Being Frank is a hilarious book about TOO MUCH TRUTH! If you have kids who say whatever comes to their mind such as, “Why is her nose so big? Your breath stinks. This is SO boring!” you will want to read this book. Knowing when to say something and when to keep it to ourselves is such a vital relationship skill. The end of this book reminds kids to use, “more sugar and less pepper” which is now a favorite saying in our house!
“Franklin Fibs” is a classic for younger children. After Franklin stretches the truth about how many flies he can eat in the blink of an eye, he is faced with a choice. Will he continue his lie or tell the truth to his friends, focusing on what he CAN do? This is a great opportunity to build self awareness with kids as we help them realize what their gifts are! God has given us all gifts, sometimes children (or if I’m being honest, adults too) just need encouragement to see more clearly, the truth that is already inside of them!
“Princess K.I.M. and the Lie that Grew” is the perfect story to use with blocks. When kids hear a lie, they take turns stacking blocks on top of each other. Be sure and also start a truth tower. Eventually the lying tower will fall because Kim has to tell more and more lies. The same thing happens to us when we tell one teeny lie. It’s a great visual to see how the truth tower is standing at the end of the story, reinforcing responsible decision making to our children.
Lastly, this STEM activity goes along with any truthfulness book. Through this experiment children are explicitly taught social awareness as they begin to realize how their personal choices affect other’s trust in them.
First, sprinkle some black pepper in a clear bowl of water. Tell your child, the pepper is their friends. Next, show them the bar of soap. This represents lies. Hold the tip of the soap in the water next to the black pepper. (The pepper should move away from the soap to the edges of the bowl.) What happened? When we tell lies, people don’t trust us, they don’t want to be around us. Just like the pepper moved away from the soap.
Now, grab the sugar. This represents telling the truth to others. Using a spoon, slowly pour the sugar into the bowl. (The pepper should follow it.) This is what happens when we tell the truth! It’s the opposite reaction as the bar of soap. When we choose to be truthful, others trust us and they will want to be around us.
More activities to come with “Ruthie and the (not so) Teeny Tiny Lie,” as well as “The Empty Pot” next week! In the meantime, be sure and print a copy of our bookmark with questions to ask your pre-schooler as you read these truthfulness books together!
Mr. Marc was our next door neighbor and often played songs on his guitar as the boys ran around in the backyard. As part of the Speer Family, he grew up singing gospel music and continues using his gifts to record hymns for CB&J today! These hymns are a timeless way to remind children about the character of Jesus, and we are grateful to be able to share these with you.