If you’re looking for a cool project for your lesson plans, add a Wonder precepts from the Wonder novel (and movie) by RJ Palacio. The book and movie Wonder both introduced precepts. Here is How To Create Your Own Wonder Precepts Project with kids for kindness respect and more!

If you’ve read the book or Wonder movie, you may remember that there’s something called the Wonder precepts.

Precepts are general rules or guiding principles that direct how you should act or behave.

What is an example of a precept?

An example of a precept is “Expect the best, but prepare for the worst.” or “or the Golden Rule of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” or “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

 
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Wonder Book Summary

If you’re not familiar with the Wonder book (or movie), here’s a quick summary to get you up to speed (from the book):

I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face.

Wonder the Movie Precepts [VIDEO]

What are the precepts from Wonder?

Mr. Browne is a teacher from the Wonder book and he plays an the role as a moral compass for the students during the book.

Precepts are an important part of Mr. Browne’s class and he introduces a precept on the first day of school:

When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.

—Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Each month, he gives the students a new precept and then they have to write about it.

Mr Browne said, “Like a motto! Like a famous quote. Like a line from a fortune cookie. Any saying or ground rule that can motivate you. Basically, a precept is anything that helps guide us when making decisions about really important things.”

He even encourages students to write their own precepts—either creating their own or using a quote from someone else—and send him postcards during the summer with their precept written on it.

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What Are the Wonder Precepts?

Wonder Precepts List (By Month):

SEPTEMBER: When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. —Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
OCTOBER: Your deeds are your monuments. —inscription on an Egyptian tomb
NOVEMBER: Have no friends not equal to yourself. —Confucius
DECEMBER: Fortune favors the bold. —Virgil
JANUARY: No man is an island, entire of itself. —John Donne
FEBRUARY: It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers. —James Thurber
MARCH: Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much. —Blaise Pascal
APRIL: What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful. —Sappho
MAY: Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as you ever can. —John Wesley’s Rule
JUNE: Just follow the day and reach for the sun! —The Polyphonic Spree, “Light and Day”

Wonder Precepts Activity: How To Create Your Own Wonder Precepts Project

Including Wonder precepts into your learning is a great project to do with your kids!

(I mean, how great is it to focus on being kind, helping others, and respectful?)

And, this project is easy enough to adjust for different ages of learning.

For example, if your child is too young to write a precept (or do the research for a precept), you can help them research or come up with a precept and then they can draw the precept with some discussion and input from you!

There’s a fabulous Wonder children’s picture book that is great for younger kids that will also help with this project!

To create your own precepts project:

Read the Wonder book(s) and/or watch the movie.
Define what precept means.
Talk about precepts and what you learned about them from the book or movie.
Decide how often you are going to focus on a new precept. (The book does monthly, but you can also choose to do a new one every week, every month, or just when you are ready for a new one after you’ve completed the current precept project!)
Research quotes about helping others, being kind, and being respectful online. OR, you can come up with your own precept. (I recommend doing quotes from your research a few times to get into the swing of it and then introducing one or two times where you come up with your own later.) REMEMBER: Precepts are “rules” or goals on how people should behave, so be sure to focus on quotes that fall under that category.
Write about (or draw about) the precept.
Decide on a project (or projects) to go with the precept. For example, if you are doing the “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.” quote by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, you might pair up a theme of kindness rocks project with that precept.