Play! Listen! Talk!

Don’t you just love telling Bible stories to preschoolers? I do! Today I told the story of the four kind friends who carried the paralyzed man on a mat to see Jesus. What I especially love about telling Bible stories are all the different ways that kids can experience the story so that it sticks. For example, today each child started off by coloring four paper-doll friends. (The ones I cut didn’t look as good as the ones in the teacher’s guide, but the kids didn’t seem to care!) It was interesting to me how each child tried to find just the right color for the skin of their friends or family members: brown, pink, peach, tan, white and golden! From there we went to a fun jumping game with stuffed animals, and we talked about being kind by taking turns—easier said than done!

For the story, I had gathered every toy person I could find to make the crowd of people listening to Jesus, and then I cut the top off a grocery bag and turned it upside down to look like a flat-roofed Bible-times house. I also cut an opening in the roof with narrow fringes. So when we got to the part of the story where the four friends lowered the paralyzed man down through the roof, the kids could easily visualize what it looked like. One of my favorite parts of the story was the flannel figure which pictured the four delighted faces of the friends peering down from the roof. (One little boy was particularly intrigued with the idea of actually cutting a hole in the roof!)

Talking about being kind is more than a sweet story, however. In the midst of our activities, I heard, “My sister is never kind to me” and “You can’t have that marker. It’s mine!” Real-life situations in which kindness needs to stick! I’m praying that our Bible verse for today, “Always try to be kind to each other,” sticks through the whole week!

#1 Being prepared says you care! Prepare yourself by asking God for wisdom as you teach. Prepare the lesson by choosing the activities that will help the kids in your class play, listen and talk. The kids at my church seem to love games like the one in today’s lesson that used a balloon.
#2 Get down at a child’s eye level and listen as much as you talk. Ask questions to encourage each child’s participation. I use the questions in my curriculum—saves me time!
#3 Tell kids what they can do, instead of saying what they are supposed to stop doing. “If you want to sit next to your friend, I need you keep your hands to your self.” Wouldn’t you like to have a dollar for every time you’ve needed to say those words?
#4 Be a teacher of vision! See the most active, the most difficult or the most withdrawn child, not as a problem, but as a person to be loved into God’s family. Do you ever fall into the trap of thinking, “Oh, no. Here comes . . .” I need to view each child with God’s perspective.
#5 Teach respect by showing respect. Wait for a child to finish speaking before you talk. Model “please” and “thank you.” Show children the same respect that you would show to adults. Give kids a few minutes warning before ending their play activities. “It’s just about time to finish making our play dough faces.”
#6 Let your attitudes and actions demonstrate the truth of your words about Jesus’ love. The young child learns more from who you are than from what you say. Kids don’t wait for me to begin telling the Bible story before they begin learning. They are learning from the first minute they walk into my classroom.
#7 Give each child individual attention before negative behavior occurs. Use each child’s name often to get and keep the child’s attention. I want to the kids in my class to know that church is a safe place to be where they are loved and accepted.

Right after Christmas I remember hearing the kids in my class talking about the gifts they had received for Christmas. And in the describing of the gifts, the gifts got bigger and bigger! It seemed like a contest to see which child could lay claim to the biggest gift of all. In the eyes of children, sometimes big equals value.

The story of the widow’s small gift that was really the most valuable of all makes an impression on little kids. One of the Play to Learn activities for this story was a game in which kids tossed coins into all kinds of containers. Of course, the ones kids like the best are the metal containers that make a loud noise when a coin is tossed in! Anything big and loud seems to be a favorite with preschoolers!

But once again, in this Bible story, I’m reminded that God’s economy is different than mine. I went to church today not really expecting to be given any gifts, and thinking that my gifts to give were really pretty small. At the end of the morning, however, I knew that gifts of value had been exchanged.

I received a lot of “big” gifts: I heard preachers, I listened to singers and musicians, I saw beautiful banners. I was thankful to be led in worship through such amazing gifts. But I was equally thankful for the “small” gifts: I heard words of excitement from preschoolers glad to be at church, I listened to kids singing their hearts out, I saw beautiful works of art created by small hands. My small gifts of time, commitment and caring were thankfully received by kids, parents and co-workers. Some weeks I give more. Some weeks I receive more. Got gifts? Yes, I do. And you do, too!

Do you think the kids in your class feel too short? Too little? Too young? Too shy? Too scared? I think they do—especially as they gather with a group of children and a teacher who they may only see once a week, or even just once a month. Imagine being four, and imagine the courage it takes to try something for the very first time, to talk to the teacher for the very first time or to be left in a room with people you don’t know.

As a teacher, how do you feel? You probably don’t feel too short! But do you feel too busy? Too tired? Too inexperienced? Or even too unmotivated? You’ve agreed to teach children because you care for the children in your church, but you may feel uncertain about what you have to offer, or afraid that your efforts won’t measure up.

It helps me to remember that Zacchaeus in today’s Bible story could have identified with many of the feelings I experience. It also helps me to remember that Jesus gave His love and acceptance to Zacchaeus when Zacchaeus must have been feeling his worst. Aren’t you glad that Jesus doesn’t wait for us to be perfect before He loves us? He knows when we’re overwhelmed; He knows when things haven’t gone so well in our class. He promises to love us anyway.

Today I need Jesus to love me and care for me. Whatever it takes for me to see Jesus (hopefully, I won’t have to climb a tree!), that’s what I need to do. For me, it's remembering at the start of each day that Jesus is with me and He has a plan. It's remembering that when I don't understand the plan, I can take one step at a time and depend on Jesus to guide me. Then I’ll be ready to help each little child see Jesus, too--right in the middle of creating tree murals and playing with blocks!

How many times have you heard the story of Jesus’ welcoming of the children? Have you heard it so many times that you don’t really think about it any more? That’s kind of how I am.

But if you really stop to consider this brief incident in Jesus' life, the implications are huge! It’s huge because it’s not just that Jesus stopped His adult conversation to take time for some children, or that He actually physically picked up the children and prayed for them. Think about this:

As adults, we’re always looking to the future. We give in to the pressure of pushing little ones hurriedly through the present so they can reach their more significant future. We say, “Children are valuable because they are the future leaders of the church and the world.” Or, “Our children’s ministry is important because if we can reach kids for Jesus, we can reach their parents, too!” And it's true. Those things are valid reasons for quality children’s ministry.

But you know what? Children are more than people waiting for some future date of real meaning. And that’s what this familiar story helps us learn. Jesus saw something in childhood besides the future. He saw the worth and value in being a child. Jesus welcomed children so that all would know that children are important for what they are right now. Childhood is not a disease to be cured or endured. It's a super cool, God-ordained part of human life!

So take time this week to look with Jesus’ eyes at the children in your lives, and the children you teach. Accept them as they are, not as you wish they were. Be understanding of what these special years are all about. Make sure your classroom, the activities you plan, and the words you say wholeheartedly welcome each young child—just as Jesus did!

At our church, we’ve got kids coming for Sunday School early, late and right on time! At your church, you probably know the ones who are always early, late and right on time, too! Every week it’s seems as though some mom or dad has a story to tell about losing their keys, losing their kids’ shoes, or most often, losing track of time! (It happens to teachers, too!)

Are you one of the ones who arrive early, late or right on time? What’s happening in your classroom when kids are arriving? If I’m not early, I feel as if I’m late and one step behind all morning long! There’s nothing worse than being so distracted when kids come that I can’t welcome them—early, late or right on time!

One of the things I love about the Play to Learn activities in my curriculum is that there’s always something that an early-arriving kid can help me do—and I plan ahead for the ones I know will always be early. And since our play activities last for a half hour or so, a child who arrives after the “official” start time still has time to play—and learn! (And if you are in a church where all the kids come at once, having a choice of several fun activities helps kids quickly find a place to fit in.)

This week I read a story in the book of Matthew--a story Jesus told about a master who paid all his workers the same, whether they had started work early or late in the day. God is like that master; He loves us generously if we’ve been following Him for a short while or a long while. I think it’s pretty cool that I get to show this same generous love to kids no matter if they are early, late or right on time! And it’s certainly easier for me to do this if I’m ready for them no matter when they come.

“Make sure not to run on the playground until you’ve swallowed your pretzels!”
“Make sure you put the cap back on the glue stick!”
“Make sure to wait here until your dad comes to pick you up!”
“Make sure to put away the blocks when you are done playing!”

If you were around preschoolers at your church today, chances are these are some of the “make sure” warnings you heard. Teachers (and parents!) of preschoolers can always think of some wise bits of advice to share with the kids they love and teach.

Sometimes, however, it seems that too much of my conversation focuses on these ordinary bits of everyday life in a preschool classroom. Sometimes, I wish that I could say
“Make sure you get to know who Jesus is as you grow up”
“Make sure you never turn away from the wonderful trust you have in God as a child.”
“Make sure you keep talking to God about all the big and little things in your life.”

These are the encouraging words that will make a difference in a child’s life. Each Bible story and each Bible verse—and even each art project or each fun game—can help communicate something I hope and pray children will make sure of as they grow in their faith.

Instead of simply talking about pretzels, glue sticks and blocks, I want to make sure that I don’t lose sight of the real reason I spend time with kids. It’s not because there wasn’t anyone else who would say yes to being a teacher; it’s not because the kids are so cute (even though they are!), and it’s not because I can’t think of anything better to do with my time. It’s because I want to make sure that the kids in my church know that Jesus is the one person on whom they can depend—now and forever!