Online Children Dharma Class – Giving Joy to Others through Laughter

The BLIA NZ YAD division organized the 4th online children dharma class on the 12th of September. It was nice to see that 16 students attended this class filled with joy and excitement.

The class taught by Thomas and Lucy Shi focused on one of the most important things to remember: laughing. After the morning chanting, the class began. Thomas offered technical support throughout the session, which involved an introductory activity involving laughter, listening to the Bodhi Light Tales, a round of Kahoot!, and followed with kindness video.

The class started by doing an activity planned by Lucy. The students were asked to write the first letter of their name on a piece of paper, then came up with one word that gave them laughter. Lucy said, ‘It was amazing seeing the kids embracing their creativity throughout this activity. One of the students drew a picture of interesting things that made her happy as her name starts with the letter I.” The class atmosphere creates a safe environment for students to explore their imagination while learning the concepts of 3 Goodness and 4 Givings. Many students enjoyed this activity as they put their thinking caps on and exploring what makes them happy.

The students then listened to #27 of the Bodhi Light Tales, “Kill it with Laughter,” which described a story on curing pain and illness using laughter. The students showed great appreciation and reflected on the importance of laughter in our lives. Many enjoyed the Kahoot! afterwards, which had a fun riddle to keep them accompanied! “The students learned and recognized that giving others joy through laughter has the power to make themselves happy and others. It was great to see that the students learned that laughter could cheer them up and others around them. Making links with 3G4G, to give others joy and confidence”, Thomas added.

It was pleasing to see that the students could get in touch with Buddhism dharma at such a young age, hoping that they will become one of the YAD members in the future! Our gratitude to the temple for providing us with such an opportunity on this platform so that the YAD can gain positivity by interacting with the children, which also gives them so much joy and inspiration.