Core Skills Analysis
Personal and Social Development
- The child is learning how to express personal beliefs or spirituality in a social setting.
- The activity provides experience with self-confidence by speaking or leading in front of others.
- It encourages understanding of respect and attentiveness among peers during a collective moment.
- The child gains awareness of social norms related to shared group activities and appropriate behavior.
Communication Skills
- The child practices verbal expression and clarity when articulating a prayer aloud.
- It offers a chance to develop public speaking skills, including managing voice tone and pace.
- The activity fosters listening skills as the child participates in a group setting where others also present.
- Non-verbal communication awareness, such as body posture and eye contact, may also be cultivated.
Tips
To deepen the learning from praying in front of others, encourage your child to explore different ways of expression such as writing their own prayer or creating a short poem. Role-playing various social situations where speaking in front of a group is required can build confidence and decrease anxiety. Additionally, discussing the importance of respect and patience for others' beliefs and voices fosters empathy and social harmony. Finally, incorporating breathing or mindfulness exercises before speaking can help your child manage any nervous feelings they may experience.
Book Recommendations
- I Can Pray by Marilyn Burns: A simple introduction to prayer and expressing thoughts and feelings to a higher power, designed for young children.
- Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell: A story promoting confidence and bravery when facing challenges like speaking up or standing out in front of others.
- What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick: Explores the consequences of social behavior and reinforces the importance of respecting common rules and others.
Learning Standards
- ACPPS006 - Identify and practise strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing.
- ACELY1650 - Use interaction skills such as taking turns and speaking clearly to communicate with others.
- ACPPS022 - Recognise how empathy and respect for others contribute to positive relationships.
- ACELY1660 - Develop confidence in oral presentations with appropriate volume, tone and expression.
Try This Next
- Create a drawing task where the child illustrates how they feel before, during, and after praying aloud.
- Design a simple quiz about respectful behaviors to observe when others are speaking or praying.