Good sport – Questions and activities

Lower Primary – Be a Kindness Champion
1. Be a Kindness Champion (Courtesy of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games) 
Pre-prepare the gift-wrapped box in advance so that it looks as though something special is inside.
In pairs, pupils will create mind maps in response to the following questions about kindness. 
-       Why do we do it?
-       How do we do it?
-       How does it make someone feel?
Ask pairs to share their responses, then create a ‘Kindness vocabulary’ list, showing the following:
-       Things we can say

-       Things we can do
Ask pupils to share an experience from the past week when someone did something kind for them. How did it make them feel? Create a ‘Feelings of kindness’ list together.
•       Explain to pupils that the Commonwealth Games are also known as the ‘Friendly Games’ because of how athletes come together from all over the world to showcase their sporting talents. Athletes also show kindness through sharing their knowledge and coaching each other, celebrating each other’s wins and personal bests and working as a team. 
•       Ask pupils what they think the word inclusive means. Once pupils have a good understanding that being inclusive is including others in something they would like to do, ask them why they think it is kind to be inclusive. 
•       Watch the film showing athletes and coaching staff demonstrating support and kindness to one another. 
•       After they have watched the Kindness Champions film, discuss ways in which different athletes in the film demonstrated kindness. Ask pupils for ways we can be kind to each other. These could be ideas from Siobhan’s interview or their own ideas. 
•       For the following activities, you will need enough space for pupils to sit in a circle, either on the floor or on chairs:
•       Half the class sits down in a circle, and the other half sits in the middle of the circle. Those who are in the circle should leave a space between them and the next person. In turn, each person around the circle should invite a person from the middle to sit next to them and say why based on an act of kindness that they have shown (e.g. I would like Azhar to sit next to me because he helped me with my maths this morning; I would like Ella to sit next to me because she always smiles at me when I come in). 
•       The whole class sits in a circle and has an object to pass around (e.g. a juggling ball, a soft toy). When they have the object, a pupil completes a given sentence about kindness (e.g. Something kind I did today was…; Something kind X did this week was…; Something kind I am going to do this week is….; When someone is kind to me I feel…).
•       Pass a small gift-wrapped box around the circle and tell pupils that there is something very special inside. When they are holding the box pupils should say what is inside it, and to whom they are going to give it (e.g. In this box there is a beautiful sparkling ring. I am going to give it to Ava). They should pass the box to that person with a smile, and the other person should thank them, then imagine a different object inside to give to someone else.
•       Explain to pupils that acts of kindness are not necessarily big gestures and do not have to cost money.
•       Discuss how pupils felt when someone demonstrated kindness towards them in one of the activities. How did it feel for the person demonstrating kindness, as well as the person receiving it? Why do pupils think it is so important to be kind to people, whether they are friends or people they don’t know?
•       Tell pupils that their challenge for the rest of the term is to demonstrate as many acts of kindness towards people as possible. 
•       Start by discussing everyone towards whom they could show kindness, e.g. family members, friends, classmates, teachers, other staff members, etc. Then ask for examples of different things they could say or do (e.g. I could ask someone if they wanted to play with me at lunchtime; I could read my little brother a story before bedtime; I could smile and say hello to the old man who lives on my street). 
•       Introduce the Kindness Box and tell them that if they witness someone being kind, they should write down their name and what they did and put it into the box. At the end of the week, you will read all the nominations and decide who deserves to receive a Kindness Champion certificate. Have the Kindness box available in the classroom at all times for pupils to use to make nominations (these can be anonymous if they wish). 
•       You could also create an Acts of Kindness display and encourage pupils to collect examples from their local community or the media.
 
2. Consider the following verse from the Bible: ‘Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.’ Ephesians 4:32.
Answer the following questions: 
-       What is Ephesians?
-       Where do we find this book?
-       What is an Epistle?
-       What is the New Testament?
-       Who wrote Ephesians? 
-       When did they write it? 
-       Why did they write it?
-       What does this verse mean?
-       How can you demonstrate the sentiments in this verse in your own life? Write a journal entry or draw a picture in your journal about how you can 
-       It has been said that the theme of Ephesians may be stated pragmatically as "Christians, get along with each other!” What does this mean? Why did he say that? Does that message still apply today? How can we enact this message today? 
 

Upper Primary – Working together to carry the Baton
1. Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay - In the run-up to the Commonwealth Games there is the incredible Queen’s Baton Relay. It begins in Buckingham Palace complete with a message from the Queen. The uniquely designed baton traveled around all of the Commonwealth nations and territories over 294 days before arriving at the opening ceremony. 
Make your own baton. Have a look at the baton that was used this year. Then, draw a picture of a baton you think would be suitable for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Collect the materials you need to make a prototype in your recycling bin at home, bring them to school, and make your own baton. This can also work well as a team activity, where teams select the best picture, then make the prototype by working together.
Once the batons have been completed, why not hold your own mix-it-up relay races? Players take turns traveling from point A to point B and back again until the whole team has participated. Teammates must pass to each other one of the batons that they made in class. The catch? Each player on the team has to travel in a different way (of their choosing). One runs, one skips, one-hops, and so on.
You can find more activities on the Queen’s Baton Relay here. 
 
2. The Baton relay is an example of working together. Can you think of some examples where people were called upon to work together in the Bible? What is the Christian approach to working in a team?
Ask students to work in pairs. Give each pair a Bible reference to look up from the list below. Make a noticeboard using :Padlet or similar. Ask students to type out their reference and then write an explanation of what it means and how it demonstrates an aspect of teamwork below. They can complete the activity by making or finding an illustration to help demonstrate their point. At the end of the activity, each group can present their note to the class. 
Old Testament examples:
-       On the sixth day of creation, God fashioned Adam and Eve, the first human team. They were designed to complement each other (Genesis 1:26–27).
-       Moses, leader of the Israelites and author of the first five books of the Bible, led more than a million people through a nomadic existence that lasted forty years. His earliest teammate was Aaron, his brother (Exodus 6:26—7:20). 
-       On the advice of his father-in-law, Moses added leaders for teams of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (Exodus 24).
-       Rebuilding the Wall in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:15-23). What do they observe about teamwork in this passage? What kind of leader was Nehemiah?
-       We are better when we work together than when we are on our own (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
New Testament examples:
-       The 12 Disciples work in pairs and rely on the hospitality of others (Mark 6:7-13).
-       The unified team understands that reaching goals is God’s doing. And what God is doing requires teamwork on our part. (John 4:36–38).
-       Paul specifically mentions seven people who were part of his ministry team. He brought others along, not only to train them but also to keep him encouraged (Acts 24).
-       The Church is like the Body of Christ and all its parts play a role (Ephesians 4:15-16)
-       There is no jealousy in teamwork. When the whole team is working for the glory of God, there is no internal competition: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). 
-       First Corinthians 12:17–31 unpacks the idea of the church as a body in greater depth, using the systems of the human body as an analogy for the way team members need to rely on each other. Strong teams, just like strong bodies, are made up of interdependent members fulfilling defined tasks.
-       Christian teamwork acknowledges God as the established leader and objective third party in every team, adding strength and cohesion to the bond. Having basic relational boundaries in place helps teams focus on the job at hand. With a love for God and love for one another, unity is possible (Ephesians 4:13). 
-       It helps to be humble (Philippians 2:3).
 
3. What were Jesus' greatest achievements? How do we 'win' and 'lose' as Christians? Learn what Jesus' version of the Olympics might be like in this video from Australian Catholics magazine.
 
4. Design the ‘Jesus Games’. What sports would be included and what messages would the games send? If the Commonwealth Games are known as the friendly games, what would the Jesus’ games be known as?
 
5. Make a video advertising the ‘Jesus Games’. What is your slogan? What images would you choose to help people be interested? What would the voice-over say? What music and sound effects would you use? How would you combine these to tell your story? How would you edit the video together to make it look good and tell the right story?
 
 
Lower Secondary - Sport in the Bible 
 
1. There are not a lot of references to sport in the Bible. The sports that can claim to be mentioned in the Bible include wrestling, boxing and endurance running. Exercise is also encouraged. Along with that, it often speaks of general principles that athletes of the time (and even our time) have to have, such as self-control and discipline. However, much of the sporting language used is as an analogy for faith, used to communicate the Word.

Find the following verses in your Bible, copy them into your book and write what they mean underneath. Teachers may also like to present this as a cut and paste matching activity where students match the verse to the reference by looking them up in their Bible.
Genesis 32:24
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
1 Timothy 4:8
2 Timothy 2:5
2 Timothy 4:7
Hebrews 12:1  

2. What does the Pope say about Sport? How does this relate to real life? Read the following article from Australian Catholics called “Sport and Christian joy” by Fr Paul A McGavin. Then answer the following questions:
-       How has sport benefitted Rev Dr Paul Anthony McGavin?
-       How does this relate to the message in ‘Giving the Best of Yourself’ by Pope Francis?
-       What sort of holiness does Rev McGavin find in sport?
 
What is an analogy? Why is sport a good analogy for faith? Some people say sport is a religion. What is similar and what is different? Complete a Venn diagram in response to this question.
 
Read 'In depth: Good sports' from Australian Catholics magazine. 
Then, answer the following question: Which is more important, sport or religion, and why? 
Write a persuasive article for Australian Catholics magazine arguing for or against this point. 
 
 
Upper Secondary – Giving charism a sporting chance
 
Read ‘Marathon priest’ by Catherine Marshall and find out how running gives Sydney parish priest Fr Edward Dooley SJ a chance to find time with God. 
 
Then complete this class discussion: ‘Sport and healthy living'. 
 
Now read ‘Students engage with sport program for disabled’ by Nathan Ahearne.
This is a sporting interaction of a different kind. How does this help the students involved? Have you ever done anything similar? Does your school offer opportunities such as this and can you get involved. What would you have to consider if you got involved? 
 
Then read ‘Connecting with God through sport’ by Tracey Edstein.  What is sports chaplaincy? Have you ever met a sports chaplain? What good ideas have you come across in this article?
 
Why would you give up an Olympic career to be a nun? Sister Melissa Dwyer of the Canossian Daughters of Charity can tell you. Read ‘Against the grain’ by Laura Kings to find out more. 
What do you think of Sister Mel’s decision? Why?
 
How can you live your charism while participating in sports after you graduate from school? Write an article for Australian Catholics magazine about this, using the document “Giving the Best of yourself’ by Pope Francis as evidence for your arguments.

Giving the best of yourself: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, 01.06.2018

 
 
You can find more educational resources from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games here.