Activity 3: A child’s rights and wants (adapted from National Child Day – Guide)
Why we like it: This is a great tactile way to explore everyday rights and help
students understand how they relate to needs and how they are distinct from
wants.
What you will need: markers, sticky notes, and large pieces of paper, copies of
the Child Friendly UNCRC Poster
How long: 30 min
How it works:
- In groups of 3-5 students – ask students to draw an outline of a child (they can
have one student to lie down on the paper and have their outline traced). They
can name this child. - Have students list all the things the child will need to thrive and add them onto
the outline with sticky notes. Have students look at the ideas and choose the
20 most important ones and remove the rest. - Oh no! Something terrible has happened to the child which means some
things are no longer possible to have. As a group, ask students to choose five
sticky notes to remove (and 15 to keep). - Terrible! Something else has come up and things have become more difficult.
Ask the student groups to remove 5 more needs (sticky notes), leaving only 10. - In the class, have the groups share what they learned and what 10 things they
left. Ask what challenges might arise without the other 10 things. - Reflect on how these needs are like the articles in the UNCRC. Time
permitting, ask students to make two columns on the Board – Rights and
Wants. Ask them to add their sticky notes to the most appropriate side.
Reflection:
- What were the similar items that were left across most groups? What were
some of the things that were removed? Which were the first things to be
removed? Did it get more difficult in the second round? What is the difference
between needs and wants?
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