Play! Listen! Talk!

What did you see at church today?

Today I saw two little four-year-old girls walk hand in hand into Sunday School. They were skipping, bouncing up and down, talking, smiling, laughing—all from the enjoyment of being friends together at church.

I also saw a first-grade girl, obviously wishing to be somewhere else, but walking hand in hand with her dad into her class.

And then after church I saw four teens from the church being baptized at a local beach. Their belief in Jesus has been built as their teachers have walked hand in hand with them through their growth as Christians.

Each child needs people to walk hand in hand with them—friends, parents, teachers. It’s an awesome responsibility—and some days I wonder if I’m keeping up with that responsibility! It's too easy to want to see instant results. But as a teacher of preschoolers, I have to keep reminding myself that I'm in it for the long haul. I want to walk hand in hand with the little ones in my care to help them take their beginning steps toward walking hand in hand with Jesus. Who are you walking hand in hand with?

Fear was a big topic of conversation with the preschoolers today as they heard about the story of Paul’s dramatic escape from Damascus. It didn’t take long before one little girl admitted she was afraid of monsters hiding under her bed. Then some of the kids said they went to their mom’s bed when they’re afraid at night—except one brave one who announced proudly, “I stay in my own bed.”

In talking with kids about their fears, I’m always trying to find the right balance between helping kids learn how to handle their fears, and emphasizing fear so much that fear is created where none existed! That’s why I loved the Bible verse for today: “In God I trust; I will not be afraid” (Psalm 56:4). Kids—and grownups—are afraid sometimes, whether or not the fears are real or imaginary. I love that the Bible recognizes our fears, but then helps us turn to God for courage. I love that as we play, listen and talk with kids we can reassure them and ourselves that God knows and understands when we’re afraid.

What I learned today: How important it is to provide opportunities for kids to talk about real life so they know that God is a part of the things that matter to them.

We talk a lot about how children are unique, made in God’s image in their own special way. And, to be honest, usually those words just pass right by me. But today in our class, who would have thought making a Bible-times scroll would reveal so much uniqueness!

In the scroll activity, kids were crumpling up paper bags to give them an old-time look before gluing a message of Jesus’ love on the bag and rolling it up to make the scroll. (The story was Philip explaining God’s Word to the Ethiopian traveler.) It was quickly apparent that kids LOVE crumpling up things and each one had a unique approach—some used just one hand, some used both hands, some used their whole arms, and even dainty Kenna stomped with her foot! Fortunately, the message of Jesus’ love endured despite all the crumpling.

It’s what I love about teaching about Jesus through play. Each child gets to participate in a way that fits him or her. And those personalized play experiences are the open door that allow me to enter with words about Jesus.