning as it helps us to cope better. Ask the children to say how they might mark an ending such as:
- A death
- The end of a relationship
- The end of the year.
- a marriage
- a new year
- the first day of a new job.
Here are some ideas.
- a party or gathering of people
- a speech
- a meeting
- a show or display of work
- a meal or a drink
- a visit
- a chance to share thoughts with a person/people involved
- a gift/card
- a special ‘closing’ game/activity
- Read out this short story (or use another which is more relevant to your group)
Mary had been working at the shop with her boss, the shop owner, Rose for 6 years. It was her last day at work as she was going to leave the town to get married to her boyfriend who lived in another town. She got on well with Rose. On Mary’s last day they were busy with customers and at lunchtime Rose said that she had to go to the bank. Mary ate alone in the back of the shop. Rose was a long time and only came back just before Mary had to leave. ‘Bye then,’ Rose said to Mary, ‘Good Luck’. Mary said, ‘Bye’ and smiled, but she felt sad as she walked home. Something did not feel quite right.
- In pairs discuss the following questions
- Why do you think Mary felt sad?
- What do you think Mary needed?
- What would you have done that day if you had been Rose? Why?
Discuss the questions with the whole group.
- Using the example from the group, ask how an ‘ending’ could be marked for this event. For example:
- The end of the life skills programme for this group
- A life skills educator leaving
- One of the children leaving the group
- Finish the session with one of the closing games suggested in the last part of this section: