Tapestry of Faith: Moral Tales: A Program on Making Choices for Grades 2-3

Activity 4: Discussion Of Prayer And Faith In The Story

Part of Moral Tales

Activity time: 5 minutes

Preparation for Activity

  • If you are leading this session on your own, you may want to arrange for another adult to co-lead this activity with you. Another adult voice can facilitate this discussion and help you model that Unitarian Universalism embraces diverse interpretations and expressions of faith and prayer.

Description of Activity

Pose these questions and allow children to explore:

  • Why was the Jewish man so happy, even when the shah kept making unfair laws? (Possible answers: He had faith that everything would be OK, he knew that God would help him.)
  • What is faith? (Possible answer: Believing something even if you can't prove it's true.)
  • How did the Jew figure out what to do when the shah made those laws? (Possible answers: He prayed, when he prayed that helped him come up with his own solutions, God gave him answers.)
  • How did praying help the man? (Possible answers: God answered his prayers, it helped him feel better, it helped him focus and think of clever plans.)

A second adult volunteer or co-leader can offer possible answers to the questions if the children find them difficult. A second adult can also join the discussion to ensure that both theistic and atheistic interpretations of what happened in the story are represented and respected. If children's answers reflect only one perspective, an adult leader can say something like, "Some people believe that and some people believe ... " or "That's what the man believed in the story, but some people might think ... "

Including All Participants

This session requires a fair bit of sitting in a circle or at the table. For children who learn better when moving, consider bringing out a basket of "fidget objects." For more information, see Leader Resources.