Exploring the value of peacefulness through the traditional story of The Three Wishes.
The video
BEN: Hiya, I'm Ben, and this is the magical story of The Three Wishes.
There was once a man who lived a simple, peaceful life.
Ah… Ah…
But, although he liked the peace and quiet, he began to tire of it and longed for something exciting to happen.
But would you believe it, one day, he was visited by a magical, all-powerful spirit who granted him three wishes.
SPIRIT: Special delivery!
MAN: Wow, three wishes for me?
BEN: Now the man could make his life much more exciting.
MAN: Now, for my first wish, I'm going to ask to be rich.
BEN: Suddenly, the man had enough money to buy himself anything, like a big house. Wow! With servants to do his work.
And musicians to entertain him.
He was so happy, and wanted to share all his new wishes. So, he invited lots of people over for parties!
The man's life became busier and a lot noisier.
He wasn't left alone for a moment.
Oi!
The man knew he was rich, but his busy, noisy new life had made him unhappy and grumpy.
BEN: The man decided enough was enough. He missed the peace and quiet of his old life and longed for that again. So, he knew what his second wish would be. He asked the magic spirit for his old, peaceful life back.
Like magic, the man's life returned to just how it was. But, he still had one more wish left. What would he wish for? For his third wish, he asked for his life to remain peaceful forever.
And it was.
Anyone fancy an apple? Thanks for helping me tell today's treasure story. It comes from an old folk tale. See you again soon.
ALL: Bye!
This story is a traditional tale that appears in a number of cultures in slightly different guises and as an element within different stories. The most familiar to many children might be the story of Aladdin where the genie gives the bearer of a lamp three wishes to use.
The fable helps us to reflect deeply on where we find happiness and peacefulness. In this retelling, the protagonist ends up in the same situation at the end of the wishes as at the beginning albeit with the promise that his peacefulness will last forever. The peacefulness in this story isn’t only ‘peace and quiet’, but a contentedness of knowing that the person is in the best place for them.
Duration: 3' 23"
Final words: 'See you again soon!' / 'Bye!'
Video questions
- At the beginning of the story, what was the man’s life like? (Simple and peaceful)
- How many wishes was the man granted? (Three)
- What did he choose for the first wish? (To be rich)
- What did he choose for his second wish (To have his old life back again)
- What did he choose for his final wish? (For his life to remain peaceful forever)
Teacher Notes
This video could be used to identify common features of religions and beliefs. To compare religions and worldviews explore different symbols for peace, and invite children to design a peace picture of their own - eg using the word peace, symbols and some of their own ideas. You might introduce the idea of customs or traditions linked to world faiths that help people feel peaceful - eg meditation as practised in Buddhism and also prayer, which could relate to different religions. You could also introduce mindfulness more generally.
You could invite children to prepare questions and interview a local person who can talk about how they have found peacefulness - this could be someone from a faith tradition or a non-faith worldview.
Think about the different things that combine to make 'peacefulness'. You could use a popular guide for this, such as Action for Happiness: 10 Keys for Happier Living. Create a 'recipe' based on all the ingredients that the children think would create peacefulness in our lives. This could be a class recipe or the children could complete their own recipe including, for example, people they are thankful for, their favourite ways of getting exercise and the things they enjoy learning.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 Religious Education in England and Northern Ireland, the Curriculum for Wales (particularly RVE as part of Humanities), and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
Further resources
