Adventures in Growing (15 minutes)
Preferred Communication
Children will consider ways we communicate with other people and with God.
Items to Pack
- paper
- pencils
The Activity
Have children stay in their groups from the previous activity. Assign each group one of the following forms of communication: sign language, email, letters, telephone, talking face to face. Then ask group members to tell each other jokes within their groups, using only their assigned method of communication. Give the following directions:
- Sign language group: Use only hands and gestures to communicate. No sounds or lip movement allowed.
- Email group: Sit back-to-back and write messages on paper. Then hand them to others in the group without making eye contact or speaking.
- Letters group: Write messages on paper, and silently deliver to others in the group.
- Telephone group: Sit back-to-back and talk without making eye contact.
- Talking face to face group: Converse normally.
After children communicate jokes for several minutes in this manner, have them sit in their groups and communicate normally as they continue this activity.
Activity Debrief
Then say: Think of at least two reasons your group’s kind of communication is good and at least two reasons it’s not good. For example, you can use sign language in places where you’re supposed to be quiet, like a library, but not on the phone.
Allow a few minutes for discussion. Then have each group report its answers.
Ask:
- If you had to choose only one of these ways of communicating, which would it be and why?
- Which of these ways can we use to communicate with God?
- Which form of communication is easiest for you to use to talk with your friends? your parents? God?
- Which of these ways of communicating will you use to share what’s on your mind with God this week?
