Play! Listen! Talk!

What do preschoolers, paint and puppets have in common? They are all elements of a fun first day of Sunday School! One by one, preschoolers came to the door on their first day of Sunday School, peeked in and then found a place with a play activity. Do you have kids in your class who are reluctant to leave mom or dad? I’m always amazed at the way simple play materials like toy dishes and toy animals can quickly engage a child who had just been clinging to his or her parent.

Watching the kids play, I thought of people who might be a little anxious about their ability to teach kids, or who aren’t sure what to do because they’ve never taught kids before. If you are wondering if Sunday School teaching is for you, here’s the question to answer: Do you like to play and talk? If you do, then you have all the requirements needed to be a Sunday School teacher. You don’t have to be able to memorize a story to tell, or sing a song in tune, or quote a Bible passage. Here’s how it worked for us: Today while we were building with colorful blocks, we listed things God made of the same colors as the blocks. As we played with the toy dishes, we talked about things God made to grow so we can have food to eat. (We were even brave enough to use nature items as paintbrushes!)

So get ready to play, listen and talk with kids and you can have a fun first day of Sunday School, too! (And it doesn't hurt to have Daffodil the Duck Puppet or Buddy the Dog Puppet on hand to help you make friends!)