The kids are really testing my skills these last few weeks! This week, I was doing the story of the Exodus, and when I asked, "I wonder what the most important part of the story is," one child said, "the moral."
I said something along the lines of "well, some stories have clear morals and some are just stories - and there's so much more to this story than a moral - there's the water and the wind and the flame, and that moment when they're standing on the shore of the sea and their enemies are coming." And the kid said, "well, the moral is, don't be a bully." To which I said, "I think the story is deeper than just a moral, but there is a moral there, definitely, you're right!"
I could have done much better, but I was caught off guard.
What would you, ideally, have done?
Maybe have said, "Well, the moral is something that you work out FROM the story. It's not a part of the story itself. But I wonder what you think the moral is?"
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Then maybe say: "X thinks the moral of the story is, 'Don't be a bully.' I wonder what there is in the story that makes X say that."
... and maybe work the discussion back to "What is the most important thing in the story" via that route.
Or maybe just let them take the lead and go to work on morals; it is, after all, certainly age-appropriate at that stage, especially when it COMES FROM THEM. I think you did fine.
Hey, what happened to the spacing in my comment? It's all squooshed up.
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