Fun with Character: You Decide
Start this activity by having the students put their heads down on their desk and close their eyes. You will ask them a series of questions and they will answer by raising their hands. The questions will be a choice of two similar items and each student has to choose which they like better. Some examples are: Hamburgers or Hot Dogs; Soccer or Football; Red or Green. If they like the first choice better they raise their left hand. If they like the second choice better they raise their right hand. Compile a list of choices that are age appropriate for your class. Try to choose things that are similar so the deciding between them requires some thought. Aim for about 10-15 choices. It isn’t necessary to count or record the answers.
When you are finished with your list, ask the whole class to stand up. Designate opposite ends of the classroom as the answer areas. Read your list again and this time each student must walk to the area for that answer. Watch their behavior as they decide which group to walk towards. Do any of them look around before making a decision to see where the rest of the kids are going? When the list is done, the students can return to their seats. Ask them to think about how differently they made their decisions when no one saw their answer and when others could see what they decided. Did it make a difference? This is peer pressure. These decisions were not life-altering but it gives them some insight into their own behavior.
To process this activity, ask these or similar questions:
Which did you like better – answering with your head down or walking around?
When you were standing, did you look around at others before committing to a decision?
Did you change any of your answers when you could see others’ decisions? (they don’t have to answer this one out loud)
Did it make a difference if your answer was not the majority?
This is called peer pressure. Will you think of this exercise next time you think that the right thing to do is different from what your peers think?