Good choice, bad choice
What this activity is for:
- To encourage young people to think about the decisions they take every day
- To foster an understanding of the consequences of decisions
- To encourage young people to take responsibility for how they choose to behave
Introduction
Ask the class to think about the choices they make every day. Allow them to work in groups or pairs to think about all the choices they made before they got to school this morning.
Examples:
- What to eat for breakfast
- Walk to school or get the bus
- What to wear
- What you say to your family when you leave
Feed back to the group on what choices they have made that morning. Ask why they made the choices they did. Things to consider:
- Did the decision make you happy?
- Is it a habit, or did you decide to do something different today?
- Are you glad about the decisions you made?
- What were the consequences of the decision?
Consequences
Every choice we make has a consequence. Sometimes, the consequences don't really matter very much, but sometimes they can have an important effect on you and others. Work through these examples and talk about the consequences. You could also suggest some examples of your own.
What to eat for breakfast
- What are the consequences of what we have for breakfast?
> if you choose to eat nothing
> if you choose to eat a box of chocolates
> if you choose to have a three course meal
> if you choose to have a toast and a cup of tea
How to get to school
- What are the consequences?
> if you choose to get the bus as usual
> if you decide to walk
> if you decide to go to the park with your friends instead
What to wear
- What are the consequences?
> If you decide not to wear school uniform
> If you choose not to wear any clothes
> If you decide to wear gold earrings instead of silver
What to say to the family
- What are the consequences?
> If you smile and wish everyone a good day
> If you swear at your parents on the way out of the door
> If you don't say anything
Good Choice/ Bad Choice
Work through each of the examples above and decide whether each is a:
- Good choice
- Bad choice
- Doesn't matter
What's the difference between a good choice and a bad choice?
Why is it important that we make choices in life?
Can we make choices about the way we behave?
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