Play! Listen! Talk!

“But Teacher, I don’t even want him SITTING by my castle!”
“Look, he’s only (long pause while the distance is estimated) 11 inches away from MY castle.”

Right there in the block corner, two boys were focused more on keeping each other away from their buildings than they were on actually building their structures. Both of these boys have been told by parents and teachers alike to share their toys, share their snacks, share the cars and trucks, share the crayons—well, you get the idea!

We all know that learning to share isn’t something that comes naturally to a young child. So how do we as teachers of preschoolers handle this dilemma? And how do we connect the sharing struggles with the lessons we are teaching?

First of all, I recognize that a child isn’t “bad” because he or she isn’t an expert at sharing. (After all, I know some adults who aren’t so accomplished at sharing, too!) I try to remember that each child is in the process of developing the skills that will help them get along with others.

Secondly, while I sometimes think I can avoid the arguments over toys by simply providing enough of the toys, blocks or markers for every child to have his or her own, I know that helping kids practice taking turns is a good thing. So when we’re gluing, I set out one glue stick for each pair of children. In the same way, the bin of blocks is shared by several kids, and the toy boats are divided evenly. My goal is not only to provide opportunities for kids to share but to also have enough of the item so that kids don’t have to wait too long for a turn.

Third, I take advantage of the opportunity to teach God’s Word. Today our Bible story was about Jeremiah and Baruch writing God’s Word, and that God’s Word teaches us ways to love and obey God. So in conversation with my castle builders, it worked out great to say, “God’s Word tells us so many ways to love and obey God! One of those ways is to share with each other. That’s what you’re learning to do today. I know you’ll both be careful as you build.”

I’m sure there will be many times when I repeat the words, “In Sunday School, the toys are for everyone! We take turns and share.” But I’m also glad for the opportunity to be one of the people who get to play even a small role in helping kids in the early stages of growing up to “love their neighbors as themselves” (Matthew 22:39).