Tell the teens that this activity (adapted from an activity by Sr. Kieran Sawyer, SSND) will help them to remember some of the events, people, and experiences of childhood and imagine a time when in the future when they will look back on their entire lives in the company of Jesus.
Have the teens sit near a partner and with a piece of scratch paper and a pencil. Tell them to doodle words, phrases, or pictures that will help them remember how they finished each of the following sentences:
Sentence Starters
My Success Stories
- The first time I new my parents were proud of me was . . .
- My greatest accomplishment in junior high was . . .
- My most recent success is . . .
Learning the Hard Way
- A lesson I had to learn the hard way was . . .
Childhood Favorites
- As a kid, my favorite video game was . . .
- As a kid, my favorite television program was . . .
- As a kid, my favorite outdoor place to play was . . .
Favorite Summer Fun
- The best vacation experience I had with my family was . . .
Grown-up
- I first realized I was grown up when . . .
You Are My Hero
- My childhood hero (not counting my parents) was . . .
- My hero now (not counting my parents) is . . .
Special Gift
- The most special gift I ever received was . . .
Disappointment
- The greatest disappointment I ever had was . . .
God's Presence
- A time I realized God was present in my life was . . .
After you have read all the sentence starters, read the first category. Tell them to take turns sharing a memory fro that category. After one person shares a particular memory, the other person should also share the same memory. Then, the second person can choose a memory to share. Repeat in the same pattern for all of the categories.
