Here is a 30- to 40-minute lesson plan that highlights the following lesson objective: “Learn how one may not see the immediate effect of some of the choices one makes, but all choices eventually add up to determine the course of one’s life, which is why one must learn to choose rightly; learn that one has a choice in the way one behaves toward others, and in the daily decisions that one makes. One is able to evaluate the consequences of one’s actions and choose rightly.” (Character Building: Personal Responsibility: Choice and Decision-making-2d)
Start by defining what little and big decisions are. For example, little and/or easy decisions could be:
The bigger the decision is, the longer it may take to think about it. It may also be the kind of decision that one may need help from others to make, such as:
Remind them that a basic formula to help when making decisions is: Good decisions equal good things; bad decisions equal bad things.
Read “We Make DECISIONS and They Make Us.”
Read “Are Daily Decisions Really That Important?”
Remind your children that not all wrong decisions have immediate or lasting bad effects. Making the occasional wrong decision could help them in the process of figuring out what’s right and wrong. But there are wrong decisions they can’t come back from. For example, if they choose an activity that is a risk to their health or well-being, they could become sick or damage their body. If that happens, they may live with the difficult consequences of that decision.
Read “YOLO or Carpe Diem?”
Discuss with your children the wonderful support they have when it comes to learning and choosing to make good decisions. They have the support of their parents, teachers, and in some cases, their siblings and friends. They also have Jesus and His Word to help guide their life. These support methods can help them choose to do the right thing, but ultimately, the decision process will fall to them. God gave each person the majesty of choice, but He also gave us His Word to help us learn how to make the right choice.
Read “His Desire, His Plan, Our Happiness.”
You can end with discussing some of the bigger or harder decisions your children are facing and the methods that could help them in their decision-making process. And one thing you can count on: simply praying and committing the decision to God will help. Remind them that often it helps to give more time to the decision-making process; some decisions take a great amount of time to make, and it’s better not to try to rush the process.
Additional reading material: