Play! Listen! Talk!

Five equals ten? What kind of math is that? It's the kind of math that multiplies 5 kids by Christmas excitement to equal 10!

We were busy with lots of playing and talking (maybe a little short on listening) as we hunted for Christmas bows, built with blocks and acted out the story of Jesus' birth. We said the Bible verse with hands shaped like megaphones and circled happy faces on our TalkTime papers.

Over and over again we talked about the good news of Jesus' birth that has been multiplied not only in our classroom, but throughout the world.

What I learned today: play dough is a great stress reliever for kids AND their teachers!

"Look at the princess!" the little 4-year-old girl said as she pointed to a picture of Mary in a Nativity scene. I must admit I was a little surprised that she didn't know who Mary was. Surely kids know the story of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus! But as I thought about it, I realized that

• to a young child Christmas most often means Santa Claus and presents, and
• to a young girl, beautiful young women are most often Disney princesses

So while I could lament that our culture crowds out Jesus and His birth, especially at this season, or I could be dismayed that her parents haven't told the good news of Jesus, I was so glad to be the one who could say, "Mary looks like a princess, doesn't she. But she was even more special than a princess! She was the mother of Jesus. And at Christmas we get to celebrate and do lots of special things because we remember that Jesus was born."

I wonder how many other opportunities I'll have in Sunday School to help kids hear the true Christmas Story.

At first glance, our class today had our full share of real-life challenges. Despite our best preparation, we had kids:

• •Kicking the blocks, instead of building with them
• •Using a sling as a Star Wars weapon
• •Feeling frustrated because a younger child was trying to play with them
• •Complaining “I didn’t get a turn” “I can’t see”
• •Overturning buckets of toys

As a teacher, it’s easy to view discipline problems or challenging behavior as the things that stop you from teaching “the lesson.” Today, it was cool to get to the end of class and realize that as teachers we’re walking and talking examples of kindness in responding to discipline problems. I was teaching the lesson of "Be kind to one another" with my actions more than my words ever could!

What I learned today: Kindly but firmly telling kids what to START doing instead of focusing on what to STOP doing really does work to guide behavior.