Tips for Younger Children

Routines. Don’t be discouraged if the children walked away from the large group or did not want to participate in Responsive Play activities. Perhaps they spent more time crying than playing. Routines only become routines after they have been repeated multiple times. The sense of safety that comes from a predictable structure is built over time. Connecting with a new adult also takes time and repeated positive interactions. So be patient with yourself and with the children! Over time, everyone will settle into a routine.

Follow the children’s lead. Getting through the entire session plan as written is highly unlikely for young children at the beginning of the year! Follow the lead of the children in your group. If they are interested in something, stay with it. If an activity isn’t working, move on. If conflict arises or children are expressing strong feelings, pause the activities to attend to the needs and emotions of the children. This shows a respect for each child and sets a tone for the way you treat one another. This is foundational for establishing positive interactions and a safe worship space.

Responsive Play (Move). Modify this movement activity for younger children. Skip the Move Cube and move in the same way every time you go to a new blanket. (For instance, tiptoe or take big steps each time.) Have a large supply of blocks at each blanket so children can individually build their own block stack. This allows all children to be active participants.

Responsive Play (Make Peace). For very young children, it is helpful to have a clear structure, but they may not have enough attention for sitting and listening to words at this point in the session. Because very young children learn best through play, try setting up a “care corner” that can remain for later sessions. While children are playing with caregiving items such as the dolls and blankets, talk with them about how they can show gentleness, kindness, and care to others. Affirm that they are good friends who can be kind to others and tell them how these kind actions make other people feel safe and happy. Young children are beginning to learn how their actions affect others, and your words of affirmation help them to know that they can help others.

Re-play. Younger children learn best when they have opportunities to play. At this point in the session, younger children may need to engage in open-ended play like the Make Peace or Build options in Responsive Play. Rather than keeping the whole group together, save the fingerplay to use as children are playing in the tent or serving food to each other. Repeat each verse several times, choosing verses that relate to what children are doing as they play.

Responsive Play (Create). Using paint may present difficulties for cleanup, especially if sinks for cleanup and paint shirts are not readily accessible. Some children may also come dressed up in their “Sunday best” that parents do not want paint spills on! For a less messy option, cut out a star shape for each child from card stock or thin cardboard, such as a cereal box. Write each child’s name on a star and give each child art supplies to decorate the stars. Then hang these stars from strings, like a mobile, in your meeting space, or fasten them to a wall or bulletin board with a simple message, such as “God blesses us. We can be a blessing!” or “We are God’s children!”

Responsive Play (Build). Collaborative projects can be a challenge for younger children. Developmentally, they mostly engage in “parallel play,” meaning that they play next to other children rather than playing collaboratively with others. As children grow, they will develop the ability to cooperate on a joint project. At this point in the session, they may be too tired to work on this skill. An alternative building activity would be to build a tent village, in which each person makes one tent. This can be done on a smaller scale with scraps of fabric or tea towels used as tent fabric and building blocks, large interlocking blocks, or other preschool building toys used as the “structure” of the tents. This plan allows the children to work in their own way in their own workspace.

Re-play. Younger children are likely to mix up the Jacob and Esau Puppets. Instead of using the puppets, have children do some of the actions from the story.

• Pretend to stir some soup.
• Show an angry stance and face.
• Go across the room to represent Jacob’s trip.
• Come back to the starting place and cheer that Jacob and Esau made peace.

Responsive Play (Create). The soup-making activity will require one-on-one supervision for younger children. You may want to substitute the “pretend soup” activity from Early Arrivals in place of this activity. Or, you could have the whole group making pretend soup while you work with individual children one at a time to make the seed soup as described in Create.

Responsive Play (Go). It may not be practical to leave your meeting area and go elsewhere in the building. Some children may become upset by a change in routine such as leaving and returning to your usual room midsession. As an alternate activity, set up the “faraway land” with story figures and farm animal toys in a corner of your space. One at a time, go and get one of the items. When one child comes back, he or she gives the next child a high-five, and the next child has a chance to “go on Jacob’s journey.” As each child in turn takes this journey, sing these words to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”:

Go far away from home.

Go far away from home.

Jacob, go so far away.

Go far away from home.

Jacob, come back home.

Jacob, come back home.

Bring your family and animals.

Jacob, come back home.

Responsive Play (Create). If using paint is not practical in your room or with your group, cut out paper or cardboard star shapes ahead of the session, and have children put glittery stickers on the stars to decorate them. As an alternative, give children navy blue paper, like the night sky, to decorate with shiny star stickers. You can display these “starry skies” in your space so children can see the result of their working together.

Responsive Play (Move). With young children, directing their movements in specific ways may be too difficult at this point in the session. A more open-ended activity in which they experience working together may be a better option. For instance, children could sit in pairs and roll a soft ball back and forth between them. This keeps everyone engaged and minimizes wait time.

Responsive Play (Discover). The weaving activity may be too difficult for your group. As an alternative, offer more time with the fancy dress-up clothes from Early Arrivals. Each child and group are unique. Always feel free to spend more time on some aspect of the session if children are engaged in it and connecting well with it. Do not feel pressure to complete every activity; choose what works best for you and your group.

Bible Story. Simplify the Bible story as needed. For instance, skip the initial portion of the story where Joseph is in jail. Begin with the paragraph that says, “Two years later . . .” Sometimes having too many things to look at is distracting rather than helpful for younger children. Simplify the props by only laying out three or four of each type of Dream Card.

Responsive Play (Create). Making patterns can be quite intriguing to Kindergarten-age children, but a more open-ended activity may be preferred by young children. You could make an array of “bread” art by cutting sponges in a few simple shapes, such as a circle for pancakes, an oval for a loaf, and a triangle for crackers. Clip these sponges with clothespins. Offer yellow and brown paint for children to dip the sponges into and make marks on large paper taped to a table or wall, using drop cloths and paint shirts to keep the room and clothing clean.

Responsive Play (Move). Waiting for a chance to move may be too difficult for younger children. Play a game in which everyone moves at once. Mark a large square on the floor with masking tape. Set pieces of toy food evenly on the square. Turn on the music and have children move around the square. When the music stops, each child should pick up a piece of food and pretend to eat it. Then set the food back down and play again.

Re-play. Rather than setting it up as a structured activity, simply provide bags and items to represent grain. Children can spend their time filling and emptying the bags. As they play, you can offer observations about what they are doing and encourage imaginative play. “I see that you are putting a lot of grain in that bag. You must have a big family to feed.” Or “You are like Joseph—you are getting the grain so that people can have food to eat.”

Responsive Play (Create). Tracing children’s feet is an interesting way for them to learn about the shape and size of this body part, and to compare their three-dimensional foot with this flat picture. It may be hard to manage, however, especially with a large group with fewer adult helpers. One option would be to precut some generic footprint shapes. Or cut out a heart shape for each person and have the children decorate their heart shape. Make these shapes into a display with a headline, such as “God loves us wherever we go.”

Responsive Play (Build). Instead of working on a group scene, which may be difficult for young children’s developing communication skills, give each child a set of blocks to work with and a piece of felt or other surface to work on. Have the children build a path to Egypt and storehouses for grain and homes for Jacob’s family in Egypt, using the blocks. Give each child some story figures to work with.

Re-play. To recall the events of the story in a more structured way, play “Miriam’s Mother Says” similar to Simon Says. Do not “eliminate” children who make mistakes in the game; simply try the actions together. For instance, you could say:

• Miriam’s mother says, “Rock the baby.” (Pretend to hold a baby in your arms.)
• Miriam’s mother says, “Say hush!” (Hold finger over mouth.)
• Miriam’s mother says, “Pick up straw.” (Pretend to pick up straw.)
• Miriam’s mother says, “Make a basket.” (Pretend to mold a basket with your hands.)
• Miriam’s mother says, “Make gentle waves.” (Make wave motions with arms.)
• Miriam’s mother says, “Watch the baby.” (Shade eyes with one hand.)

Responsive Play (Create). If gluing a variety of materials would be difficult for the children in your group, choose a simpler option. Use play dough and work with it to make a three-dimensional “basket” (a “bowl” shape made of play dough). Roll some play dough to make a baby to put into this basket. Wrap the baby with a scrap of cloth. Many young children find it soothing to work with play dough and interesting to add other elements like cloth to their play dough.

Responsive Play (Build). Working with water is often intriguing and soothing to young children, but it may not be practical in your space. As an alternate activity, have some blocks and story figures so that children can build a home for baby Moses and his family, and they can build a palace where Moses can live with Pharaoh’s daughter. Having blocks in your room as a basic supply is helpful, because it is an open-ended activity that appeals to many children.

Re-play. If you would like to add more structure as children use the Story Cards from page xx, sing the following words to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”:

Moses watched his sheep.

Moses watched his sheep.

Brought them to the mountainside,

Moses watched his sheep.

Moses saw a bush.

Moses saw a bush.

Flaming bush that didn’t burn up,

Moses saw a bush.

God’s voice spoke from the bush.

God’s voice spoke from the bush.

“Phar-aoh should let my people go.”

God’s voice spoke from the bush.

God made the stick a snake.

God made the stick a snake.

Then God made it a stick again.

God made the stick a snake.

God said Aaron would help.

God said Aaron would help.

Say, “Pharaoh, let God’s people go.”

God said Aaron would help.

Responsive Play (Create). Speed this process for younger children by painting the glue onto the page for them. This will minimize the mess and allow them to focus on sticking the tissue paper on the page. Don’t be surprised if children only put a few pieces of tissue paper on the page and say “all done.” That is an age-appropriate level of interaction. If you have space to do so, you could leave the leaflets on the table and allow children to come back to them later if they wish.

Responsive Play (Move). Moving around the room may be difficult to manage. Try a more stationary option if it is easier to manage with your group or in your space. The group could chant, “Burning bush, burning bush, what can we do?” Respond with actions they can do in their own space, such as turn in a circle, jump in place, balance on one foot, freeze in place, or march in place.

Responsive Play (Create). It may be difficult for younger children to manage art activities with multiple steps, especially with larger groups or if you have few adult helpers. As a one-step activity which children can explore on their own, use play dough in a neutral color. Working with play dough is a calming activity for many young children. You could use toy rollers, baking pans, and miniature muffin trays to make different types of bread.

Responsive Play (Move). Play a simpler game with a group of young children. Mark out a place for each child and move to your group’s favorite song while music plays. Stop the music and give children an action to try from one of the events of the story. Try some of these or add your own ideas:

• Raise a stick. (Hold out an arm, as if holding Moses’ staff.)
• Jump like a frog. (Crouch down and hop.)
• Make waves like a river. (Make wave motions with your hands.)
• Put sandals on. (Pretend to put sandals on your feet.)
• Eat a meal. (Stand and pretend to eat.)
• Walk out of Egypt. (March in place.)

Responsive Play (Go). If moving around your space or building is not practical, try recalling the movements of the story using story figures. Place story figures in a box as a home. Then “walk” the figures away from the home, as if walking out of Egypt. The children could create paths for the people to “walk” on using ribbons or long scraps of paper.

Responsive Play (Create). Puzzles may be too complicated for younger children. As a more open-ended option with a focus on process over product, paint with water or watercolors. Children can use paintbrushes or cotton swabs dipped in water to draw on dark paper. This could also be done with water mixed with salt.

Responsive Play (Move). In today’s story, the people of God moved together and followed the cloud. To emphasize this group dynamic, play follow-the-leader instead. Act the part of the leader, as children walk behind you. When they are used to following you, try different ways of moving, such as reaching up, crouching down, spinning around, and taking tiny steps. This would work best with a smaller group of children.

Responsive Play (Make Peace). For a more active option, have a quiet corner set up with dolls, blankets, beds, soft books, and quiet music. Show children how to gently rock and sing to the dolls and say a prayer when putting them to bed. Talk about how God is with them during the day when it is bright and when it is time to go to bed at night.

Pray. Younger children may not do well with the structure of the prayer time. If they are holding an instrument, they will likely play it! One option is to eliminate the instruments and just have children clap or pat their legs as they say “Thank you, God.” An alternative would be to eliminate the use of the Prayer Chart and just have children play their instruments freely while saying “Thank you, God.”

Responsive Play (Create). If you would prefer to do an activity that does not involve coloring, it is an option to send page 11C of the PreK–Kindergarten Booklet home so that parents and children can make these placemats together. Options that do not involve using crayons but help to develop fine motor skills in general would be making “birds” out of lumps of play dough. Children may have fun adding craft feathers to the play dough to make unique creations.

Responsive Play (Build). Using small items can be difficult for younger children who are still developing their fine motor skills. For a more active option, lead children through a story activity using the song below. Sing the words to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?” Add motions to show the events of the story.

Drink the water, drink the water, (pretend to drink from a cup)

fresh and sweet, fresh and sweet!

Thank you, God, for water. Thank you, God, for water, (raise hands in praise)

fresh and sweet, fresh and sweet!

Quail come flying! Quail come flying! (Flap your arms as if flying.)

God sent them! God sent them! (Raise hands in praise.)

Thank you, God, for qua-il. Thank you, God, for qua-il. (Flap your arms as if flying.)

God sent them! God sent them! (Raise hands in praise.)

Gather manna, gather manna, (pretend to pick up bread from the ground)

food to eat, food to eat! (Pretend to eat.)

Thank you, God, for manna! Thank you, God, for manna, (Raise hands in praise.)

food to eat, food to eat! (Pretend to eat.)

Book Corner. Consider setting up a comfortable book area in your room where younger children can go when they feel tired, distracted, or upset. Looking at books is a soothing activity for many children, and it is helpful to have an already established place for enjoying books together. For this session, include books about friendship and love. If another activity is not going well for the group, you could bring the entire group to the book corner and read a few books to help children settle.

Responsive Play (Move). Younger children are likely to be confused by the mountain game and will not remember the messages. Instead of passing messages, pass a paper heart shape. When the child comes to you, give a heart and say either “Love God” or “Love your friends.” The child will take the heart back and give it to another friend. Repeat this until everyone has a chance to come get and share a heart.

PreK–Kindergarten Booklet. Some young children will enjoy simple board games like the one on page 12B of the booklet and have some experience with them. For other young children, a simplified version of this activity will work better. Children could move a story figure on the path without rolling, or just take turns moving one figure one space at a time. When they get to a picture, stop and help children see how people are showing love to other people or to God.

Learn a Verse. While younger children are likely to enjoy the rhythmic nature of the Bible memory activity, they probably won’t be able to replicate the rhythm. Don’t be concerned about this. Children can join in whatever way they want—perhaps they will just clap freely or simply watch what you do. They may say some of the words or just listen. One goal is for children to associate the Bible with joyful experiences! So keep it fun, celebrating the ways in which children participate.

Responsive Play (Move). Rather than structuring this as a movement game, simply provide blocks and stones for younger children to stack as suggested in Early Arrivals. This allows for independent play. If using real stones, supervise closely and demonstrate how you want children to use the stones. Be sure that any stones you use are sufficiently large so that children can’t choke on them! Monitor children so they do not throw the stones.

Preparing for a new teacher. Young children benefit from consistency in their caregivers. If you won’t be the teacher next quarter, introduce the next leader to the children or at least tell children the new teacher’s name. Let them know that the next leader will be glad to be their teacher, just as you are. If the children have particular routines, songs, or procedures for putting away materials that have worked very well during your time with them, give the new teacher some of these ideas to help provide a smooth transition for everyone.

Developmental Notes. Younger children often need help with peaceful living in a group setting. They don’t always want to share, take turns, or be patient. Be positive in your guidance and be specific about what children can do in a kind way when working with them to stop hurtful behavior. Try saying “Use soft touches” or “Keep the play dough on the table” instead of telling them what not to do. You can also set a timer for activities to make sure everyone gets a turn. Remember that the goal is for the child to learn self-control.

Share the Story. As you get to know your group, you will learn what works and doesn’t work with them during story time. It may help for younger children to have a stuffed animal to hold as you tell today’s story. It may help calm their active bodies. On the other hand, this may prove to be distracting for some children. If you try this option, share some instructions ahead of time. Be expressive: “Think of holding your animal in a peaceful place, so that they feel safe and not afraid. Hold them close, while I tell you the story.”

Re-play. Younger children will love acting out different kinds of animals. Use this rhyme with animal sounds to re-play the story:

A bee says buzz.

A cow says moo.

A snake says hissss.

A baby, boo-hoo.

A dog says woof.

A goat says maaa.

A horse says neigh.

A sheep says baaa.

A lion says roar.

A cat says meow.

A mom says, “Hey!”

A child says, “Wow!”

Let’s all live

together in peace.

Let’s be safe here,

can’t we, please?

Share the Story. Use the shorter story “An Answered Prayer” from www.ShineCurriculum.com/Extras. Have several baby dolls ready to give to the children when you come to the line that says, “Elizabeth was happy when she had the baby.” Younger children may have a difficult time sharing, so it may be helpful to have one doll for each child. Show them how to hold and rock the doll gently in their arms.

Developmental Notes. Some toddlers have learned baby sign language. For younger children, it is a way to communicate when speaking understandable words is difficult. They will likely enjoy learning simple signs and actions for songs when words are not always required. Online resources are available. If you do an Internet search for “toddler sign language” or “baby sign language,” you will find videos, books, and charts that you can use with younger children.

Re-play. Because of Christmas pageants, movies, greeting cards, and other media, children probably already have a mental image of what an angel might look like (wings, halo, mostly white, etc.). Playing dress-up can help children imagine what the angel that came to visit Zechariah looked like. Remind them that angels in the Bible are messengers. What other colors might they wear? What might they carry? The stories in Advent contain several angel encounters, so it is helpful to have children imagine what angels in the Bible looked like.

Sing. Younger children are fascinated by instruments, and they may struggle to keep their excitement under control! Teach them how to use the rhythm instruments so that they and their friends stay safe. Remind them that we do not throw instruments or use them to hit each other. Teach the children that the instruments cannot make music if they are damaged or used to hurt someone. Children will feel successful if they can learn to make music, even if it takes some practice and kind instruction.

Developmental Notes. Younger children may feel anxious at this time of year and not know why. If parents are under some stress around the holidays, that can add to the stress of children. Most families have busy calendars which means not everyone is getting a good night’s sleep. If you can be calm in your approach with them, it will help them to be at peace when they are around you.

Share the Story. You may want to use this alternate short story poem with younger children:

“Mary, Mary, God is here.

You will have a child so dear.”

An angel told you all these things.

“Don’t be afraid,” the angel sings.

“Jesus will be so very great,

helping people with love not hate.”

Mary, Mary, walk down the road.

Visit your cousin, in her home.

Mary, Mary, praising God,

Mary, Mary, singing loud.

Mary, Mary, walking home.

God’s with you. You’re not alone.

Developmental Notes. The Christmas season can be filled with joy . . . and stress for families! Young children are often very sensitive to the emotions that their parents are experiencing, so the children may show signs of stress or anxiety such as having trouble concentrating. It’s also common for young children to have many fears. What seems beautiful and exciting to adults—a sky filled with angels—may in fact be frightening to a child. Be sensitive to the emotional responses the children have about the Bible story and other activities you provide. Work to create an atmosphere that is calming for children. This might include creating a book corner with pillows and blankets where a child could go to be alone for a short time if feeling upset.

Re-play. Use the song poem below. Sing the words to the tune of “Silent Night” to re-play the story of Jesus’ birth. Cradle your arms and act as if you are holding baby Jesus as you sing, or use a baby doll in a blanket if you have one. Younger children can join on the first and last lines. They can hold baby dolls or cradle their arms and rock to the beat of the song, as if holding baby Jesus.

Baby Jesus, baby Jesus.

Born today, bed of hay.

“Peace on earth,” the angels did say.

Shepherds left quickly and found the way.

Baby Jesus is born. Baby Jesus is born.

Responsive Play (Create). Make a baby in a blanket. Stuff tube socks with cotton balls. Tie a ribbon or piece of yarn around the doll’s “head.” The rest of the sock hangs freely as the baby’s nightgown. Put the doll in a blanket or piece of cloth of just the right size. Sing a lullaby to the babies such as “Away in a Manger.”

Fingerplay. Say the following poem (or sing it to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”). Use your fingers as the twinkling stars. Children’s names or other family names go in the blanks.

Twinkle star, shining bright.

Twinkle star, through the night.

Shine on ______, shine on _______.

Shine on ______, shine on _______.

Twinkle star, shining bright.

Twinkle star, through the night.

Developmental Notes. The magi must travel a long way, across different kinds of terrain. Some children might see this as an adventure, because children are often in awe of simple things in nature that we may not even notice. If you bring in some items from nature, such as pine needles, pine cones, or even blades of grass, they may enjoy exploring them with their fingers or feeling them rub against their cheeks. With parts of today’s story taking place at night, you may want to bring flashlights and turn off the light so these younger children can play at being travelers in the night.

Responsive Play (Explore). As an alternative to simply smelling different scented items, make play dough with a strong, pleasant smell. A play dough recipe is available online at www.ShineCurriculum.com/Extras. Add a few drops of peppermint, vanilla, or cinnamon. You may want to make some of all three and let the children experience the different scents. Be sure the scents are edible and safe, since younger children often try to explore with their mouths. Show children how to use the play dough to poke, squish, and roll, in addition to smelling.

Share the Story. Because younger children often have a very short attention span, go straight to the story rather than using the “Follow Jesus” Teaching Poster. The poster could be used as a separate activity during Responsive Play. You could even just use the “Look Who’s Coming!” rhythm story from www.ShineCurriculum.com/Extras if you think that would keep children more engaged.

Responsive Play (Create). One of the difficulties in doing paper activities with younger children is the instability of the paper. Taping the paper down will make it much easier for a younger child to be successful with paints. It offers a more stable workspace. This is also a good technique for a child with developmental or other disabilities. You may also find that some children only make one or two marks on the page and say, “All done.” This is normal for the age. If this happens, you could point out another place on the page and say, “Would you like to put some color here?” If not, allow the child to go look at a book or do another activity. Leave the paper there in case the child wants to come back later.

Responsive Play (Explore). Limit the number of children at the water tub to minimize splashing. It will reduce conflict if there are enough items for each child (i.e., each child has a doll and a cup). This accommodation allows children to be actively involved the whole time and remain focused on the story rather than focused on getting toys from other children. When conflicts arise, pause and help children work through the problem. Provide simple language that children can use, such as “Can I have a turn?” or “I was using that. Please give it back.”

Developmental Notes. Depending on where you live and the families in your group, children may or may not have experienced a sea, ocean, or big lake. Their only experience seeing a large body of water may be in a movie or cartoon. Make the experience as concrete as possible, not only with water play but also with real pictures or a short video of fishing or fish in the sea.

Follow the Leader. While you are working every day to be a leader whom these children will want to follow, remember that it is typical of their development to be silly and say no. Be aware of this in younger children, inviting them to participate, but not being forceful. It will make for a more cheerful experience if you are careful not to get into power struggles with younger children. Redirecting behavior often works well. (“I see that you do not want to paint right now. Let’s find a book for you.”)

Re-play. Use this very simple fingerplay with younger children to re-play the story:

I went to go fishing on a super sunny day. (Pretend to cast a line.)

Jesus saw me fishing and what did he say? (Put your hand above your eyes, as if searching.)

“Come, follow me,” he said. “Follow me today!” (Make a motion to come.)

So I put down my net of fish and went Jesus’ way. (Pretend to put down the net and then move arms as if walking.)

Developmental Notes. Building community and playing together may look a little different for younger children because they may not be quite ready to share or have the words to ask for what they need. In a group setting, avoid saying “no” whenever possible. (One exception would be if a child is physically hurting another child. A firm, clear “no” is essential!) Most of the time, however, focus on telling children what they can do rather than what they cannot do. Avoid power struggles by redirecting younger children to something more appropriate.

Stories About Illness. Younger children may or may not have had any serious experiences of someone close to them being ill. Young children learn so much about how to cope with illness and death by the way the people in their family deal with these sad situations. Families are the children’s primary source of support. As caring adults who work with children and sometimes families, be sure to be sensitive to their way of grieving and handling difficult situations, including the words and rituals they use.

Communicating with Families. Tell parents something positive about their child at the end of the session. A short affirmation can go a long way toward building a parent’s level of confidence, helping them feel good about their child, and strengthening relationships, not only with their child but also with their church family.

Early Arrivals (Eat). If you do this food preparation activity with younger children, think through each step ahead of time so children can be doing the actual work of preparing their snack mix. Avoid doing the scooping for them unless they need help. Give children stickers to decorate their bags while waiting for their turn. The activity will be a more memorable one if you can keep it simple, keep it hands on, and keep the children involved. Be sure to wash hands before “cooking”!

Developmental Notes. Some younger children may be extra shy or uncomfortable in crowds. This story provides a good opportunity to remember that we all have different needs when it comes to being around other people. It’s also a good time to remember and to remind other adults not to force children to give hugs. We can just appreciate younger children for the joy and gifts they bring to the world, whether or not they are openly expressive of affection at any particular point in time.

Responsive Play. This is an additional fingerplay for younger children that could be shared as a Move activity in Responsive Play. It could be acted out as well, as a Hide-and-Seek. If you have a small group, use stuffed animals or dolls to make five friends.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, I have 5 friends to play. (Hold one hand out with fingers spread. Count fingers by touching them with your other hand. Wave the five fingers.)

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, all my friends went away. (Continue to hold your hand out and count fingers by touching them with your other hand. Make the fingers disappear in your fist.

Help me, please, all my friends. I need you right away. (Look at your hand.)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, my friends came back to stay! (Hold your fingers up one at a time and count them. Wave the five fingers.)

Developmental Notes. Younger children experience “growth ambivalence,” meaning they want to be like the big kids a lot of the time and do it all “by myself.” But sometimes they don’t want to grow up and still want to have all the advantages and attention of a baby or toddler. They are not able to name the complex feelings they have, of course, but it is important for adults in their lives to know they are not trying to be difficult or annoying; they just have mixed feelings about their transition into a more independent childhood experience.

Explore. Planting seeds can be a fun activity for younger children, but only if they are involved in the fun. It may be tempting to do the work for them, worrying that they will get messy. A better approach for these little ones would be to provide protective aprons or an adult T-shirt with a clothespin at the back to pin the extra material, so that they can get their hands in the dirt and pour water on their plants all by themselves. Allow some extra time for washing hands with soap!

Sing. Enjoy this song to the tune of the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” as you do the motions. You can also do additional verses with a “medium-sized seed” and a “great, big giant seed.”

Oh, this little tiny seed, I put it in the ground. (Pretend to plant a little seed.)

Watch it grow right up and watch it fall back down. (Raise your arms high, and then reach down to the floor.)

Upty up, up, up, up, and down-ditty down, down, down. (Repeat going high and then low.)

God loves me and I’m happy, so I turn myself around. (Turn around.)

Developmental Notes. Younger children are learning to distinguish themselves from others. They may take another child’s toy and say, “It’s mine.” The younger child is not trying to be mean or selfish; it is part of their development. As adults, we can help them learn to share by being patient and introducing the idea of empathy for someone else’s feeling. Say, “I see tears in your friend’s eyes. It looks like your friend is sad.” Demonstrate how to be kind to everyone by modeling that behavior yourself and by making sure everyone feels safe. Consistently use words and phrases like “Use soft touches.” and “How can we share?” and “Look, your friend is sharing with you.”

Explore (Responsive Play). While some younger children may know number words, they most likely are not yet able to count objects. In light of this, focus attention on dividing and sharing play dough rather than on recalling and creating specific numbers of items from the story.

Fingerplay. Do the following fingerplay with actions:

Bless, bless, bless. (Hold hands out, palms down, moving three times.)

Feed, feed, feed. (Hold hands out, palms up, moving three times.)

Eat, eat, eat. (Put fingers together and hold hands up to your mouth, moving them three times.)

Share, share, share. (Hold hands out to your side, palms up, moving them three times.)

I help my friends everywhere. (Make a big circle with your hands.)

Developmental Notes. Younger children are developmentally limited in their ability to consider another person’s perspective. Empathy is so important, and even if they are not yet ready to show empathy to others, they can still benefit from seeing you model empathy. Say things like, “I see that our friend Cara is crying. She is feeling sad. How can we help her?” Use “us” words. Identify when children are being helpful, kind, and loving. This can truly make a difference in our world when children grow up learning empathy and kindness.

Responsive Play (Create). Drawing may not be of interest to younger children, or they may be done very quickly. Set up a stuffed animal play center for children to play the story of Jesus welcoming, loving, and blessing the children. With a set of blocks, they can create rooms and homes for their animals.

Responsive Play (Move). Younger children love playing with friends, especially when they can do silly things together. It helps build a loving community. A simple adaptation to the movement activity is to all do the same thing together. Do the actions below, or use your own ideas. When you say “freeze,” everyone stops together. Then start on a new action and move together. Say the action words as many times as you like:

“Walk, walk, walk, freeze!”

“Jump, jump, jump, freeze!

“Hop, hop, hop, freeze!”

“Crawl, crawl, crawl, freeze!”

“Swim, swim, swim, freeze!”

Developmental Notes. Provide opportunities for these younger children to be helpers, such as sharing play dough, passing out napkins, or saying nice words to their friends. Point out helping behaviors. Even very young children can share in simple ways as helpers.

Resolving Conflict. Interpersonal conflict is common for younger children. When it occurs, it can be helpful to use puppets to model a similar situation and how it can be resolved peacefully. For instance, use two puppets with the following script:

Puppet 1: That’s my toy. I want the toy.

Puppet 2: No, it’s my toy.

Puppet 1: (takes the toy) It’s mine.

Puppet 2: I was using that. Please give it back. We can share.

Puppet 1: Okay. Can I have a turn after you?

Puppet 2: Yes. We can both have a turn.

Puppet 1: (gives toy back) Okay, here it is. Now you can play.

Puppet 2: Thank you. You shared with me and soon I will share with you.

Pacing. Younger children have a very short attention span, particularly for structured large group activities. The Bible story is the heart of the session, so it is important to get to the story fairly quickly. Shorten the Connect section by singing one song and saying the prayer. Then move directly into the story without using the introduction from the “Follow Jesus” Teaching Poster. The activities you skipped can be incorporated into Responsive Play if desired.

Management. Take some time to prepare the space for the group. Remove any materials from your group’s space that are not needed so that children can more easily focus on the activities you have planned. When the space looks calm and tidy, children will see that it is ready for them, which will help them to be calmer as they enter the space. Having materials ready will help you to feel more at ease as you lead the session. Pay attention to the height of the children in your group when you store things. If there are items that they need to reach, store these at a height that they can access easily. It is easy to lose the children’s attention if you are focused on gathering resources instead of leading the children through activities.

Getting to know you. Teaching is all about relationships! When young children feel safe with you, they will be able to learn from you. Children need to feel seen and known. Learn about the children in your group as individuals! Learn their names as soon as possible. It may help to take a photograph of each child holding a name card to learn their names before the next session. Use their names often and encourage children to call each other by name as well. As you decide which activities to use throughout the quarter, use what you know about the children to guide your choices. What do these children need?

Responsive Play (Create). If working with paint is not practical in your space, you may wish to try a dry activity that may be easier to manage. Make handprint leaves for praising God. Trace each child’s handprint onto green paper and cut out the shape. Children can fasten their handprint to a wooden craft stick and decorate it with glittery stickers or crayons. They can wave this “palm branch” to celebrate today’s story.

Management. As much as possible, use different parts of your room for different activities. Doing so takes young children’s shorter attention spans into account and gives them a chance to move between activities. Children will learn routines for what to do in each space. They may be accustomed to having snack and some water at a certain table and putting their cup in a designated spot when they are finished. You could place a quilt on the floor to gather around when it is time for story, and children will become used to sitting “criss-cross-applesauce” and hearing a story in this spot. Having a quiet corner with some pillows and toys where children can go when they need a break and a chance to rest may be helpful for some groups, especially if children become overwhelmed in the group setting and need some time to relax.

Responsive Play (Create). Using paint does not work in every space, although many children enjoy the opportunity to work with paints and paintbrushes. If this activity would not work for you, try a different option. Purchase small money boxes for children to decorate with crayons and stickers, in which they can collect coins to give away. Small cardboard boxes with a slit cut in the top, or glass jars with a tag decorated with words such as “Coins to Share,” are other options if coin boxes are not available.

Responsive Play (Move). Some young children may prefer a more active option. If this is true for your group, use your bodies to explore the idea of “big and small.” For instance, try different ways of doing the following actions:

• Standing big: Reach your arms up high and stretch.
• Standing small: Crouch down and tuck your arms in.
• Walking big: Take big steps and swing your arms.
• Walking small: Take tiny steps and tuck in your arms.
• Jumping big: Jump up high and spread out your arms and legs.
• Jumping small: Take a tiny hop.

Responsive Play (Create). This option focuses on a practice that some people use during Lent. This will help children build a connection between something they may encounter in daily life (a pretzel) and the ways in which people pray and follow the church year. Another way to use play dough would be to focus on the friendship aspect of this story. For a more open-ended option, use play dough to show things that children do with their friends or how it feels to be with friends. For instance, make the play dough into a ball shape to show playing with a ball together, or make the play dough into two eyes and a smiling mouth to show being happy with friends.

Responsive Play (Move). This option is a fairly stationary activity, in which the movement is passing the item from one person to the next. If activities with more movement work well with your group, stand up in a circle and use a soft ball. Pass the ball across the circle, saying,

Jesus loves _______ (name of the person you are passing to).

Continue with this pattern until everyone has had the ball. Then pass the ball again, following the same path, and see if you can pass it faster. This game can also be played while seated. Everyone can sit with their legs in front of them in a letter V and touch the feet of the player beside them. Then roll the ball and say,

Jesus loves _______ (name of the person you are passing to).

Responsive Play (Make Peace). Younger children may struggle to play board games. If so, focus on a sensory activity such as the Explore option that explores water. During these relaxed play times, conversations may come up about the story or about how to act as friends. Take advantage of these teachable moments.

I Wonder . . . As you engage in the time of wondering each week, allow ample time for younger children to respond. It may feel uncomfortable to have a pause of silence, or to see that children are moving around restlessly. Silence is not always a negative thing, and wiggling does not mean that children aren’t thinking! Children may need a moment to let the words soak in before they can verbally express their response. It may be best to ask only one or two questions right after the story; save the rest for Responsive Play time.

Re-play. Use this script along with the Story Circles as you remember the events of the story together.

Garden circle:

Jesus went to the garden with friends to pray.

He told God how sad he felt that day.

Cross circle:

Jesus loved his friends until the very end.

They loved him too; they were sad for their friend.

Grave circle:

Jesus’ friends wrapped his body when he died.

They put him in a tomb, with a large stone beside.

Responsive Play (Create). When participating in creative projects, process is more important than product with younger children. Many young children find it soothing to work with play dough, and there is less pressure to make a product when the dough will not stay in this shape when the activity is over. Use play dough with a variety of tools, such as rollers and heart-shaped cookie cutters, plastic knives, and other materials to add in, such as smooth rocks, artificial flowers, and wooden crosses. Young children can work with these materials, and then the materials can go back into a bin or onto the tray in a less-permanent creation.

Responsive Play (Create). You may simplify this activity in several ways. Rather than sending each child home with a completed or partially completed Easter Bunting craft, your group could collaborate to make one large display. Have each child make one or more triangles, combine everyone’s together, and hang up the group’s set in your space for the rest of the quarter as a reminder of this significant event in the story of the Bible.

Responsive Play (Move). In a small space, moving about may not work well, if there is not enough room to move furniture out of the way so that you can play unobstructed. If space is an issue, or if moving about the room for a game would be upsetting for some of the children in your group, try a movement game in which everyone stays on their own space. Give everyone a designated spot, such as a carpet square or an X marked with masking tape. Describe some of the movements related the story and add actions! Look below for some ideas:

• Walk sadly to the tomb. (Walk slowly in place, with a sad expression.)
• Freeze in place! You are surprised to see an angel! (Hold still.)
• Wonder at what the angel said! (Hold out two hands, as if balancing two objects.)
• Run back home! (Run on the spot.)
• Jump for joy! Jesus is alive! (Jump up and down.)

Responsive Play (Go). Instead of using the suggested activity, set up a free play area where younger children can play in their own way. For instance, have a kitchen area with play toys and food. Or create a story nook with blankets, pillows, and picture books related to today’s story. This allows time and space for you and the children to engage in conversation about the story.

Connecting with individual children. Things can move at a fast pace in a PreK–Kindergarten  setting. Children are very busy and have short attention spans, so they want to move from one thing to another. It can be hard to find time for individual interactions with the children, particularly if you have a large group. While you might not get to every child every time, try to have a personal moment with one or more of the children each week. It can be as simple as kneeling down at eye level and saying, “______ (child’s name), I’m glad you are here today. You are very special to me.” Or perhaps you can ask a question about what the child did that week. Either way, those brief interactions convey your love and care for each child.

Responsive Play (Create). Young children are developing fine motor skills, and some children may become stressed if given the task of drawing a place, even with many open-ended options as described. Another way to explore the same idea would be to cut pictures of many places out of newspapers or magazines. Have a stack of pictures ready to go before your session begins and screen some magazines for age-appropriateness so children can look for more pictures of interesting places. Then gather these pictures on a large piece of paper, such as butcher paper, and glue them in a collage with a headline such as “God’s love is for all people in all places.”

Responsive Play (Explore). Pre-cut all the parts of the PreK–Kindergarten Booklet pages. To avoid ripping the page, you may want to just have younger children move the story figures on the craft stick up and down behind a white pillow case (“cloud”). Children can move the figure through the booklet page at home with an adult.

Responsive Play (Create). If using tape would be difficult for your group to manage, make a different Pentecost art activity. Put a dab of red, orange, and yellow paint on a black piece of paper. Give children a small tool such as a cotton swab to experiment with mixing these paints and moving them around the paper. Or use finger paint so children can explore these three colors and mix them together.

Responsive Play (Move). Working with small items like drinking straws and pom-poms may be too difficult for younger children. Try experimenting with wind using larger items. Fold some paper fans so that each child has one. Name different body parts, and have the children create a wind on that body party by flapping the fan there.

• Fan your face
• Fan your shoulder
• Fan your knee
• Fan your foot
• Fan your belly

Responsive Play (Explore). If you show children light from a candle, it should be a very “controlled” experience in which you supervise the group closely and are aware of the flame the whole time. Children may really enjoy the calming effect of the candle flame or even the gentle light of a battery-operated candle, but you may wish to offer a more extended experiment with light in which children direct the experience. Get a light box (you can make your own by putting a string of white Christmas lights in a translucent storage bin and turning on the lights). Experiment with laying pieces of red, orange, and yellow tissue paper, cellophane, or other translucent materials on top of the light box.

Whole-group versus small-group activities. Limit the amount of time that you keep the children in a whole-group setting. Younger children have very short attention spans and it can quickly become a battle of wills to keep children seated and focused. Many activities can be done just as effectively in smaller groups. For instance, pull a few children aside to sing a song or play a game while others play independently with play dough.

Re-play. If you want to provide more structure for this activity, prompt the children to use their props for each of these parts of the story:

On Pentecost, God’s spirit came.

People heard about Jesus’ name.

(Suggestion: Gather people story figures in a circle. Blow on them!)

People were baptized in water,

joined the church with their sons and daughters.

(Suggestion: Pretend to “dip” a story figure in the play dough.)

People shared and gave things.

They prayed to God about everything.

(Suggestion: Make things out of play dough and give one to each story figure.)

They went to the temple every day

to sing with happy hearts and pray.

(Suggestion: Build a temple out of blocks. Put story figures inside, using play dough as a base to hold them up.)

Responsive Play (Create). If ink pads are not available or cleaning up fingers after this activity would be challenging in your space, try making a variety of “people of God” story figures in a different way. Young children may enjoy making a variety of silly people faces with a variety of materials, based on what you have on hand. Cut some smile shapes out of paper and place a number of items in a tray with sections. For example, put some small stones, buttons, gems, smooth aquarium stones, and game pieces in the various sections of the tray. Place some multicolored plates or paper circles on the table as well and use these small items to make faces. A face might have button eyes, a stone nose, and a paper mouth. If you wish, cut out yarn in a variety of colors to represent hair. At the end of this activity, these items all go back into the containers. Children might make many different faces or a few. Either way, talk about how people are all unique, and God’s church includes many different people.

Pray. The prayers in this session and the next four sessions focus on praying for other people, particularly that God will help them. The “Pick a Prayer” Teaching Poster is one way of developing this skill, but be attentive to other opportunities to pray for others. Prayers do not need to be elaborate or only happen at scheduled times. Short, simple prayers for other people can be given as opportunities and needs come up. For instance, if children are away from your group, you can pray for them by name after welcoming everybody. In this way, children will learn that the group thinks about them and cares for them, even when they are not in attendance.

Re-play. Children can show the events of the story using these materials. If you and the children are looking for ideas of which story events to highlight, use the following outline as a guide to prompt your retelling of the story:

• Philip traveling along the river.
• The Ethiopian man sitting in his chariot by the river.
• Philip going to the chariot and talking with the man.
• Philip baptizing the man.
• Philip and the man going to different places.

Giving instructions and directing behavior. Keep your words simple and direct when talking with children. It helps to phrase instructions and reminders in a positive way so that children have the word for what they are supposed to do in mind, rather than the word for behavior you are trying to avoid. For instance, say “keep your hands in your lap” or “keep your hands to yourself” rather than “no poking other people” or “don’t touch other people right now.” This puts the focus on what children should be doing and gives them a positive goal to focus on while setting a guideline for how to act in the group setting. The same applies to modeling activities and behaviors. Demonstrate for children how you would like them to complete an activity before they try it, and only demonstrate positive behaviors. For instance, show how to put crayons back in the container rather than demonstrating throwing crayons around as an example of what not to do.

Responsive Play (Create). Working with glue and bits of tissue paper is open-ended and can be done in many ways, but working with small materials like bits of paper could be frustrating for children in your group. Use dark paper with white and yellow chalk. Experiment with making a variety of lines on the paper, such as straight, curved, wavy, or zigzag. Notice the contrast between the dark paper and the light colors of the chalk and remember how the bright light shone when Saul was on the road.  

Responsive Play (Move). If a partner activity like this one would be difficult to manage, especially in smaller spaces, try another option to emphasize the journey. Do a chant with actions or sing these words to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” to recall the major events of the story and act them out in a physical way.  

Saul was walking down the road, down the road. (March in place.) 

Saul was walking down the road, down the road.  

He was angry at the people who followed after Jesus. 

Saul was walking down the road, down the road. 

A bright light from heaven shone all around. (Spread your fingers wide, like rays of light.) 

A bright light from heaven shone all around.  

Jesus’ voice spoke out to Saul, said “Saul, be kind to all.” 

A bright light from heaven shone all around. 

Saul went off into the town, to the town. (March in place.) 

Saul went to into the town, to the town. 

Ananias helped him see and to Saul he was friend-ly.  

Saul went off into the town, to the town.  

Saul was baptized, and he chose to follow God. (Dip down, as if dunking under water.) 

Saul was baptized, and he chose to follow God. 

Saul was changed deep down inside, so he went to be baptized.  

Saul was baptized, and he chose to follow God. 

Pray. Children are never too young to learn to pray! Incorporate prayer throughout the session. If a child tells you about something from their lives, take time to briefly pray about it. Give opportunities for children to use their voices in prayer. For instance, you could ask the children to think about a person in their family whom they could pray for. Then say, “Dear God, we pray for people. We pray for . . .” and then pass a soft object around the circle while each child names one person.

Responsive Play (Create). Multistep activities may be difficult to manage without a lot of adult helpers providing support. Most children will be able to do one step at a time, so breaking tasks with multiple steps into smaller “chunks” helps children to take one step at a time and not become overwhelmed. Another option to show God’s love for people is to cut paper dolls out of a strip of butcher paper, and then have children decorate these dolls with faces and clothing. These could be made into a display, showing how the number of people in the church grew and grew, and how each person was unique.

Responsive Play (Move). If working together at this activity would be difficult for your group to manage, try a simpler activity to emphasize that all are welcomed into the church. Stand up in a circle. Join hands and follow the movements below. Start this activity slowly and repeat a few times so that children can become comfortable with it:

God’s love is for everyone. (Move one direction.)

Everyone from every place. (Move in the other direction.)

God’s love is for everyone. (Step closer together, into the middle.)

Everyone from every place. (Step back out.)

Re-play. If you would like to use a script to help guide the children through this activity, try this one. Tell children their words and have them echo the words back to you:

Narrator: Paul and his friends sailed in a boat to Philippi.

Paul: Let’s tell people about Jesus. Maybe we will find them praying by the river!

Narrator: Paul and his friends found Lydia and her friends by the river.

Paul and friends: Hello!

Lydia and friends: Hello!

Narrator: Paul and his friends told Lydia and her friends all about Jesus.

Lydia: I believe in Jesus! Can I be baptized?

Paul: Yes!

Lydia: Will you come and stay with me and my family?

Paul: Yes! I would love to stay with you.

Responsive Play (Create). If you do not have a lot of adult helpers, simplify this activity. For instance, you could prepare the paper plate and toilet paper roll bases ahead of time, and simply have children add stickers to the boat and sail and slot a craft stick into the toilet paper roll. For a much simpler activity, use play dough and mold it into boat shapes. Add craft sticks with adhesive notes cut into triangular shapes stuck to them to form sails for the boats.

Responsive Play (Move). If space is limited, children could simply act out different key elements of the story. Write these words on cards and put the cards into a bowl. Play some music and have children move to the beat of the music on their designated spot while the music plays. When the music stops, someone draws a card, and everyone acts out what is written on the card. Words to write on the card could include:

• Boat (pretend to row)
• River (make waves with your hands)
• Food (pretend to eat)
• Gate (pretend to open a gate)
• Clothes (gesture to your clothes)
• Purple (point to something purple)

Re-play. A writing and drawing option may not appeal to younger children. For a more active option, focus on the aspect of the story in which Paul and his friends Priscilla and Aquila build tents together and then some friends share items. For instance, you could wear Bible-times costumes and build tents by draping large towels or blankets over furniture. Then you could share items, such as by sitting at a table with play dough and dividing it so that everybody can have some. Talk about how people can give to other people so that everyone has what they need.

Responsive Play (Create). For a more open-ended option, simply use scraps of fabric and different types of blocks, including interlocking blocks, wooden blocks, or other building toys you have available so that children can experiment with making a miniature tent village using those materials. Story figures can then be added to the scene, and children can engage their imaginations as they work with this “village” they have made.

Transitions and attachment. What matters most to young children during the sessions is their connection with you, their teacher. When there is a change in teachers between quarters, let children know what to expect the next week. Young children like to know what to expect. If possible, introduce the new teacher, and tell children that they will have a wonderful time with him or her. Let the new teacher know about any favorite traditions, songs, or routines that work well with the group to help keep some consistency as the group makes this change.