The Berenstain Bears and the Truth

Name: The Berenstain Bears and the Truth
Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain

A story that explores integrity and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families

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♥ This book teaches: Integrity. doing what is right when no one is watching.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition: Integrity means being honest, and responsible and respectful all the time, whether or not people can see what you’re doing. In short: Do the right thing, even when no one's looking. Summary: Brother and Sister Bear make a bad decision to play soccer inside the house, which is against the house rules. Their mistake has consequences when they break Mama Bear’s best lamp. The children try to hide their blunder but it doesn’t work. When the soccer ball is discovered, Mama Bear shares that her greatest concern is not the broken lamp, but the breach of trust. As the Bear siblings apologize and confess that they both broke the lamp, Mother Bear is comforted. She tells them that they have learned an important lesson about telling the truth: “Trust is one thing you can’t put back together again once it’s broken.” Lesson Objectives:

Students will be more inclined to tell the truth because they understand that when you tell the truth, even though it’s hard, it helps people to trust you, and that feels good.

Guiding Questions:

What happened when Brother Bear and Sister Bear argued about who was a better dribbler?
Whose fault do you think it was when the ball broke the vase?
What are some of the rules in your house?
Why do you think it’s important to have house rules?
What was the lie that the cubs told and why was it hard to believe?
Why did Mama Bear say she wasn’t worried about the lamp? What was she really worried about?
It’s hard to tell the truth, but it’s also hard to lie. Which do you think is harder and why?
Does it feel good when someone says they trust you?
When you’ve done something you shouldn’t have, do you feel guilty?
What could you do when you feel guilty about something you did, and you want to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling?

🌿 Virtue Connection: Integrity means doing what is right even when no one is watching.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.

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Integrity · Family Discussion Guide

The Berenstain Bears and the Truth

by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Guiding Questions

Students will be more inclined to tell the truth because they understand that when you tell the truth, even though it’s hard, it helps people to trust you, and that feels good.

Guiding Questions:

What happened when Brother Bear and Sister Bear argued about who was a better dribbler?
Whose fault do you think it was when the ball broke the vase?
What are some of the rules in your house?
Why do you think it’s important to have house rules?
What was the lie that the cubs told and why was it hard to believe?
Why did Mama Bear say she wasn’t worried about the lamp? What was she really worried about?
It’s hard to tell the truth, but it’s also hard to lie. Which do you think is harder and why?
Does it feel good when someone says they trust you?
When you’ve done something you shouldn’t have, do you feel guilty?
What could you do when you feel guilty about something you did, and you want to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling?

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The Berenstain Bears and the Truth

Guiding Questions for Parents.

About the Story.

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The Berenstain Bears and the Truth

Guiding Questions