Each year I plan for this oh-so-importat lesson on the power of words.
I start out my telling my students that I am going to tell them a big lie.
They start giggling but sit quietly, waiting for what I’m about to say.
I pause.
Then I quote:
“Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me.”
I begin the illustration like this:
Each time you speak, you words come out like toothpaste.
I walk around the classroom and talk,
squirting toothpaste messily out onto a cookie sheet as I go.
squirting toothpaste messily out onto a cookie sheet as I go.
I say sarcastic comments, “funny” jokes at someone else’s expense, insults, thoughtless comments, etc. as I squeeze it all over the place.
Then I pull out the toothbrushes. Each tooth brush has a sign attached to it:
And I try to use the toothbrushes to get the toothpaste neatly back in the tube, reading the labels:“I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t mean it.”
“It was just a joke.”
But it never works.
In the end, we’re still left with a mess:
Thus proving my point:
Words have power.
Words have weight.
Words make a lasting impact.
Teach your students about the importance of thinking twice before they speak with this impactful lesson.
Now, adults – before you think this lesson only applies to children, remember that you are accountable for your words and your tone as well.
Our words have power.
The power to build up or break down.
The power to encourage or criticize.
The power to motivate or manipulate.
God’s Word says a lot about our words.
- Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. - Psalm 141:3
Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. - Proverbs 13:3
The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. - Proverbs 15:28
The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking. - Matthew 15:18
But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.
I have created a FREE & EDITABLE resource for you to use if you’d like to try this object lesson with your students:
It also includes the print-and-go PDF of the labels for the toothpaste and toothbrushes. The resource also includes an EDITABLE Power Point presentation if you’d like to create your own labels for the tooth paste:
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