Tapestry of Faith: Windows and Mirrors: A Program about Diversity for Grades 4-5

Alternate Activity 2: Journaling

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Notebooks and pens/pencils for all participants

Preparation for Activity

  • This activity is designed to follow Activity 4, Prayer Stations. You might also wish to provide a journaling option as part of Activity 5, Window/Mirror Panel - Reflections of Prayer.

Description of Activity

Journaling is a time-honored spiritual practice for expressing the voice within. If you have time for this activity after Activity 4, journaling will give children an opportunity to extend their prayer experiences and/or process the prayer stations.

Invite children to sit wherever they please in the room to write down their thoughts. Distribute the notebooks and pens or pencils.

Encourage the children to write their thoughts about the prayer practices they tried today. Ask them to think about which practices they might use in the next week, or month. Suggest they think about different ways to express thankfulness, regret or hope-perhaps ways not discussed today at all. Ask them whether they might use prayer to ask/beg something for themselves, ask/beg on behalf of another person, or to complain/lament or to ask. Say:

Think about which kind of prayer you use most often or most would like to use. Write about how the practices you tried today might help you "pray better."

Including All Participants

Children who have difficulty writing may dictate their thoughts to an adult in a private space, or draw their ideas.