MODELS FOR TEACHING THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (I-IV grade). (5) TOPIC: RIGHTS AND RULES IN THE FAMILY

SOME IDEAS FOR TEACHING THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

(5) TOPIC:

RIGHTS AND RULES IN THE FAMILY

“State Parties shall respect the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents…to provide, in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the child, appropriate direction and guidance in the exercise by the child of the rights recognised in the present Convention.”

(Article 5 from “The Convention on the Rights of the Child”)

ACTIVITY 1

“Let’s swap!”

Aims:

To allow pupils to reflect on their own duties in the family from different points of view.
To suggest ways to make some of the most unpleasant daily chores positive by using the beneficial effect of peer advice.

Materials:

small slips of paper - three to each pupil
flipchart paper and felt-tips

Procedure:

Ask the pupils to determine three of their most unpleasant house chores/duties and to write them on a separate slip of paper each. Then suggest to organise an imaginary “market”, at which to swap the duties they consider most unpleasant with ones that they consider more pleasant. Let everybody try and swap his/her own 3 unpleasant duties/responsibilities with 3 other duties of his/her classmates which s/he considers more acceptable.

When the swap between pupils is over organise a discussion that will allow every child to give reasons why he has preferred another pupil’s duty. Thus every participant who has “swapped” his duties will have the opportunity to look at the duties from the point of view of “the other” who find them more acceptable.

What can happen?

It is possible that some of the duties/responsibilities may not be desired by anybody. Then you could take them and try to turn them into positive.

ACTIVITY 2

“If I were a king”

Aims:

To develop pupils’ skills to turn the duties/responsibilities they consider negative into positive.
To give an opportunity to students to reflect on the mutual protection that is guaranteed by following the rules at home.

Materials:

flipchart paper and felt-tip pens

Procedure:

This is another activity which gives the opportunity to students to turn their duties into positive.

Ask pupils to answer the following two questions:

Which children’s duties to their parents would I revoke in my kingdom if I were a king?
Which parents’ duties to their children would I revoke in my kingdom if I were a king?

All answers ( revoked don’ts ) write on a piece of flipchart paper (or on the blackboard) and instead of a summary suggest some more questions:

Imagine that everything you have wished for will come true. How will life change in this kingdom?
How would you feel if you were in these children’s shoes?
How would you feel if you were in their parents’ shoes?”
This exercise can acquire the form of a role play, if the students act out in groups small sketches in reply to one or more revoked don’ts.