Ethos Education

Inside Out 2: How Can Joy Be Your Strength?

by

Assembly Objective:

What is joy? This assembly explores the concept of joy as a means of countering anxiety, and as a gift from God. Students will reflect on the difference between happiness and joy, and on how the Bible describes joy in God as a source of strength.

Film:

Inside Out 2, Disney Pixar 2024, certificate U, click here to buy the DVD online.

Bible:

Nehemiah 8:9-10 (New International Reader’s Version)

Supporting Values Education:

The value of Individual liberty means that it is important to promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs in a safe environment. This assembly helps children consider how they can take responsibility for their behaviour and feelings. It encourages them to understand that they have rights and personal freedoms, and helps them find ways of support to grow in independence.

OPENING ACTIVITY

3-3-3 Focus Activity (Activity)

Invite everyone to sit comfortably. Explain that you are going to lead them through some activities that will help them feel focused and relaxed. Lead them through the series of activities as follows (you may have to demonstrate some!):

Take a deep breath and sigh loudly.

On the next breath, lift your shoulders up to your ears, and as you breath out, let your shoulders drop.

Now, look around and find three things you can see. What colours are the three things? Are they big or small? Do they make you feel happy or sad?

Next, everyone is going to be very quiet, and listen hard. Can you hear three sounds? Are the sounds coming from far away or nearby? Are they continuous sounds or do they come and go?

Now, everyone is going to wiggle their toes, blink their eyes and touch their noses. How does it feel to do that?

And finally, take another deep breath, lift your shoulders up to your ears again, and as you breath out, let your shoulders drop.

Ask the children how they feel. Do they feel calm? Do they feel ready to listen? What did they enjoy about the exercise?

This is an exercise that anyone can do at any time, especially if they feel worried or anxious. Perhaps they could practise later!

FILM CLIP

  • Inside Out 2 (Disney Pixar, 2024) certificate U
    • Start time: 01:08:55 (Riley skates across the ice with Anxiety in control)
    • End time: 01:17:42 (The three girls bring their fists together)
    • Clip length: 8 minutes, 47 seconds.

If you cannot play this clip from the DVD, instead say:

Just after her 13th birthday, Riley is attending an ice hockey training camp. Inside her mind, her old emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear and Anger – have been banished by a set of new ones who have arrived as she has become a teenager. These include Anxiety. With an important hockey match looming, Anxiety has decided to take control of Riley’s mind. Riley needs to score one more goal to make the team so Anxiety increases the pressure. Meanwhile, Joy has an idea about how to get back to Headquarters and return Riley’s sense of self. Using a pile of dynamite, she blows up the cliff holding back all Riley’s stored bad memories. This releases an avalanche of memories (glass balls) that she jumps on, surfing it back to the control centre. In the outside world, Riley is so determined to score the third goal that she fouls her friend, Grace, and ends up being sent to the penalty box. The phrase ‘I’m not good enough’ reverberates through her mind. Joy and the others arrive but realise that the bad memories have come with them. Anxiety is out of control and ends up creating a whirlwind that none of the other emotions can break. Joy fights through the whirlwind and stops Anxiety who is frozen with fear. She tells her that she doesn’t get to choose who Riley is. She pulls Anxiety away from the control centre and tries to reinstate the sense of self. Anxiety apologises for her behaviour and tells Joy that she is right – they don’t get to decide who Riley is. Joy then realises that by getting rid of all of Riley’s bad memories, she has also been trying to decide who Riley is. She breaks her control and Riley’s sense of self repeats a numbers of phrases – some good, some bad, but all true. Joy and the other emotions hug Riley’s sense of self and Riley is able to breathe slowly again.

TALK

Scripted Talk

Download the Inside Out 2 PowerPoint for use with this talk.

  • [PowerPoint slide 1]
    • Welcome to our assembly. I hope everyone is feeling calm and focused. Is anyone worried about anything today? If you are, then this assembly might help you feel less worried. Is anyone feeling joyful today? If you are, then this assembly will help you feel even more joyful!
  • [PowerPoint slide 2]
    • Worry is a horrible feeling. When we worry about something we might find it hard to concentrate on our school work. We might find it hard to enjoy playing with our friends. We might behave in strange ways. All because our brains are busy thinking about something else, and that makes us feel anxious or concerned.
    • I wonder if any of you have ever felt worried or anxious. I think probably all of us have.
  • [PowerPoint slide 3]
    • Sometimes, when we feel worried or anxious, someone might say to us ‘Don’t worry, be happy!’ That sounds like a good idea but it’s not easy just to make yourself feel happy, is it? To feel happy, we might need to do something we enjoy like playing sport or being creative or speaking to a friend or a family member. Happiness is a great feeling, but it’s not always easy to make ourselves feel happy just by trying.
  • [PowerPoint slide 4]
    • We’re going to watch part of the movie Inside Out 2. Lots of you will probably have seen this film, or the first film Inside Out, but in case you haven’t, let me tell you about it so you understand what you are watching.
  • [PowerPoint slide 5]
    • The main character of the film is called Riley. Riley is 13 and she has been selected to go on a training weekend for her favourite sport, ice hockey. Inside Riley’s head are lots of thoughts and emotions.
  • [PowerPoint slide 6]
    • Some of the emotions, like Joy, Sadness, Fear and Anger, have been with her for her whole life and others have arrived in her brain recently. One of the new emotions is called Anxiety. Anxiety is there to help Riley make safe decisions, but when Anxiety is in overall charge of Riley’s brain, Riley can feel very worried and even panicky. Anxiety has sent the other emotions away, and they are trying to make their way back to the headquarters of Riley’s brain in order to help her. The leader of the other emotions is Joy. Up until now, Joy always tried to keep Riley happy all the time. Let’s find out if Joy and the others can make it back to the headquarters of Riley’s brain in time to help her.
      • Play film clip from Inside Out 2 (Disney Pixar, 2024) certificate U
        • Start time: 01:08:55 (Riley skates across the ice with Anxiety in control)
        • End time: 01:17:42 (The three girls bring their fists together)
        • Clip length: 8 minutes, 47 seconds.

If you cannot play this clip from the DVD, instead say:

Just after her 13th birthday, Riley is attending an ice hockey training camp. Inside her mind, her old emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear and Anger – have been banished by a set of new ones who have arrived as she has become a teenager. These include Anxiety. With an important hockey match looming, Anxiety has decided to take control of Riley’s mind. Riley needs to score one more goal to make the team so Anxiety increases the pressure. Meanwhile, Joy has an idea about how to get back to Headquarters and return Riley’s sense of self. Using a pile of dynamite, she blows up the cliff holding back all Riley’s stored bad memories. This releases an avalanche of memories (glass balls) that she jumps on, surfing it back to the control centre. In the outside world, Riley is so determined to score the third goal that she fouls her friend, Grace, and ends up being sent to the penalty box. The phrase ‘I’m not good enough’ reverberates through her mind. Joy and the others arrive but realise that the bad memories have come with them. Anxiety is out of control and ends up creating a whirlwind that none of the other emotions can break. Joy fights through the whirlwind and stops Anxiety who is frozen with fear. She tells her that she doesn’t get to choose who Riley is. She pulls Anxiety away from the control centre and tries to reinstate the sense of self. Anxiety apologises for her behaviour and tells Joy that she is right – they don’t get to decide who Riley is. Joy then realises that by getting rid of all of Riley’s bad memories, she has also been trying to decide who Riley is. She breaks her control and Riley’s sense of self repeats a numbers of phrases – some good, some bad, but all true. Joy and the other emotions hug Riley’s sense of self and Riley is able to breathe slowly again.

  • [PowerPoint slide 7]
    • Poor Riley was very upset. Her heart was racing and her brain was whirling with worries and anxious thoughts. Inside her brain, Anxiety was spiralling around trying to make things right. Did you notice the thought that Riley kept thinking?
    • ‘I’m not good enough.’
    • The more Riley thought she wasn’t good enough, the more anxious she became and the more oddly she acted. She was playing selfishly, she ended up fouling Grace on the ice rink and she even had a panic attack when she was sitting in the penalty box. Anxiety couldn’t help Riley because Anxiety just made matters worse and worse.
    • Joy and the other emotions made their way back to headquarters and took back control from Anxiety. Joy was able to make Riley remember some of the good things that she enjoyed – playing ice hockey and being with her friends – and help her feel herself again.
  • [PowerPoint slide 8]
    • When we feel anxious or worried it can help us to find joy in our lives. For each of us in this room, joy will be different. Some of us find joy in playing sport. Some of us are happy when we’re being creative. Some of us enjoy being outdoors. Some of us find joy when we are with our friends, and some of us enjoy being on our own. The next time you feel worried or anxious, try and do something that you enjoy and remind yourself of who you are.
    • [If you used the opening activity, you can remind the children that it is another way to notice things that bring joy].
  • [PowerPoint slide 9]
    • I wonder if anyone spotted something about Joy in the movie clip. Do you think that Joy was always right in her choices?
    • Joy had made a big mistake. She thought that by getting rid of all of the bad memories in Riley’s brain she could make her happy all the time. Did you notice what happened when Anxiety apologised to her? Anxiety told Joy that she was right – they don’t get to decide who Riley is. When Anxiety said it, Joy realised that she couldn’t make Riley happy all the time. Riley was a good person, but she was also a person who made mistakes, who got things wrong and who could feel unhappy at times. Joy realised that she wasn’t in control of Riley, but that Riley needed all the emotions to help her understand who she was.
  • [PowerPoint slide 10]
    • People can’t be happy all the time. Sometimes we feel sad. Sometimes we feel angry. Sometimes we feel anxious.
    • In the Bible the word ‘joy’ is talked about a lot! Joy is described as something that isn’t just an emotion we feel, but also a gift from God that can make people stronger.
  • [PowerPoint slide 11]
    • There is a story in the Bible about a man called Nehemiah who loved God and loved telling people all about God. One day, after Nehemiah, and his friend Ezra, had spoken to the people about God, they felt very upset because they realised that they had made mistakes, and had been ignoring God. The people began to cry, but Nehemiah told them not to be sad but to celebrate by enjoying some lovely food and drinks. Nehemiah told the people:
  • [PowerPoint slide 12]
    • “This day is holy to our Lord. So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.”
    • The joy of the Lord makes you strong! In other words, Nehemiah is saying that remembering that God loves us, and that he will help us makes us feel joyful. And feeling joyful makes us stronger and able to face any problems we have.
  • [PowerPoint slide 13]
    • Let’s read about Nehemiah from the Bible together.
    • Nehemiah was the governor. Ezra was a priest and the teacher of the Law. They spoke up. So did the Levites who were teaching the people. All these men said to the people, “This day is set apart to honour the Lord your God. So don’t weep. Don’t be sad.”
    • All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
    • Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy some good food and sweet drinks. Send some of it to people who don’t have any. This day is holy to our Lord. So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.”
  • [PowerPoint slide 14]
    • The joy of the Lord makes you strong. Joy is an important emotion for all human beings. Christians believe that joy is like a fruit that grows in your life. The more you get to know God and understand how much he loves you, the more you’ll find that God’s joy is a strength to help when you feel anxious or worried.
  • [PowerPoint slide 15]
    • And joy is something we can share, so if you see someone else looking worried or anxious, maybe you can do something to make them feel more joyful and remind them that the joy of the Lord makes you strong!

Headings and bullets

Download the Inside Out 2 PowerPoint for use with this talk.

  • [PowerPoint slide 1]
    • Welcome.
    • Are you feeling calm and focused?
    • Is anyone worried about anything today?
    • Is anyone feeling joyful today?
  • [PowerPoint slide 2]
    • Worry is a horrible feeling.
    • Makes it hard to concentrate on our school work.
    • Makes it hard to enjoy playing with our friends.
    • Sometimes makes us behave in strange ways.
    • All because our brains are busy thinking about something else, and that makes us feel anxious or concerned.
  • [PowerPoint slide 3]
    • Don’t worry, be happy!
    • That sounds like a good idea but it’s not easy just to make yourself feel happy.
    • Might need to do something we enjoy like playing sport or being creative or speaking to a friend or a family member.
    • It’s not always easy to make ourselves feel happy just by trying.
  • [PowerPoint slide 4]
    • Introduce the clip.
    • Inside Out 2.
    • Let me tell you about the story so you understand what you are watching.
  • [PowerPoint slide 5]
    • Riley.
    • Riley is 13.
    • She has been selected to go on a training weekend for her favourite sport, ice hockey.
    • Inside Riley’s head are lots of thoughts and emotions.
  • [PowerPoint slide 6]
    • Riley’s emotions.
    • Joy, Sadness, Fear and Anger have been with her for her whole life.
    • Others have arrived in her brain recently.
    • One of the new emotions is called Anxiety.
    • Anxiety is there to help Riley make safe decisions.
    • When Anxiety is in overall charge of Riley’s brain, Riley can feel very worried and even panicky.
    • Anxiety has sent the other emotions away.
    • The leader of the other emotions is Joy.
    • Up until now, Joy always tried to keep Riley happy all the time.
    • Play film clip from Inside Out 2 (Disney Pixar, 2024) certificate U
      • Start time: 01:08:55 (Riley skates across the ice with Anxiety in control)
      • End time: 01:17:42 (The three girls bring their fists together)
      • Clip length: 8 minutes, 47 seconds.
  • [PowerPoint slide 7]
    • Riley was very upset.
    • Her heart was racing and her brain was whirling with worries and anxious thoughts.
    • Inside her brain, Anxiety was spiralling around trying to make things right.
    • The more Riley thought she wasn’t good enough, the more anxious she became and the more oddly she acted.
    • She was playing selfishly.
    • She ended up fouling Grace on the ice rink.
    • She even had a panic attack when she was sitting in the penalty box.
    • Anxiety couldn’t help Riley because Anxiety just made matters worse and worse.
    • Joy and the other emotions took back control from Anxiety.
    • Joy was able to make Riley remember some of the good things that she enjoyed and help her feel herself again.
  • [PowerPoint slide 8]
    • Some of us find joy…
    • Playing sport.
    • Being creative.
    • Being outdoors.
    • Some of us find joy when we are with our friends.
    • Some of us enjoy being on our own.
    • The next time you feel worried or anxious, try and do something that you enjoy and remind yourself of who you are.
  • [PowerPoint slide 9]
    • Do you think that Joy was always right in her choices?
    • Joy had made a big mistake.
    • She thought that by getting rid of all of the bad memories in Riley’s brain she could make her happy all the time.
    • Anxiety told Joy that she was right – they don’t get to decide who Riley is.
    • When Anxiety said it, Joy realised that she couldn’t make Riley happy all the time.
    • Riley was a good person, a person who made mistakes, who got things wrong and who could feel unhappy at times.
    • Joy realised that she wasn’t in control of Riley, but that Riley needed all the emotions to help her understand who she was.
  • [PowerPoint slide 10]
    • People can’t be happy all the time.
    • Sometimes we feel sad.
    • Sometimes we feel angry.
    • Sometimes we feel anxious.
    • In the Bible the word ‘joy’ is talked about a lot!
    • Joy is described as something that isn’t just an emotion we feel, but also a gift from God that can make people stronger.
  • [PowerPoint slide 11]
    • Nehemiah.
    • Loved God.
    • Loved telling people all about God.
    • One day, after Nehemiah, and his friend Ezra, had spoken to the people about God, they felt very upset because they realised that they had made mistakes, and had been ignoring God.
    • The people began to cry.
    • Nehemiah told them not to be sad but to celebrate by enjoying some lovely food and drinks.
    • Nehemiah told the people:
  • [PowerPoint slide 12]
    • “This day is holy to our Lord. So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.”
    • The joy of the Lord makes you strong!
    • Remembering that God loves us, and that he will help us makes us feel joyful.
    • And feeling joyful makes us stronger and able to face any problems we have.
  • [PowerPoint slide 13]
    • Read Nehemiah 8:9-10.
  • [PowerPoint slide 14]
    • The joy of the Lord makes you strong.
    • Joy is an important emotion for all human beings.
    • Christians believe that joy is like a fruit that grows in your life.
    • The more you get to know God and understand how much he loves you, the more you’ll find that God’s joy is a strength to help when you feel anxious or worried.
  • [PowerPoint slide 15]
    • Share the joy!
    • If you see someone else looking worried or anxious, make them feel more joyful and remind them that the joy of the Lord makes you strong!

Photo copyright for Inside Out 2 PowerPoint: Slide 1 Pixabay.com / Slide 2 Pixabay.com / Slide 3 Pixabay.com / Slide 4  Disney/Pixar / Slide 5 Disney/Pixar / Slide 6 Disney/Pixar / Slide 7 Disney/Pixar / Slide 8 football Pixabay.com creative Pixabay.com outdoors Pixabay.com friends Pixabay.com alone Pixabay.com  / Slide 9 Disney/Pixar / Slide 10 anger Pixabay.com sad Pixabay.com worry Pixabay.com  / Slide 11 Boettcher+Trinklein Television Inc. © image 8 / Slide 12 Boettcher+Trinklein Television Inc. ©  image 15 / Slide 13 Pixabay.com / Slide 14 Pixabay.com / Slide 15 Pixabay.com / Slide 16 Pixabay.com

RESPOND

Reflection

  • [PowerPoint slide 16]
    • The Joy of the Lord Makes You Strong
    • [Show the slide of the verse]
    • Practise saying the verse and adding some actions:
    • The joy (Everyone cheers)
    • Of the Lord (Point upwards)
    • Makes you (Use both hands to ‘make’ something)
    • Strong! (Flex your muscles)
    • Try saying the verse using only the actions (no words) and then take the slide away to see if everyone can remember it.

Prayer

Father God
Thank you for our feelings.
When we feel worried or anxious, help us to remember the good things we enjoy about life.
Give us your joy to make us strong, and help us to be joyful with one another.
Amen

YOU WILL NEED:

Comments are closed.