Sticky Names

Using stick-on nametags and a marker, make a nametag with your own name and put it on. Then make tags with mean names and stick them over yours.  When you try to separate the mean nametags from your name it damages the original one. Emphasize that name-calling hurts people. 

Themes:

Love your neighbor as yourself. Golden Rule – Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Preparation:

Bring stick-on nametags and a marker. (Optional: baby name book.)

What to do and say:

Print your name on a stick-on nametag and put it on. Ask if anyone knows a special story about their name or how they got their name.  Ask if anyone knows the meaning of their name. (You might bring a baby name book and look up some names and meanings in it.) Ask how it feels when someone knows their name and calls them by their name.

Take another stick-on nametag and print a mean name on it – like stupid, lazy, fat, gay, sissy, etc.  Stick that nametag on top of the one with your name on it.  Ask the children if anyone has ever called them a mean name. Ask them how that felt. 

Make a second mean nametag and stick it on top of the other one.  Confirm how bad it feels when we are called mean names. Say, “Yeah, but they’re just words right…it doesn’t really matter, does it?”  Now try to separate the mean nametags from yours.  This is nearly impossible to do.  Call attention to the damage this causes to the original name.  Say that yes it does matter. Name-calling hurts people.  We may not see the hurt on the outside like we can see the damaged name tags. People can feel hurt on the inside by name calling. 

Jesus tells us to treat other people the way we want to be treated. It hurts when people call us mean names. So we should not call other people mean names. 

PRAYER   (Say each line and ask children repeat it.)

O God, we are glad you know our names.
We are glad that we are your children.
We will show our love for each other
By calling people by their given names
and not using mean and hurtful names.
Amen.

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Original children's sermon nametag idea by Roger Gilkeson. Adapted by Melany Burrill. 

Contributed by Melany Burrill

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