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.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29
Our words are powerful. We can build others up or we can tear them down. We can show respect to someone or we can dishonour someone. God wants us to use our words to show respect for those He has created in His image. Yet we often fail to do this.
At the end of each day this week, think about the conversations you had. List the words of respect you spoke. These include compliments, helpful words, polite phrases, and words spoken kindly. Then list any disrespectful words you spoke. These include rude words, insults, impolite phrases, and words spoken unkindly. If you are surprised by how many disrespectful words you list, do not be discouraged! Instead thank God that He is bringing this to your awareness so your words will become respectful.
Let families know that this week their children are learning to speak respectful words. Encourage families to practice using respectful words with each other.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your children warmly as they arrive. Begin class with a quick review of last week’s lesson.
Who can remind us what respect is?
Allow 1–2 children to share. Add to their definitions if needed so that this information is covered: respect is to think very highly of someone and honour him, and treat him with consideration.
How did you show respect to the person you chose at the end of our last class?
One way we can show respect is with the words we speak. Today we will learn about respectful words. Let’s do a role-play to get started.
Invite 3 children to take part in the role-play. Read the situation to them, and let them make up their own conversation after you read the situation.
Atif is the oldest child in his class. Most of the other students treat him with respect because he is older. But some children speak disrespectfully to him because he is poor and because of where his family comes from. He recently encouraged 2 other children to work harder in class instead of sitting around talking. One speaks respectfully to him and begins to work harder. The other child speaks disrespectfully to Atif because of his family.
Let the 3 children act out conversations about this situation. After they are done, clap for the actors and ask them to sit with the rest of the class. Ask the child playing Atif to answer these questions:
We do not like it when others speak disrespectfully to us, do we? It hurts! God want us to respect everyone because each person is made in God’s image. It does not matter who that person is.
Let’s learn what the Bible can tell us about how we should talk with each other. Listen to Jesus’ words in a Bible verse. Think about how His words relate to the idea of respect.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12
How does this verse relate to the idea of respect?
Jesus tells us to treat others just like we would want to be treated. This includes speaking to others the way we would want them to speak to us. This is respect.
Ask 2–3 children to share times when they were respectful to someone even though they were tempted to be rude. Have an illustration from your own life to share with the children.
What are some words we use that show others we are being respectful?
Allow 3–4 children to share their ideas.
Here is an important verse from the Bible that helps us understand how to speak to others with respect—even if we think they do not deserve it.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Don’t let any evil talk come out of your mouths. Say only what will help to build others up and meet their needs. Then what you say will help those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29, NIrV
This verse tells us not to use evil or abusive words. We are to only use words that are good and helpful. This will help others listen to us and be encouraged.
Read Ephesians 4:29 again, and then read Situation 1. Ask for a volunteer to share the right thing to say or do. Repeat this for all 5 situations, asking for a different volunteer each time.
Jesus tells us that our words come from what is in our hearts. Listen to this verse:
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Luke 6:45
Our words reflect what is in our hearts. So if you do not have respect in your heart for someone, your words will not be respectful either. As we learned last week, we respect others because we recognize that every person is created in the image of God.
God created you in His image, and you are important to Him. And He wants you to treat all people with respect because they are also created in His image and are important to Him. Even when you do not think that a particular person deserves respect, God still wants you to respect her.
Remember that showing respect to someone does not mean that you agree with everything that person does. For example, it is not right for someone to abuse you with her words. However, God wants you to respond with respectful words. One way to do this is to respond to her as though she were a stranger you just met. You would be polite and kind but not close to that person. That is a way you can show respect when someone is not acting in right ways. That’s hard to do, but God will help you!
We will now practice speaking respectful words, even in difficult situations.
Have the children find partners. Tell them that you will read a situation and they will role-play it. In each situation, Person 1 is not respectful and Person 2 is respectful.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, there is space for children to keep track of the respectful words they speak to others this week.
Tell the children you will lead them in guided prayer. They will ask God’s forgiveness for being disrespectful. They will also ask Him to help them to forgive those who have been disrespectful to them. When you pause, the children can answer that part of the prayer quietly to themselves.
Pause for the children to think of anyone they have been disrespectful to.
Pause for the children to think of anyone who has been disrespectful to them.
Close class by praying over your children the following blessing over the children, which is based on Matthew 7:12 and Ephesians 4:29.
Blessing: May you do to others what you would have them do to you and speak to others the way you would want them to speak to you. May the words you speak be helpful to others and build them up.
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.
