Teaching Values to Kids
Teaching Priorities and the Value of Things
This is just one of many games you could create for teaching values. It can teach children how to make wise choices and set sensible priorities in life, thereby establishing a moral code for your family.
The Golden Egg
Group Size: 4 or more (a group is best)
Age Range: 3 and up
Materials Needed: Colored paper eggs, squares, shamrocks, hearts, or whatever shape you like; baskets or lunch sacks; a paper with the score chart.
Directions: This game can be played as an Easter egg hunt, or any other time of year coinciding with holidays, or just as a fun learning activity. You'll need at least five different colors and at least 8 to 10 (eggs or whatever) shapes for each child.
Prepare the shapes ahead of time in the various colors (e.g., pink, blue, green, yellow, orange). Prepare one golden egg or shape using gold paint, glitter, or gold foil. Hide all the shapes and give each child a bag or basket. Explain the rules of the game:
- This is a game to hunt for (Easter eggs) or (?). You will receive points for each one found. The one with the most points wins.
- Each colored shape is worth a different number of points, but only (you) the leader knows the value of each color at this point.
- There is one golden shape.
- After you begin gathering the shapes and have collected several, you can trade with each other, according to what color you think have the most value.
- After the game is over, the color values will be announced and the children can add up their scores.
At the end of the game, show the paper or chart with the following points (or create your own values.)
- Blue = 1 point
- Green = 5 points
- Yellow = 10 points
- Pink = 20 points
- Orange = 50 points
- Golden shape = minus 100 points
- Five of a kind = 100 points
- All one color = 1,000 points
- One of each color = 500 points
- Most shapes = 100 points
- Least shapes = 1,000 points
After you have determined the winner, sit down in a circle and discuss some of the following questions or related ideas:
- Is it better to know the value of something before you acquire it or experience it? Why?
- How do we learn the true value of things in life?
- What are some of the things the world considers to be of value?
- What do you consider to be the most important things in life?
- In what ways do you think the following statement is true? (Adapt example to the age level of the children.) Life is like a jewelry store (toy store) in which robbers entered, but rather than taking anything, they simply switched all the price tags. Things that had great value were given cheaper price tags, and things that were of little value appeared to be very valuable.
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