Object Lesson on Bullying - Crayons
Use this object lesson on bullying to teach kids how God wants us to treat one another.
Object Needed:Â Crayons
Big Idea:Â Love everyone, including the bullies.
We've included the text for this object lesson below and we even recorded a video to help give you ideas for how to teach it. Â Enjoy watching!
Bullying Object Lesson Script
Anybody remember when these were a daily part of your life? You’ve probably moved on to markers and colored pencils by now, but when you first started school, I bet every one of you had a pack of these. How many of you had the small one, the 12 pack? The 24 pack? Who got to have the big one with ALL the colors?
Crayons are a lot of fun, but there’s a problem with crayons. (If you have some, break one in half now.) They break. They break very easily. And the bigger you get, the easier it is to break them. The bigger you get, the more careful you have to handle crayons if you don’t want to break them.
If you’re not careful, pretty soon you won’t have any crayons left. You’ll have a bunch of crayon pieces. Can you still color with them? Sure. But it’s not as easy, and the smaller they get, the harder it is to play with them.
You know, people are a lot like crayons. We can be broken very easily, just like these crayons, if people mistreat us. Some of you may know kids who are in the habit of mistreating others. They think they can get what they want from people who are smaller, weaker, or just different than they are. They push others around. They call them names. They hurt a lot of people. Has anyone ever mistreated you like that?
Unfortunately, bullies are not just a problem you’ll find in school. Bullies are everywhere, and everywhere they go, they leave broken people behind. The sad thing is that these bullies could have several friends if they wanted. But instead of trying to be nice to other people, they push and shove and break the people around them.
Pretty soon, what do they have left? A bunch of broken people. Yes, they can still push those broken people around. But do you think any of them really care for the bully? Do you think the bully has any real friends?
I want you to remember just how fragile these crayons are, because I want you to remember to treat others with kindness. What’s more, I want you to be aware of the people around you—not just the bullies, but the people whom the bullies are mistreating. Nothing heals a broken person like love, and a little love can make a lot of difference in someone’s life.
And don’t forget, God wants us to love the bullies too. They may not look like it, but most of them are broken people too! Show a little love to a bully and you might make a real difference in your school.