During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Don’t let anyone fool you. Bad companions make a good person bad.
1 Corinthians 15:33
It is very important to choose friends wisely. Friends have power and influence over us. They can encourage us and build us up, or they can discourage us with their negative attitudes. Have you ever had a friend who found reasons to complain about every situation? When you are around friends like this, it may only take a few minutes for you to feel the negative affect of being with them. Instead of being positive, everything becomes negative.
However, good companions make you feel good about your day. They encourage you to do the right thing. Think about the friends you have chosen to spend time with. Do your friends build you up? Do they encourage your faith? Whatever your friendships are like, the people you choose to become friends with impact your thoughts and your mood. God does not want you to be alone. Go forth and build good friendships!
Let your students’ families know that the children are learning about choosing good friends. Share the Resource Article “Girls Who Bully Other Girls” with families and explain that bullying behaviors do not honor friendships.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome the children with a high-5 hand clap as they come to class. As they enter, ask them what friends do for each other.
It is good to have friends. Did you know that the way your friend’s act will affect the way you act? When you spend a lot of time with someone, both of you will begin to behave in similar ways. You will begin to act a bit like a mirror for each other. You begin to do the same actions and use the same words. To see what I am talking about, let’s try an activity.
Have the children get in pairs. Name one child Partner A and the other Partner B. You will read an action, and Partner A will do it. Partner B will do exactly what she sees her partner do. After about 30 seconds, read a new action. Each time you read a new action, the children will switch roles. The leader will follow and the follower will lead the action.
You and your partner will take turns copying each other’s movements. In this way, you will act like reflections in a mirror. I will give you an action. Partner A will act first with Partner B copying the action. Then, I will give you another action. Partner B will act and Partner A will copy him. Face your partner.
Allow the children 30 seconds to perform each action.
You and your partner did a great job of reflecting each other’s actions! Everyone may sit down now.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, give the children 5 minutes to draw mirror pictures with their partners.
Just as your actions reflected each other just now, you also reflect your friends’ actions and words. That is why it is so important for you to choose good friends. What are some things you might reflect from your friends?
What else about your friends might you reflect?
Allow 3–4 children to respond.
How do you choose a good friend? There are some things you can ask yourself. If there is someone you want to be friends with, watch her and listen to her. Do you want to act like her? Do you want to sound like her? Do you want to reflect her actions? Remember, you will reflect your friends. What you reflect can either be bad or good. It is important to choose your friends wisely.
Today, you will learn about choosing good friends. Listen to this Bible verse about friends:
Read the verse directly from your Bible.
Walk with wise people and become wise. A companion of foolish people suffers harm.
Proverbs 13:20
This Bible verse says that you become like the friends you spend time with. Wise friends encourage one another and help each other become wise. Friends who are not good for you could cause you to get hurt.
Listen as I tell you a true story from the Bible about 2 good friends. Jonathan and David were best friends.
Allow 2–3 children to respond to each of the following questions.
Jonathan and David encouraged each other. They also protected each other. They were loyal friends. Listen to what happened to David and Jonathan.
Show the Action Bible image of David and Jonathan if possible.
Jonathan’s father, King Saul, did not like David. In fact, King Saul was very jealous of David and worried that everyone loved David more than him. King Saul wanted to kill David! David knew this, so he told his friend Jonathan. While Jonathan cared about David, he could not believe that his father would hurt him. The friends came up with a plan to test whether King Saul wanted to kill David.
Jonathan would go to a feast where his father would be. David told Jonathan that if King Saul asked where he was, Jonathan should tell his father that David went home to Bethlehem. If King Saul became angry, then Jonathan would know that he wanted to kill David. However, if King Saul was okay with David being away, it would mean that he did not wish to hurt him. David then begged Jonathan not to tell his father where he was hiding so that he would live. The friends promised to stay friends no matter what happened.
Stand up if you think King Saul will be angry that David is not at the feast. (Pause) Thank you. Please sit down. Stand up if you think King Saul will not be angry. (Pause) Thank you. Please sit down. Let’s see what happened.
David hid, and Jonathan went to the feast. On the second day of the feast, King Saul asked why David was not there. When Jonathan told the king that he had let David go home, the king became very angry. King Saul yelled that David had to die.
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
A good friend would want what is best for his friend. A good friend would do what he thought would help his friend. That is exactly what Jonathan did!
The next morning, Jonathan went into the field where David was hiding and gave David a signal to tell him that King Saul really did want to kill him. David came out of hiding and the friends cried together.
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace. In the name of the Lord we’ve promised to be friends. We have said, ‘The Lord is a witness between you and me. He’s a witness between your children and my children forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
1 Samuel 20:42
In this true story from the Bible, David trusted Jonathan with his life. If Jonathan had been a bad friend, he would not have told David that King Saul wanted to kill him. But Jonathan warned David and protected him. David chose a friend he could trust.
When you choose a friend, you want someone you can trust. You also want a friend who will help you. When you have a problem, you need a friend who will stay with you through it. Even when times are hard, a good friend stays with you. If you are doing something that God is not pleased with, you want a friend who will help you make better choices. Good friends gently speak the truth no matter what.
Let’s play a game to show us what a good friend looks like. I will name a quality of a friend, such as “you are kind to others.” Then, you will look for a child who has this quality. You will use special glasses. Make open circles with your fingers by making a fist, then opening your hand until your 4 fingers touch the end of your thumb. Do this with both hands. Put the open circles up in front of both of your eyes as you look for someone in class who has the quality I named. Stop and hold your head still when you see that child.
Pause after you read each quality to allow the children to find someone who matches it.
Have you ever had a friend who caused you to do things you knew were wrong? Maybe you had a friend who liked to start fights.
No.
That person may cause you to be part of many fights. That person could cause you to start fights. That is not a safe person to be around.
Being friends with someone who starts fights is not wise. What if you had a friend who stole things from the market?
No.
That person takes things that belong to others. That person might cause you to steal. That person could get you into trouble.
Being friends with someone who steals is not wise.
Answers might include: Show kindness to others. Tell the truth. Want what is best for others. Forgive others. Listen to others. Children may state other answers as well.
Remember, you all learned that wise friends are kind. They want what is best for others. They forgive others. They speak the truth gently. They are also good listeners. Let’s play a game to help you all remember what wise friends do.
Sit with the children in a circle. They will hold their right hands out from their bodies with the palms facing up. Choose 1 child to start. He will move his right hand in front of his body and clap hands with the right hand of the child on his left. The child who received the hand clap will do the same, clapping the right hand of the child on her left. The children will continue to pass the hand clap around the circle until you say, “I choose you.” The child who has received the hand clap but has not passed it on will share 1 thing a wise friend does. When she has shared, the children will continue to pass the hand clap around the circle. Continue playing for 3 minutes, choosing 3–4 different children to share.
You all did a wonderful job sharing what wise friends do! Today’s memory verse tells us more about what a good friend does.
A friend loves at all times. They are there to help when trouble comes.
Proverbs 17:17
Sing or chant this verse using the same melody or rhythm from the last time. If you were not present for the last lesson or do not remember how to sing the song, ask the children to help you. Have the children sing or chant with you. Repeat the words to the memory verse 3 times.
End class by saying this blessing, based on Proverbs 13:20, over the children.
Blessing: May God give you the wisdom to choose friends that will help you live the life He has planned for you.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
