New
New
Year 1

Symbols of belonging

I can explain how a symbol can represent belonging.

New
New
Year 1

Symbols of belonging

I can explain how a symbol can represent belonging.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Some people may use symbols or objects to show they belong to a religion or have a particular worldview.
  2. Some Christians may wear a cross.
  3. Some Christians may have a Bible in their house.
  4. Some Jews have a mezuzah on their door post.
  5. Some Humanists wear a happy human badge.

Keywords

  • Symbol - a picture, sign, or object that helps us to understand what someone believes or where they belong

  • Belong - to be accepted, respected, and valued within a group

  • Mezuzah - a tiny scroll with special words from the Torah, contained in a small case on the door of a Jewish home

Common misconception

All symbols are religious.

Some symbols represent a faith or belief, though not all members will choose these. There are many other symbols which are not religious and represent other groups or information.


To help you plan your year 1 religious education lesson on: Symbols of belonging, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use real-life or familiar examples and objects (such as school uniforms, football team badges, or religious artefacts) to help children understand what a symbol is. Adapt to your local context.
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.
Match the word to the correct meaning:

Correct Answer:Belonging,feeling of being accepted, respected, valued within a group.

feeling of being accepted, respected, valued within a group.

Correct Answer:Family,a group of people who love and care for each other.

a group of people who love and care for each other.

Correct Answer:Community,group of people who share something in common.

group of people who share something in common.

Correct Answer:Belong,being part or a member of a group.

being part or a member of a group.

Q2.
What is one way people can show they belong?

by ignoring others
Correct answer: by going to a special place
by always being alone

Q3.
Why might someone wear special clothes or a uniform?

to look taller
so they don't have to clean it
Correct answer: to show they belong to a group or school

Q4.
You can only belong to one group at a time.

True – you must pick only one group.
False – you can’t really belong to any group.
Correct answer: False – people can belong in many ways.

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What is a symbol?

A rule people must follow.
Correct answer: A picture or object that shows what someone believes.
A person who runs a church.

Q2.
What is the happy human badge for?

Correct answer: To show someone is a Humanist.
To show they like all religions.
To show they are a Christian.

Q3.
Symbols can only be religious.

True – all symbols show religion.
Correct answer: False – symbols can mean lots of things.
False – symbols only show where someone is from.

Q4.
Some Christians may wear a to show they are Christian.

Correct Answer: cross, Cross

Additional material

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