Love or just "In Love"?

This is a fun activity to review and gauge what the students know about the stages of relationships and identify healthy attributes versus unhealthy attributes in a relationship.  

The object of this first part is to show students how the qualities that make a good friend also are good qualities to have in a spouse.

Have all the students take out a half sheet of paper and separate it into two

columns.  Have them number rows 1-5 in each column.  In the first column, have them write 5 qualities they want in a good friend.   Give them about 5 minutes or so to write their lists.

After about 5 minutes, have some students share a few of the qualities they came up with.  List those qualities on the board as they share them.  Try to have the students list different qualities so you don’t have a lot of repeats. 

Now, in the second column, have them write 5 qualities they want in a spouse.  Give them about 5 minutes or so to write their lists.  Ask if their lists look similar on their paper?? 

Have some students share a few of the qualities they came up with for a good spouse.  If they share any qualities for a spouse that are already listed on the board, circle them to show that they belong to BOTH columns.  List any new qualities on the board as they share them.

This second part is for them to identify the different “stages” in a relationship and to sort out behaviors, thoughts & attitudes that relate to those stages.

(The students should have watched my vodcast on Stages in relationships or have notes on stages in relationships.)

You will also need to print and cut up a set of tickets with title cards for each group.  (I laminated mine so they are a little more durable)  You can also make your own to suit your needs as well.  You will also need the answer key. I have these on a PowerPoint slide I put up at the end but you could easily make an overhead as well.

Break students into groups of 2-4 and have them push their desks together into a table group to have a surface to do the activity. 

Give each group a pack of tickets to sort  and  have students put the three title cards (Love, Infatuation & Selfish) on the table.  Have each group elect a reader.  The reader reads each ticket and the group will decide under which heading to place it according to the “Phases of a Relationship” notes.

When completed, have the groups place the cards in numerical order based on the column they are in.  (Should be 10 tickets in each column – good checkpoint for groups)

When groups are finished, put up the numerical answer overhead and have student check their lists.  I have the students pay attention to how many times they had to switch tickets around.  It just gives them an idea of how well they can recognize attributes belonging to a phase of relationships.

Collect all ticket packs when finished