Play! Listen! Talk!

I have to admit I’m not a fan of Precious Moments figurines. But today in Sunday School was a Precious Moment I’ll never forget. By now if the kids in your class are like the ones in mine, they have heard several retellings of the Christmas story, they’ve sung in Christmas programs, made Christmas ornaments, wrapped presents, and even opened a few early Christmas presents. So today I wondered if they would be interested in the final part of the Christmas story.

To begin with, we tossed pennies and beanbags onto big stars (like the star God put in the sky) drawn on butcher paper, and created craft-foam trains that reminded us that God is with us wherever we go. The conversation was great as teachers and kids told about times we were glad God was with us.

But the Precious Moment came as part of the Bible story. My co-teacher used the Nature activity in the curriculum and made little gift bags tied with gold ribbon for each child. They were just simple fabric squares filled with cotton balls she had scented with either perfume or spices. At first when she handed them out, the kids had great fun smelling them, trading them and squishing them. Then we got to the part of the story when it was time for the wise men to present their gifts to Jesus. We led the kids around the room and over to a nativity scene. Quietly—even reverently—each child knelt down, bowing low to the ground, and placed their “gift” near baby Jesus in the nativity scene. Right then, a Precious Moment took place.

My prayer for these wonderful preschoolers is that this simple reenactment of giving to Jesus becomes a reality in their lives as they grow and discover what it means to give their love to Jesus in everyday life. Merry Christmas!