Contention/Fighting

 Story: Myla has a fight

Myla was in school. The  bell rang, and Myla ran to the playground. It was recess. A boy walked up to her. "Hey, slow poke," he said. "Hey!" she shouted back. "Little girl trying to defend herself," chuckled the boy. Her eyes narrowed, but then she remembered Jesus. "I don't think I'm a slow poke", Myla said. "Bye," she finished and walked away. She smiled over her shoulder kindly at him. She knew he was a child of God.

List of ways to Calm down from a Fight:

1. Think "I want to be a good child of God."

2. Take a deep breath then tighten your muscles and relax.

3. Remember fighting isn't good and Jesus wouldn't.

4. Get space and hum any song or a church song.

Ask... and write down on paper or chalkboard or whiteboard their responses

Who wants you to fight? (The devil/Satan)

Is it good to fight? (no)

What can we do instead? (Walk away, ignore them, just smile)

Why is it important to calm down? (it helps us feel better, it's better for our bodies & health, it's easier to think appropriately, you don't want to do something you should not, Jesus would want us to...)

Activity: Let's Practice (you show first and then allow each person to do each step 1 by 1)

1. Take x3 deep breaths.

2. Hum a relaxing tune.

3. Smile at each person in the room.

4. Tell everyone how much you love them and don't want to fight them.

Challenge: (Write down on a paper to put up in the room)

I challenge you to not argue and fight all week. Report to me anonymously if someone fights!

Handout Craft: Paper Accordians

To make accordians, cut strips of paper about 1" wide. Write nice messages on them. (Muah! Muah! Muah!, I love you, You're a child of God, I'm a child of God, I'll be there for you, stay calm, take a deep breath...) and then fold back and forth about 1" wide like a skinny fan. This creates a toy paper accordian. 

Pass out paper accordians and remind them that music is a tool to calm down. Invite each person to pretend their paper strip is an accordian, play it and share the message through music.