Forgiving
Grade Level(s):
K, 1-2
By:
Michal Fineman
Using story, felt board, and art work to explore idea of forgiving people who have hurt you.
Objectives:
Children will learn the meaning of forgiveness and will understand how forgiving and seeking forgiving can dispel bad feelings.
Materials:
Book: Snail
Started It; felt board and figures; Drawing paper; Crayons
Plan: I. Set up (five minutes) Has anyone ever said something mean to you? How did you feel? How would you
feel if that person apologized? Would you forgive him? What does “forgive” mean?
II. Story with felt board ( 15 minutes) Read Snail
Started It while following story on felt board: - Put up snail and pig. Read page 1-3 When reach part where Pig feels bad,
put up a sad face next to him.
- Read about rabbit and put up rabbit picture, adding sad face when story
reaches rabbit’s feelings. Continue same way with pictures and sad faces
- When snail apologizes to pig, turn pig’s sad face around to happy one.
- When Pig gets to rabbit, leave the book to let the kids help tell the story:
Ask class what Pig will say to Rabbit (I’m sorry, Rabbit). And what will Rabbit
say? Turn Rabbit’s face around Go through all the remaining animals and let
the class say “I’m sorry, dog (spider, goose, etc.) and turn each face around
in turn.
- Read the last sentence in the book, “And that night…”
- How did all the animals feel at the end of the book?
III. Reinforcement with art What makes you really mad? (Brainstorm some ideas.) Then have kids draw a picture of a person (or they could turn the person into
an animal) doing something that made them mad. Then draw a picture of you forgiving that person. What expression will the
people have on their faces before forgiveness. How will they feel after forgiveness?
What expression will they have on their faces? | 
