Youth Curriculum, 2-16-25

Curriculum Overview:

Youth will explore how their thoughts, words, and actions ripple out into the world, shaping their experiences and relationships. They will learn to recognize and shift hidden beliefs, embrace mindfulness, and practice kindness, empowering them to create a more loving and inclusive world.

February Monthly Theme: Love
Week 3 Value: Ripples: The Art of Mindful Living
Affirmation: “I am ever mindful of the ways my lifeforce ripples out into the world.”

Spiritual Lesson: 

Through introspective reflection and interactive activities, youth will become aware of how their first thoughts and biases shape their perceptions of others. They will practice mindfulness and kindness, discovering how even small shifts in awareness can create ripples of positive change.

Mindfulness: Bell Exercise

Youth are invited to close their eyes and listen to the mindfulness bell until they can no longer hear the sound, encouraging present awareness. We will discuss what it means to create ripples in the world through our actions and thoughts as they spread to others.

Active Listening: Book/Music/Video

• Book: “The Boy Who Grew Flowers” by Jen Wojtowicz
• Music: “Brave” – Sara Bareilles
• Book:  “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller (younger class) 
• Music: “Count on Me” – Bruno Mars (younger class

Creative Expression: My First Thought

Youth will examine their initial thoughts when encountering different people, situations, or images, bringing awareness to hidden biases and beliefs. Through guided discussion and reflection, they will learn how to challenge unhelpful assumptions and choose thoughts that align with kindness and inclusion.

Connecting: Ripple Effect and The Kindness Ripple

Using water and pebbles as a visual metaphor, youth will see how even small actions create ripples that spread outward. They will then apply this idea to real-life scenarios, acting out ways their choices—both mindful and unmindful—affect the world around them.

Sitting in a circle, children will pass along kind words to one another, experiencing how positivity spreads from one person to the next. This simple, joyful exercise will demonstrate how small acts of kindness ripple outward, touching everyone around them.