This past Sunday I was given the opportunity to tell a Bible story to just about 40 preschoolers! That’s not the way we usually do things at my church, but it was our VBS Closing Program Sunday so the schedule and the numbers were very different. What fun it was! But I admit that I was pretty nervous about trying to keep the attention of that many active little children, so I prepared and prayed more than usual. Here are some things I discovered:
1. Trying to get little kids to come and sit down and wait quietly until everyone has gathered is a losing proposition. Fortunately, I had my friendly VBS Puppet Sandy Seal who was ready to lead the kids as they gathered in a game of Sandy Says—just like Simon Says only no one gets out.
2. Having several story props hidden in a bag creates a lot of interest. Removing the props one at a time helped to keep the kids’ interest throughout the story. Yesterday, the first “prop” I brought out was my Bible because I like to emphasize that the story I’m telling isn’t a made-up story or a story about pretend people. It’s a real story—a true story from God’s Word.
3. Sometimes with a lot of kids who are talking, I start talking louder and louder and hope that they will hear me over all the noise! But yesterday, I remembered that talking quieter—and even whispering when it’s appropriate in the story—is a pretty good way of getting kids to pay attention to my words. (We even tried repeating some words from the story without making any sound at all! I think the kids liked that the best!)
4. Shorter is better than longer! Bible stories are wonderful because there are always so many good things to say about what can be learned from God’s Word. But with preschoolers (and even older kids), limiting the length of the Bible story time is best. It’s tempting for me to want to tell everything I know about a story—so I keep a close eye on the clock. And if I can’t see the clock—the kids’ behavior lets me know when time is running out!
5. Last, but not least! I really appreciated the other leaders in the room who sat right down on the floor with the kids and followed along with the story—making the motions, repeating the words, and redirecting kids when needed.
I’m glad I’m not telling the story to 40 kids every week! But I’m hoping that the words of yesterday’s story stick with the kids, and I’m thankful for preparation and answered prayer!
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3 comments:
Thanks for your ideas on teaching. We just finished our VBS as well. It is hard at times to get all their attention at once. I at times will have the children help act out the story or use construction paper for different sounds to make during the story when they hear a certain word. I need to be reminded of this from time to time myself. When the children tell you part of the story that is so encouraging, that you know they did hear you and that they are paying attention. Keep up the Good Work for the Lord!
Joyce Andres
Early Childhood Director
Tyro Christian Church
Great tips! Just a clarification: when you say you have them repeat story words without making a sound, what does that mean exactly? Do you have them mouth the words only?
@jenny - not sure who's running this site now. you might not know it, but sheryl is with the Lord since january
here's the entry: http://playlistentalk.blogspot.com/2012/01/quiet-hero-of-faith.html
but to your question, i think that's what she meant: mouth the words without sound.
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