This is useful with a lesson about how unkind words can hurt others and how hard they are to take back once they have been said and the damage has been done.
Have them sqeeze the toothpaste out on the paper plate to symbolize hurtful words that we use against someone, i.e., you little brat, fatso, freckle face, stupid, etc.
Then have them attempt to put the toothpaste back into the tube.
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First of all .....thank you
Submitted by Carol (not verified) on
First of all .....thank you for this site with so many object lessons. It is a great resource!
For years I have used this Object lesson (using toothpaste) to discuss the effect of hurtful words. I use 2 very small toothpaste tubes and ask for 2 voilunteers. I ask them to see which person can squeeze the toothpaste out the fastest. "on the count of 3......."
This builds excitement in the room, the other children cheering for the person they want to "win" the contest.
Then I say to the 2 children........"OK, now let's see who can put the toothpaste back into the tube the fastest! On the count of 3........"
Usually they both look at me with incredulous looks. Sometimes they laugh. One year a child actually began to try to put the toothpaste back!!! (It was hilarious!)
Then we proceed with the lesson as you have described above, discussing how sometimes we can "spit out words too hastily that have lasting hurtful effects, and we cannot "take them back" any more easily than we can put the toothpaste back into the tube.
Then I use the Bible verse James 3:5 as a "memory verse" and we discuss that verse, what it means and work on memorizing it.
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