Objective: To help early year students understand that it is always a good time to do a good turn and that we should not wait for others to start. Advent is also a good time to prepare our hearts for Christmas.
Welcome
Good morning, boys and girls! It’s the month of December, and we are in a special season called Advent. Advent is the time we prepare our hearts for Christmas, the day Jesus was born. It’s a time to think about doing good things and spreading joy and hope to others.
Reflection
Remember, it’s always a good time to do something good. We don’t have to wait for someone else to start. We can be the first to show kindness!
Story Time: “The Good Turn”
Let’s listen to a story about doing good turns and spreading hope.
Story:
“Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Lily. Lily loved to help others. One cold December day, she saw her neighbour struggling to carry groceries. Without waiting for anyone to tell her, she ran over and helped carry the bags. Her neighbour smiled and thanked her. That same day, Lily saw a friend at school who looked sad. She went over and gave her a big hug. The friend felt better and smiled back.
Every day, Lily did little things to help others. Soon, everyone in her town started doing the same. The whole town became a happier place, all because Lily decided to do good turns without waiting. She planted seeds of kindness everywhere she went.”
What can we learn from Lily’s story? Yes, we can always start doing good things, no matter how small!
Activity: Kindness Chain
Resources: Strips of coloured paper, Markers or crayons, stapler
Instructions: Let’s do a fun activity together! We are going to make a Kindness Chain. Each of you will get a strip of paper. On your strip of paper, I want you to write or draw one kind thing you can do for someone else. It could be helping at home, being nice to a friend, or even smiling at someone.
Once you have written or drawn your kind act, we’ll staple the strips together to make a long kindness chain. This chain will remind us that every little act of kindness we do is connected and helps make the world a better place.
Song
Let’s sing a song that reminds us to let our light shine and do good things.
“This Little Light of Mine”
Prayer Dear God, help us to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Teach us to always find the right time to be kind and helpful, just like Jesus. Amen
Objective: To help primary students understand that making a good turn is always a good time and that we should not wait for others to start. Advent is also an excellent time to prepare our hearts for Christmas. This relates to the concept of sowing seeds at the right time for a good harvest and preparing our hearts for the birth of Jesus.
Introduction
Good morning to all! Today, we will discuss something special: preparing our hearts for Christmas during Advent. Advent is when we get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Our theme today is ‘Sowing Hope – Acting at the Right Time.’ Like farmers who plant seeds at the right time to get a good harvest, we must do good deeds (acts of love and mercy) and prepare our hearts at the right time, especially during Advent.
Activity: Planting Seeds of Hope
Resources Needed for activity: A big pot with soil/compost and seeds (any fast-growing plant, e.g. sunflower seeds)
We will plant some seeds today to help us understand the importance of doing things at the right time. Each of you will get a chance to plant a seed in this pot. As we plant these seeds, let’s think about the good deeds we can do to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Remember, just like these seeds will grow into beautiful plants, our good deeds of love and mercy will help us grow into kind and loving people.
(Activity steps:
- Pass the pot around and let each student plant a seed.
- As they plant, encourage them to share one good deed they can do during Advent.)
Video
Advent Conspiracy Explainer Video – For Kids!
Reflection
Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on what we just learned. I’ll ask you some questions, and I want you to think about your answers.
– Why is it important to do good deeds, especially during Advent? (It is always a good time to do good, but during Advent, it is a time to reflect on whether we are doing good deeds for others or ourselves to look good. Are we removing anything that may alienate our concentration to do good? (example: playing too long on the computer when we could help to do some household chores).
– How can preparing our hearts be like planting seeds? (for years 5-6) (Just like the farmer chooses the seeds wisely for the particular season, so should we be wise in the choice of our actions and behaviours.)
– What is one good thing you can do this week to prepare for Christmas? (Discuss suggestions).
Activity: Planting Seeds of Hope
Resources Needed: A big pot with soil/compost and seeds (any fast-growing plant, e.g. sunflower seeds or ġulbiena).
We will plant some seeds today to help us understand the importance of doing things at the right time. Each of you will get a chance to plant a seed in this pot. As we plant these seeds, let’s think about the good deeds we can do to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Remember, just like these seeds will grow into beautiful plants, our good deeds of acts of love and mercy will help us grow into kind and loving people.
Instructions:
- Pass the pot around and let each student plant a seed.
- As they plant, encourage them to share one good deed they can do during Advent.
On your next visit, you can check on the growth of these plants.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for this special time of Advent. Help us to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus. Give us the courage to do good deeds and to bring hope and light to those around us. May our hearts be like good soil, ready to receive your love and share it with others. Amen.
Objective: Snatching the occasion to respond faithfully during the opportune season of Advent
Welcome (2 min):
- The animator greets students and reminds them about the theme, Sowing Hope, and learning from others’ success stories.
- The animator leads students to quiet down, starting with the sign of the cross and a simple thanksgiving prayer.
Sharing (5 mins):
- The animator introduces the December theme ‘Sowing at the Right Time’ by saying that just as sowing needs to be done in the right season, Advent is the right season for hope to be sowed in us in preparation for Christmas.
- The animator explains with the help of a clip (1 min) in the background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuGvHZ_VUAA that the ancient Greeks distinguished between two kinds of time.
- The animator asks students to define Chronos (chronometric time) and Kairos (opportune time) and relate one with Advent and why.
Video (5.30 mins):
- The animator explains that, especially in a Biblical sense, Kairos break into Chronos to bring a message from another world.
- The animator shows clip An Unexpected Christmas (5.19 mins)
Reflection (3 mins)
- The animator hands a smart-watch template to students and asks them to think about what they expect this Christmas. What are they hopeful for?
- The animator interprets with the help of a quote (Phil 4:4-7) that the fruit of Advent hope would be the surprising joy of Christmas.
Prayer (2 mins):
- The animator leads students to write a prayer to God on the smart-watch template.
- The animator prays the following or similar:
Dear God, thank you for this holy time of Advent. Help us to snatch out the occasion during the weeks leading to Christmas to let hope grow within us and in the lives of those who lack it. Amen.
Objective: Snatching the occasion to respond faithfully during the suitable season of Advent
Introduction (2 min):
- The animator greets students and reminds them about the theme of Sowing Hope and the importance of learning from the success stories of others.
- The animator leads students to quiet down, starting with the sign of the cross and a simple thanksgiving prayer.
Sharing (5 mins):
- The animator introduces the December theme ‘Sowing at the Right Time’ by saying that just as sowing needs to be done in the right season, hope needs to be sown on time for us to see its fruit at the desired time.
- The animator shows humorous pictures that suggest a lack of timely response to situations.
- The animator remarks that it can be more serious than that and asks students to bring real-life examples of the importance of acting on time.
Video (4 mins):
- The animator explains that the ancient Greeks distinguished between Chronos (chronometric time) and Kairos (opportune time).
- The animator plays this (classic) song and asks students to reflect on the lyrics – it further highlights the tragedy of missing the starting gun – and the urgency of acting at the right time. (Pink Floyd: Time 3:15 mins).
Reflection (4 mins)
- The animator suggests that sometimes we are too distracted, lazy, or even confident that ‘there is still time to kill today’ and leads students to reflect on whether they also need to battle against these tendencies.
- The animator suggests that when it comes to our faith, times like Advent come as the right time to respond to God in preparation for Christmas – which is the celebration of the suitable time chosen by God to break into our history with the Incarnation of his Son Jesus.
- The animator shows and reads the biblical quote Titus 2:11-14.
Prayer (5 mins):
- The animator hands students a smart-watch template, leading them to think about their genuine hopes this Christmas and to write a prayer to God about them.
- The animator proposes that the fruit of Advent hope would be the surprising joy of Christmas
- The animator prays the following or similar:
Dear God, thank you for this holy time of Advent. Please help us snatch out the occasion during the weeks leading to Christmas to let hope grow within us and in the lives of those who lack it. Amen.