Play! Listen! Talk!

Sheryl asked me to write her blog this week, as she's having too much fun playing with our youngest granddaughter. Since I got to be with the Pre-K/Kindergarten group during our church's second service this morning, I thought I'd pass on my experience in repeating the same Bible story that most of the kids had heard during the first hour.
As soon as I mentioned that I was going to tell one of my favorites of all the stories that Jesus told, the same story that "Teacher Jackie" told during first, Lilly and Bailey announced enthusiastically that they knew the story. "It's about a guy who got beat up," one of them declared.
I just said, "I'm so impressed that you remember it. It's a very important story that Jesus wants us all to remember. And I launched into Jesus' parable of The Good Samaritan. As I pulled out each flannel figure and attached it to the board, Lilly or Bailey had something to say about that character. Their description of the robbers was very disapproving of such behavior. The figure of the poor victim lying on the ground elicited several comments about various injuries the kids had sustained. When I walked the first traveller across the board to where the victim was sprawled, I asked the kids if this man stopped to help. "No!" they said. "He just went on." There was one hopeful thought that perhaps this fellow would catch up to the robbers and explain to them that what they had done was not nice, there was no doubt at all that the kids had this story down.
But did that hurt their interest? Not in the least. They remained totally interested in the fate of the poor man and rejoiced when a kind traveller got off his donkey and took care of his injuries. And best of all, the children clearly understood the lesson Jesus wanted us to learn from this narrative.
And me? I was reminded again that, for young children, the stories they like the best are the ones they already know the best. Repetition adds immensely to their pleasure and understanding.