Eighth Commandment Activities

Eighth Commandment: You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor (Catholic)


Do you guard what you say?
Do you lie?
Do you gossip? (Talk about others when they are not around?)
Do you boast and make yourself look better than you are?
Do you try to get others in trouble?
Do you point out other people’s faults unnecessarily?
Do you not tell the whole truth?
Do you say things about people that you wouldn’t want them to know about?
Have I spoken behind someone else's back?
Am I sincere in my dealings with others?
Am I critical, negative or uncharitable in my thoughts of others?
Do I keep secret what should be kept confidential?
Have I said or written anything that gives an unjustly unfavorable impression of another?
Have I maliciously uttered or given a false report in order to injure the reputation of a person?
Have I defended a false accusation?
Have I condemned the innocent?
Have I reported for truth what is merely doubtful?


Lesson 20: The Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Commandments of God- (The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism, No. 1, page 95-99). For younger students.

Lesson 20: The Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Commandments of God- (The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism, No. 2, page 127-132). For older students.

catholicity.com- Lesson 20 from the Baltimore Catechism (no questions at end of lesson as in the book above)

cin.org- The Baltimore Catechism

scborromeo.org- Catechism of the Catholic Church

You Shall Not Lie- Stories, crafts, games, prayer, and adventure. (Kids' Travel Guide to the 10 Commandments by Carol Mader, page 90-97).

avemariapress.com- Gossip and Its Effects on the Social Community (lesson)


childrensministry.com- Lies in God’s Eyes: In this activity, the children will make writing appear with water and crayons to show that even when we try to cover up our lies, God sees through it all.

In this activity, the children will make writing appear with water and crayons to show that even when we try to cover up our lies, God sees through it all.

Preparation: Mix a drop of blue food coloring and the cup of water in a resealable plastic bag.

Say: Mandy had a problem. She had borrowed her sister's china animals for Show and Tell without asking anyone. On the way home, Mandy dropped the bag of animals. Every miniature animal was shattered. Mandy swept all the broken pieces back into the bag and hid it under her bed before her sister got home. When her mom asked her what she used for Show and Tell, Mandy told her mom that she showed the class her seashells.

Ask: What did Mandy say that she brought to class?

Write "seashells" in orange on the paper. Have each child scribble over the word "seashells" with the blue crayon. Tell children that the blue marks they make are like the lies Mandy told to cover up what she had done. While each child is scribbling, ask him or her why Mandy lied. After each child has had a turn, say: "Mandy took her sister's animals and broke them. Then she lied to cover up her mistake. We often lie to hide another sin, just as the word "seashells" is hiding under the marks you made. But God has very special eyes. He can see right through our lies.

Take the bag of blue water, and lay it over the paper. Let the kids see the words pop out. Read Genesis 18:15 and ask:

Why did Sarah lie?
How is that like Mandy's problem?
How are the marks we made with blue crayons like Mandy's lie?
What can you do if you are afraid to tell the truth?

Say: Mandy lied about the animals because she was afraid of the consequences from breaking them. "Consequences" means what happens to you for doing something. Mandy will have to suffer the consequences of breaking the animals and now also for lying. If you lie, you need to be truthful as soon as possible. God can see through all our lies anyway! Most people will be happy to forgive you. It's always best to tell the truth.



applesaucekids.com- Lying, The Lying Snake: Activity with story about lying and how the lies get bigger and bigger to hide the other lie.

The Berenstain Bears and the Truth by Jan and Stan Berenstain- When Brother and Sister Bear accidentally break Mama's favorite lamp, their little lie grows bigger and bigger, until Papa Bear helps them find the words that set everything right again.



Craft:

churchhousecollection.com- Do Not Lie Craft



Games:

txla.org- The Gossip Game: The game shows how rumors get started, how truth gets distorted as it's passed from mouth to mouth. As a game it's amusing - but in life more is at stake.

holidaycook.com- A game to see how much you remember information and tell it to another.

englishcurrent.com- Two Truths and a Lie Game






Liar, liar pants on fire!- Here is a fun game that helps children to recognize what lying is and how to resist it.

Introduction to game- To bear false witness means to not tell the whole truth. It is lying, but it is much more than lying. We lie to either make ourselves look good (and this is called pride) or sometimes to make others look bad. Sometimes we lie to get out of trouble. Sometimes it’s so easy to lie that we didn’t even realize we lied! The truth is very important because we need to be able to trust each other and understand each other. We need to guard what we say, and say what we mean by speaking the truth.








Puzzles & Worksheets:

web.archive.org- Look under 10 Commandments for worksheets


These activities are free, however they can only to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.


Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor- Word Search

Eighth Commandment- Word Jumble

Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor- Crossword

Eighth Commandment (worksheet)- T or F and Fill in the Blanks



Movies:

Veggie Tales- Larry Boy and the Fib From Outer Space

Veggie Tales- Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed

3-2-1- Penguins- The Cheating Scales of Bullamanka



Bible Story:

Ananias & Sapphira/Lying- lesson plan for 1st grade on up with: Objectives, Review, Vocabulary Words, Bible Story with questions, Activities, Crafts, Games, Snacks, Puzzles/Mazes/Worksheets, etc.