Play! Listen! Talk!

Today was a special event Sunday at our church—special because many of the women were gone at a Women’s Retreat. So our kids, from preschool through Grade 5, were grouped together with several faithful dads as their leaders.

One of the activities in which the kids participated in was a fun game called Line Up. In this game, kids see how fast they can line up in alphabetical order by first names. Of course, the preschoolers needed the most help in accomplishing this task, but at least they all knew their first name.

Then, however, the game was played with kids lining up in alphabetical order by middle names. One little girl didn’t know she had a middle name (thankfully, her older sister was there and knew the name). Another girl just walked around with a puzzled look on her face about the whole thing (thankfully, she had an older sister present, too). And one young boy insisted he had two middle names and couldn’t figure out which one to use to play the game. So our faithful dads had quite a time keeping things going!

Hearing the stories of the morning reminded me how important it is for our little preschoolers to be in a setting where everyone knows their name. Little ones love to feel grownup and tag after older kids, but for the best relationships to be built and the best learning to take place, preschoolers need their own space. When we “know the name” of a preschooler, it means we have taken the time to listen and to observe the unique way in which God has made each child. Then we are able to plan the game, the art activity or the creative storytelling that our kids will most enjoy and learn from.

I still remember the one teacher out of many who called me by name long after I had graduated out of her Sunday School class. My goal this week is to pray for each child in my class by name at least once. I’m thankful that God knows my name and loves me just as I am. I want to be one of the ones who help children experience God’s love in the same way.