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����tv Teach > School Radio > Assemblies and Collective Worship
KS1 audio: Something to Think About / KS2 audio: Together

Pre-programme questions

• What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Christmas’? What kinds of feelings do you have when you think about it?
• Can you think of any people who might find Christmas to be a difficult time of year?
• What can you do to help other people at this time of year?

Programme content:

Vox pops: children talk about how they help others at Christmas time
Interview: We speak to a charity about what they do at Christmas time to help people in difficulty
Song: Come and Praise, no 118: ‘Candle in the window’
Story: The Little Match Girl by Sue Reid Reflection: on how Christmas is a happy time full of excitement for many but also a difficult time for others. Being thankful for what we have and thinking of how we can help those in need at this time.

Story synopsis:

The story takes us to Denmark on the eve of the new year and into the life of a young girl trying to make a little money selling matches to passers-by.

After one of her slippers is stolen, the girl sits down by a big house belonging to a rich merchant. Soon a delicious smell of roasted goose wafts down from the house and the little girl feels hungrier and colder than ever. So she lights three matches, each time imagining something truly fabulous.

By the third match she is reminded of her beloved grandmother and sees her standing smiling in front of her. As the match dies, she lights the remainder of the packet and is transported into the most happy and wonderful place flying up into the sky in the arms of her grandmother. The next morning the little girl is found frozen cold with a contented smile on her face.

After the story:

• How did the Little Match Girl try to make money and why was she frightened of going home?
• What visions did she see when she lit the matches one by one?
• Do you think the story has a happy ending?
• What do you think that Hans Christian Andersen, the writer of the story, is trying to get people to think about?

Follow-up activities:

• Write a story or a poem about a time when you’ve helped someone. What did you do? Did you help this person alone or did you get some help?
• Christmas can be a busy time. Devise a plan to see how you can help your family or friends to make things easier. You could plan to help your parents do the Christmas shopping, decorate the Christmas tree. If you are going away with your family, you could help to pack suitcases.
• In the story the Little Match Girl was a very poor child from the past. In many parts of the world today, children still live in poverty. Do some research into the lives of poor children - anywhere in the world. Work in groups, with each group taking a different continent and then present your findings to the whole class.