Freakier Friday

December 9, 2025 by Ethos Team

Assembly Objective:

What can younger people do when they feel powerless to make changes? As teenagers, we don’t always make wise decisions. Sometimes, though, we know the right and just actions to take, but don’t have the power to enact change. This assembly invites students to consider how God views them, and to reflect on how they can lead well through their actions and behaviours. Through a letter written to a young Christian leader, students will be challenged that youth is not a barrier to effecting change.

Film:

Freakier Friday (Disney, 2025, PG). Click here to buy the DVD online.

Bible:

1 Timothy 4:11-16 (NIRV)

Supporting Values Education:

This assembly supports the development of the Fundamental British Values, helping students understand how their personal choices and behaviours can positively influence their communities.

Democracy

The assembly highlights that young people have a voice and can contribute to change, even if they don’t hold formal power. By encouraging students to speak up, act fairly, and participate responsibly in school life, it reinforces the democratic principle that everyone’s voice matters – no matter their age.

The Rule of Law

Through the example of Timothy and Paul’s guidance, students reflect on how wise decisions and consistent behaviour build trust and respect. By emphasising responsible conduct, integrity, and making just choices, the assembly encourages students to uphold school rules and understand the importance of laws in maintaining a safe and fair society.

Individual Liberty

The assembly supports individual liberty by affirming that students have the freedom to make positive choices, to act with courage, and to express their values. By recognising that they can lead through character and example, students are encouraged to use their freedom responsibly to influence their environment for good.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance

By challenging students to treat others with kindness, fairness, and love, the assembly promotes mutual respect. The message that everyone – regardless of age or background – can make a difference encourages a culture of inclusion and appreciation of others. Students are reminded that leadership is shown through how we speak, behave, and respond to those around us.

OPENING ACTIVITY

The End

[PowerPoint slide 1]
- Introduce the poem by A.A. Milne, explaining that he was best known for writing the Winnie-the Pooh books, but was also a poet. Display the slide showing the poem, The End, and read it aloud to the group:
  - The End by A. A. Milne.
  - When I was One, I had just begun.
  - When I was Two, I was nearly new.
  - When I was Three, I was hardly me.
  - When I was Four, I was not much more.
  - When I was Five, I was just alive.
  - But now I am six, I’m as clever as clever.
  - So I think I’ll be six now Forever and ever.
- Ask the group to try and remember being six, and invite them to suggest what was good about being that age.
- Examples might include:
- Not having to worry about what to choose for lunch.
- Not worrying about how they looked.
- Having more time to play with friends.
- School being easier.
- Now invite them to think about what is better about life at their current age. Examples might include:
- Getting to choose your own lunch.
- Having more freedom.
- Being able to read and watch what you want (within reason!).
- Wearing more individualised clothing.
- You might want to include a personal story about something that happened to you aged six that illustrates the positives and negatives.
- Take a vote on whether the group prefers being the age they are now, or would like to have remained six forever.
- Make the point that although the poet thinks he’s ‘as clever as clever’, growing up is inevitable and, of course, as we grow up we learn more, and hopefully become wiser.

FILM CLIP

Play the clip from Freakier Friday (Disney, 2025, PG)
- Start time: 00:27:38
- End time: 00:33:30 ‘We need a plan.’
- Clip length: 5 mins 52 seconds
Harper Coleman (Julia Butters)’s mum Anna (Lindsay Lohan) is about to get married to Eric Reyes (Manny Jacinto). Eric’s daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons), is in the same year as Harper and the pair hate each other. After the marriage the blended family is set to move from California to London, which Harper is dreading, as it means leaving behind her beloved surfing. Harper’s grandmother, Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), is trying to help smooth things over, but she is also upset at the idea of Harper and Anna moving away. Harper, Lily, Anna and Tess have been out for Anna’s bachelorette (hen) party, and encountered a strange woman who mumbled a strange curse over them. The morning after the party when they wake up, they discover that Anna and Harper have swapped bodies, as have Lily and Tess. The girls are horrified to be in old bodies, while Anna and Tess realise that this has happened before. They tell the other two that they switched back when they saw things from each other’s perspective. They all make various attempts to switch back, including telling one another that they can see each other, and running into each other. Nothing works, and everyone starts to panic. Eventually, the younger girls (in the older women’s bodies) realise that as teenagers they have no power to decide whether they stay in LA or move to London, but as adults they have power. They decide that they need a plan to stop their parents getting married.

TALK

Download the Freakier Friday PowerPoint for use with this talk.

Scripted Talk

[PowerPoint slide 2]
- Today’s assembly is about age and wisdom.
[PowerPoint slide 3]
- How many people here think they are wise? Perhaps that’s too hard to answer!
[PowerPoint slide 4]
- How many people think they have some wisdom? Maybe one or two of us give good advice or help others make smart decisions.
[PowerPoint slide 5]
- Being wise isn’t about being clever or knowledgeable. Wisdom comes with experience and it involves being able to think deeply in order to know the right action to take. Wisdom is often about using insight and experience to give good advice.
[PowerPoint slide 6]
- For example, imagine that a bridge is being built to cross a river. To build the bridge well and safely, you would need clever people with knowledge about engineering, architecture and construction. To build the bridge in the correct place, though, you might need to listen to wise people who had lived in the community for a long time. They would know where the river tends to flood, where the best crossing points are and what sort of bridge the community would be likely to use. To build the best bridge in the right place, you would need knowledge and wisdom.
[PowerPoint slide 7]
- Often we think that wisdom comes with age. Often old people are really wise. How many of us go and ask our grandparents or older relatives for advice when we have a problem? Lots of us!
[PowerPoint slide 8]
- Younger people can be wise, too. They often think about problems in fresh ways and have creative ideas about how to solve problems. They may not have years of experience, but they can have creativity and a good sense of what’s right and wrong.
[PowerPoint slide 9]
- We’re going to watch a clip from the film Freakier Friday. We will meet four characters – Harper, Lily, Anna and Tess. Harper and Lily are teenagers. They are in the same year at school but hate each other. Anna is Harper’s mum and she is engaged to Lily’s dad. As you can imagine, the girls are furious about this, especially because Harper doesn’t want to move away from California to London after the wedding, and Lily doesn’t want to stay in California. Harper’s grandmother, Tess, doesn’t want them to leave either. At Anna’s hen night (bachelorette party) all four meet a strange woman who mumbled a curse over them. We’re about to find out what happens the following morning when they wake up and discover that they have all swapped bodies.
- Play the clip from Freakier Friday (Disney, 2025, PG)
  - Start time: 00:27:38
  - End time: 00:33:30 ‘We need a plan.’
  - Clip length: 5 mins 52 seconds
- Harper Coleman (Julia Butters)’s mum Anna (Lindsay Lohan) is about to get married to Eric Reyes (Manny Jacinto). Eric’s daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons), is in the same year as Harper and the pair hate each other. After the marriage the blended family is set to move from California to London, which Harper is dreading, as it means leaving behind her beloved surfing. Harper’s grandmother, Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), is trying to help smooth things over, but she is also upset at the idea of Harper and Anna moving away. Harper, Lily, Anna and Tess have been out for Anna’s bachelorette (hen) party, and encountered a strange woman who mumbled a strange curse over them. The morning after the party when they wake up, they discover that Anna and Harper have swapped bodies, as have Lily and Tess. The girls are horrified to be in old bodies, while Anna and Tess realise that this has happened before. They tell the other two that they switched back when they saw things from each other’s perspective. They all make various attempts to switch back, including telling one another that they can see each other, and running into each other. Nothing works, and everyone starts to panic. Eventually, the younger girls (in the older women’s bodies) realise that as teenagers they have no power to decide whether they stay in LA or move to London, but as adults they have power. They decide that they need a plan to stop their parents getting married.
[PowerPoint slide 10]
- That all got confusing quite quickly. In case it took you a moment to work it out, Lily (an English teenager) found herself in the body of Tess (Harper’s grandmother) and Harper (an American teenager) found herself in the body of Anna (her mum). The rest of the movie is about how they figure out how to get back to their own bodies. It’s also about what they learn through the experience.
[PowerPoint slide 11]
- I wonder if you noticed what happened at the very end of the clip we watched. Harper and Lily (in the bodies of Anna and Tess) realised that as adults, people were more likely to listen to what they had to say. They held more power.
[PowerPoint slide 12]
- Do you think that’s true? Do older people hold more power? Can anyone think of any examples of that?
- Take suggestions – parents putting restrictions on teenagers, adults having the vote, adults as the decision-makers.
[PowerPoint slide 13]
- What would happen if younger people had all the power?
- Take suggestions – they might have fresh ideas, they might take more risks, they might not see the full picture because they lack the experience.
[PowerPoint slide 14]
- It probably won’t surprise you to learn that young people and old people both have a part to play in society. Problems arise when one group doesn’t treat the other with respect or seriousness.
- In the Bible there is a man called Paul who is a follower of Jesus. He has a friend called Timothy who is younger, and can be timid at times. Paul knows, though, that Timothy is a good leader even though he might doubt himself sometimes, and he writes a letter to him to encourage him. We’re going to read a few verses from the letter. Let’s see what Paul says to Timothy about being a wise leader:
[PowerPoint slide 15]
- Read the Bible passage.
- 1 Timothy 4:11-16 (NIRV)
- Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live. Also set an example in how you love and in what you believe. Show the believers how to be pure. Until I come, spend your time reading Scripture out loud to one another. Spend your time preaching and teaching. Don’t fail to use the gift the Holy Spirit gave you. He gave it to you through a prophecy from God. It was given when the elders placed their hands on you. Keep on doing these things. Give them your complete attention. Then everyone will see how you are coming along. Be careful of how you live and what you believe. Never give up. Then you will save yourself and those who hear you.
[PowerPoint slide 16]
- Paul gives Timothy some wise advice: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.
- Set a good example to others.
- Live what you preach.
- Get to know God.
- Remember that God has given you gifts and abilities.
- Don’t give up!
- There’s good advice there for all of us, whether we’re old or young, but especially if we’re young.
[PowerPoint slide 17]
- Has anyone ever looked down on you because you’re young? Maybe you’ve had good ideas and nobody has listened to them. Maybe people have assumed that you behave a certain way because you are a teenager.
- The advice is not to let that happen. That doesn’t mean being aggressive or spiteful about that. If it happens, move on, but don’t give up.
[PowerPoint slide 18]
- Are you someone who sets a good example to others? People will take you seriously if your actions match your words. So, for example, if you are someone who is passionate about climate justice, people won’t take you seriously if they see you littering or using products that don’t align with your values.
- The advice is to set a good example.
[PowerPoint slide 19]
- Do you know what you believe? Timothy was a Christian, so he followed Jesus. He knew that God was with him and would help him, but the way he knew that was by spending time with God.
- The advice is to find out what you believe and keep working out what that means.
[PowerPoint slide 20]
- Do you know what gifts and talents you have? If you don’t, then ask other people what they think you are good at. Maybe you are a good problem solver, or you give great advice. Maybe you’re just a really good friend to people who are left out or maybe you feel strongly about a particular issue and you’re great at campaigning about it.
- The advice is to know what you’re good at and keep on doing it.
[PowerPoint slide 21]
- And finally, are you tempted to give up? Maybe it’s hard to be wise and to set a good example. It’s tempting to think that you’re just not bothered.
- The advice is to keep going! Wisdom isn’t just for older people, and the more you try to live wisely, the more wise you’ll become.
- And one day, you’ll not be a teenager anymore, so get as much wisdom as you can so you can be a wiser old person too!
[PowerPoint slide 22]
- Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.

Headings and Bullets

[PowerPoint slide 1]
- Introduce the poem by A.A. Milne.
[PowerPoint slide 2]
- Today’s assembly is about age and wisdom.
[PowerPoint slide 3]
- How many people here think they are wise?
[PowerPoint slide 4]
- How many people think they have some wisdom?
[PowerPoint slide 5]
- Being wise isn’t about being clever or knowledgeable.
- Wisdom comes with experience and it involves being able to think deeply in order to know the right action to take.
- Wisdom is often about using insight and experience to give good advice.
[PowerPoint slide 6]
- Bridge example:
- To build the bridge well and safely, you would need clever people with knowledge about engineering, architecture and construction.
- To build the bridge in the correct place, though, you might need to listen to wise people who had lived in the community for a long time.
- They would know where the river tends to flood, where the best crossing points are and what sort of bridge the community would be likely to use.
- To build the best bridge in the right place, you would need knowledge and wisdom.
[PowerPoint slide 7]
- Often we think that wisdom comes with age.
- Often old people are really wise.
- How many of us go and ask our grandparents or older relatives for advice when we have a problem.
[PowerPoint slide 8]
- Younger people can be wise, too.
- They often think about problems in fresh ways and have creative ideas about how to solve problems.
- They may not have years of experience, but they can have creativity and a good sense of what’s right and wrong.
[PowerPoint slide 9]
- Introduce the film Freakier Friday.
- Four characters – Harper, Lily, Anna and Tess.
- Harper and Lily are teenagers in the same year at school but hate each other.
- Anna is Harper’s mum and she is engaged to Lily’s dad.
- Harper doesn’t want to move away from California to London after the wedding.
- Lily doesn’t want to stay in California.
- Harper’s grandmother, Tess, doesn’t want them to leave either.
- At Anna’s hen night (bachelorette party) all four meet a strange woman who mumbled a curse over them.
- The following morning they wake up and discover that they have all swapped bodies.
- Play the clip from Freakier Friday (Disney, 2025, PG).
[PowerPoint slide 10]
- Confusing!
- Lily (an English teenager) found herself in the body of Tess (an old lady).
- Harper (an American teenager) found herself in the body of Anna (her mum).
- The rest of the movie is about how they figure out how to get back to their own bodies.
- It’s also about what they learn through the experience.
[PowerPoint slide 11]
- Did you notice the very end of the clip?
- Harper and Lily (in the bodies of Anna and Tess) realised that as adults, people were more likely to listen to what they had to say.
- They held more power.
[PowerPoint slide 12]
- Do older people hold more power?
- Take suggestions – parents putting restrictions on teenagers, adults having the vote, adults as the decision-makers.
[PowerPoint slide 13]
- What would happen if younger people had all the power?
- Take suggestions – they might have fresh ideas, they might take more risks, they might not see the full picture because they lack the experience.
[PowerPoint slide 14]
- Young people and old people both have a part to play in society.
- Problems arise when one group doesn’t treat the other with respect or seriousness.
- Introduce the Bible passage.
- A man called Paul who is a follower of Jesus.
- He has a friend called Timothy who is younger, and can be timid at times.
- Paul knows, though, that Timothy is a good leader even though he might doubt himself sometimes.
- Paul writes a letter to Timothy to encourage him.
[PowerPoint slide 15]
- Read the Bible passage.
- 1 Timothy 4:11-16.
[PowerPoint slide 16]
- Paul gives Timothy some wise advice.
- Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.
- Set a good example to others.
- Get to know God.
- Remember that God has given you gifts and abilities.
- Don’t give up!
[PowerPoint slide 17]
- Has anyone ever looked down on you because you’re young?
- Maybe you’ve had good ideas and nobody has listened to them.
- Maybe people have assumed that you behave a certain way because you are a teenager.
- The advice is not to let that happen.
- That doesn’t mean being aggressive or spiteful about that.
- If it happens, move on, but don’t give up.
[PowerPoint slide 18]
- Are you someone who sets a good example to others?
- People will take you seriously if your actions match your words.
- So, for example, if you are someone who is passionate about climate justice, people won’t take you seriously if they see you littering or using products that don’t align with your values.
- The advice is to set a good example.
[PowerPoint slide 19]
- Do you know what you believe?
- Timothy was a Christian, so he followed Jesus.
- He knew that God was with him and would help him, but the way he knew that was by spending time with God.
- The advice is to find out what you believe and keep working out what that means.
[PowerPoint slide 20]
- Do you know what gifts and talents you have?
- If you don’t, then ask other people what they think you are good at.
- Maybe you are a good problem solver, or you give great advice.
- Maybe you’re just a really good friend to people who are left out or maybe you feel strongly about a particular issue and you’re great at campaigning about it.
- The advice is to know what you’re good at and keep on doing it.
[PowerPoint slide 21]
- And finally, are you tempted to give up?
- Maybe it’s hard to be wise and to set a good example.
- It’s tempting to think that you’re just not bothered.
- The advice is to keep going!
- Wisdom isn’t just for older people, and the more you try to live wisely, the more wise you’ll become.
- One day, you’ll not be a teenager any more, so get as much wisdom as you can so you can be a wise old person too!
[PowerPoint slide 22]
- Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.

Photo copyright for Freakier Friday PowerPoint: Slide 1 National Portrait Gallery Shop / Slide 2 Freeimages.com / Slide 3 Freeimages.com / Slide 4 Freeimages.com / Slide 5 Freeimages.com / Slide 6 Freeimages.com / Slide 7 Pixabay.com / Slide 8 Pixabay.com / Slide 9 Disney / Slide 10 Disney / Slide 11 Photo by Glen Wilson/Glen Wilson – © 2024 Disney Enterprises / Slide 12 Pixabay.com / Slide 13 Disney / Slide 14 Photo by Glen Wilson/Glen Wilson – © 2025 Disney Enterprises / Slide 15 Pixabay.com / Slide 16 Pixabay.com / Slide 17 Pixabay.com / Slide 18 Pixabay.com / Slide 19 Pixabay.com / Slide 20 Pixabay.com / Slide 21 Pixabay.com / Slide 22 Pixabay.com / Slide 23 Pixabay.com

RESPOND

Prayer

[PowerPoint slide 23]
- Father God, thank you for the older people in our lives who bring wisdom and experience. Thank you for younger people who are creative and want to do the right thing. Help us to grow wiser as we get older. Amen.

Reflection

Invite students to close their eyes and picture an older person in their family or community. In a moment of quiet, invite them to think about what they are thankful for about that person. Challenge them to find a way to thank the older person in person or by writing a card for them.

YOU WILL NEED:

A copy of Freakier Friday (Disney, 2025, PG). Click here to buy the DVD online.
Freakier Friday PowerPoint.

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