Be Satisfied

A Preschool Lesson to Help Children Understand Greed

Storytime Lesson Plan

"BE SATISFIED!"

Dealing with Greediness

Philippians 4:11

This storytime lesson plan for preschoolers focuses on the nature and consequences of greed. Christmas, birthdays, advertising, and our materialistic culture are all forces that compete to convince children (& adults) of their need to accumulate stuff. This lesson seeks to help kids recognize they can be content with what they have.

(This series of lesson plans was developed and used in NSW, Australia. Some books and/or songs may not be available in your area. Please adapt these suggestions to suit your resources.)

I. Introduction: For an object lesson on greed, build a small "table." Use building blocks at either end for legs, and a rectangle of thin cardboard, (one side of a cereal box would work well,) for the top. The constructed "table" should be about 12 x 9 x 8 inches. Place a small pile of small stones beside the "table." Pick up one of the stones and say, "I wish I had a _______." Fill in any item that's popular with the children in your group. Place that stone on the cardboard tabletop. Pick up another stone and say, "I want a _______." Again, fill in the blank with anything, from a bicycle to a Playstation to a pet dinosaur. Place this stone beside the first one on the cardboard. Continue in this fashion until there are so many stones on the cardboard that it collapses. Explain to the children that, if we're not careful, our "wants" can overwhelm us.

II. Story: The Magic Fish, by Freya Littledale. This fable about a fisherman's wife who demanded just a little too much is an excellent illustration of the consequences of greed.