New
New
Year 2

Dharma: Ganesha's race around the world

I can explain why Hindus act with compassion towards all living things.

New
New
Year 2

Dharma: Ganesha's race around the world

I can explain why Hindus act with compassion towards all living things.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Hindu stories can help them understand how to make good choices.
  2. The story of Ganesha shows Ganesha using his intelligence to win the race against his brother.
  3. For many Hindus, following dharma is about making good choices based on compassion.

Keywords

  • Dharma - acting with love and kindness to all living things

  • Wisdom - knowing what is right and making good choices

  • Compassion - caring about others and wanting to help them

Common misconception

Dharma is about following a fixed set of rules.

Dharma is about doing what is right and so rules may need to be applied flexibly.


To help you plan your year 2 religious education lesson on: Dharma: Ganesha's race around the world, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You could role play the story 'The Ganesha's Wisdom: The Race Around the World' and discuss how Ganesha made a good choice. Invite Hindu guest speakers to share what dharma means to them and what helps them to make good choices.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Who gave the Ten Commandments to help people live well?

David
Jesus
Correct answer: God

Q2.
The Ten Commandments help people make choices.

Correct Answer: good, Good

Q3.
Where do Jewish people keep the Torah scrolls that include the commandments?

in the kitchen
Correct answer: in the Ark in the synagogue
under their beds

Q4.
The commandments teach people to others and live in peace.

Correct Answer: respect, Respect

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What did Ganesha do in the race to show he was wise?

flew around the world
Correct answer: walked around his parents
took a long nap

Q2.
means thinking carefully and making good choices.

Correct Answer: Wisdom, wisdom

Q3.
What does the word dharma mean?

being the fastest
following every rule without thinking
Correct answer: doing what is right and loving

Q4.
Hindus believe that compassion means for all living things.

Correct Answer: caring, Caring

Additional material

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