Rights and Responsibilities
Preparation
Ask teachers to teach pupils the chorus of ‘Thank you for the world so sweet’
Find it on YouTube
Resources
2 boxes – one labelled ‘Rights’ & the other ‘Responsibilities’.
Set of ‘Rights’ cards (see resource file)
Hearts (see resource file)
Pair of rubber gloves
Gather
Sing or say ‘Thank you for the world so sweet
Thank you for the food we eat
Thank you for the birds that sing
Thank you God for everything’
Engage
We have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we? Just think about all the things we take for granted. Lots of children all over the world don’t have the things that we think of as very basic rights. What kind of things do you think every child, wherever they live, should have? [Take some ideas]. Shall we look and see if any of those are in this box? [Hold up ‘Rights’ box. Invite pupils to take out and hold up pictures (see resource file).Explain if necessary]. Just imagine what life would be like if you didn’t have these things. It’s very important that we remember that everyone has rights. But when we have rights we have responsibilities too. If everyone has the right to clean water, proper medical care and education what responsibilities do we have in return? [Take a few answers; guide towards responsible stewardship]. Shall we have a look in this box? Maybe it will give us some ideas about what our responsibilities are. [Invite pupils to take cards from ‘Responsibilities’ box]. Lots of hearts! I wonder what that means? [Take some ideas of why responsibility is represented by hearts]. Listen to what Jesus said. [Read Bible passage (see resource file) or tell in own words]. Loving our neighbour means accepting that everyone else deserves to have as many good things as we do. It isn’t always very easy to make that happen. What can we do? [Show rubber gloves]. Love is very important but it works best when it’s backed up by action. If we really want to show that we love our neighbours then we need to do something, not just talk about it. That’s what it means to take responsibility. On their own these gloves can’t do anything. But look what happens when someone puts them on! [Put on gloves]. It is true that actions speak louder than words.
Respond
How can we show that we have put on the gloves of responsibility? [Take a few ideas. Encourage answers that show real practical action, however localised]. Take a few moments to think about something you really enjoy about your life, something you wouldn’t want to be without. [Allow some quiet reflection time]. Now think about what it would be like if that was taken away from you. [Allow quiet reflection time].
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for all the good things that we take for granted. Help us to remember that lots of children don’t have any of those things. Make us good neighbours so that we find a way to help however we can. Amen
Song
Appropriate to theme e.g. ‘When I needed a neighbour’.
When I needed a neighbour(copyright Stainer & Bell) maybe found at the Stainer & Bell
website:
Send
In the song ‘When I needed a neighbour’ there is a line which goes The creed and the colour and the name don’t matter, I’ll be there. Say that after me. [Repeat a couple of times]. This week, try to think about that line when you see someone who needs help. Put on the gloves and put love into action.
NB
A photo-essay on Children’s Rights can be found at