These activities support children to understand that every child has the right to the support they need at school that children need different things. With this understanding, it supports children to feel confident about asking for help.
Fairness for all is not ‘the same for everyone’
Member of Children’s Parliament
20 minutes (Activity 1)
10 minutes (Activity 2)
15 minutes (Activity 3)
In this activity, groups are given the same task but have to follow different instructions – some of which limit their ability to complete the task easily.
To prepare, use the A5 card and pen to make enough instruction cards for the number of groups of four or five children you will be working with.
As you hand out the props (lolly sticks and masking tape) and instructions, say that everyone has slightly different instructions to follow, and they must not speak to the other groups during the activity.
One group should be given the following instruction card:
The other sets instructions should refer to the same resources, but with additional,
different criteria for building the tower. Here are some examples:
Explain to everyone that they have five minutes to build a tower as tall as possible without it falling over. User a timer to create a playful, competitive atmosphere. When the timer sounds, stop the activity and invite everyone to observe and point to the tallest tower. Next, invite the children the gather in a circle and reflect on the activity – they can now reveal the instructions they had. Ask the children if they felt the activity was fair and why.
Invite the children to define what ‘fairness’ means to them. Can they share examples? Encourage the children to focus on example of fairness rather than
things that are unfair so that this is framed positively. At this point, introduce the word ’equity’. Explain that this is a word used to mean fairness. Bring the activity to an end by asking the children to share what fairness looks and feels like at school. Now, move on to the next activity below.
Ask everyone to make a big circle, except for five children who should make a smaller circle inside this circle. Explain that each child in the middle circle will be given a short script – something they have to tell the teacher (you) and to which you will respond. Hand out a prompt card to each child in the middle circle (Template K) and, one by one, ask them to read out their response swapping ‘teacher’ for the teacher’s (your) name. Encourage the children to be overly dramatic if they wish – the key is that you ensure your response to each statement (as described below) is always in the same, calm tone. When responding to each child, hand them one plaster.
Child 1: Teacher! Teacher! I have a small cut on my finger.
Teacher response: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Here’s a plaster.
Child 2: Teacher! Teacher! I have a headache.
Teacher response: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Here’s a plaster.
Child 3: Teacher! Teacher! I broke my leg.
Teacher response: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Here’s a plaster.
Child 4: Teacher! Teacher! I’m hungry.
Teacher response: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Here’s a plaster.
Child 5: Teacher! Teacher! I’ve been attacked by a shark!
Teacher response: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Here’s a plaster.
Once all five children have spoken and everyone has received their plaster, ask children the following: “Are you all happy with my response? I gave all children the same thing – that’s fair, right?”
Encourage the children to reflect on the situation. Acknowledge that this was neither fair or helpful because everyone needed something different. The plaster would only have helped the child with the cut on their finger! Explain that all children need different kinds of help, and this includes the help they get at school.
To close the activity, you might like to share this statement with the children to ensure their understanding:
While equality means treating every person the same way, equity means making sure everyone has the support they need to be happy, healthy and safe. Equity means fairness.
Now move on to the final activity below.
To finish this series of activities, end by inviting the children to reflect on who they can turn to for help and support at school. Hand out sheets of coloured paper to each child and colouring pens. Ask the children to draw around their own hand on the paper. In each finger, ask the children to write the name of someone they can go to if they need help at school. In the palm, ask the children to write their own first name. Encourage the children to store their Helping Hand in their tray as a reminder of who they can speak to if needed.
Click the button for the Teacher Teacher! templates and a printable activity plan.