Finally! My Soapbox!

A few months ago, my dear friend Liesel reminded me that SEVERAL months ago I had mentioned I had a soapbox to share about children's ministry and teaching preschoolers. I completely forgot to ever get on my soapbox and do some sharing, so now I am deliberately sharing...are you ready?!?

Well, being in children's ministry for the last 8 years, I have learned a great deal. Not to say that I have "arrived" by any means, but rather God has put incredible leaders in my life to teach and mentor me over the years. I feel led to share my bits of truth with you and hopefully convey my heart and passion for what I do.

No child is too young to learn.
Babies are born as sponges, literally soaking in all they see, hear, and experience. God designed newborn babies to instinctively learn to trust through experiencing consistent love and care. Child development stages all begin with the trust/mistrust stage, as babies are completely helpless and need love and care first and foremost. This same developmental rule goes for how we teach babies the earliest, most basic Bible truths and concepts. To wait to teach a child about God until he is 2 and 3 years old is wasting precious time! Learning about God requires priming and marination in the truth...why wait? Babies and toddlers CAN learn! It's a matter of US understanding HOW and WHAT to teach them...and it starts with foundational Bible truths.

Babies first learn they are loved by coming to church, trusting their teachers, and sensing safety and security first. Once they learn this, they build upon that knowledge to learn "God loves me" and "God made me." These are basic, ground-level concepts in which you may literally say to babies...and they will learn them. There are many basic concepts which babies can learn at a very young age. For example, babies can learn "God made me," "God loves me," "God made the flowers," and so much more. These concepts, however basic they may seem, are primary building blocks to the foundation of Bible teaching for future learning. A baby is not able to comprehend the depths of trinitarianism, but they understand "love" and other developmentally appropriate Bible truths.

Developmentally appropriate...that means knowing how a child learns at the particular age they are, what they are able to understand, and what they are physically able to do.

Let's take the concept of "God made the plants." This foundational truth can be grasped among children of all ages. For a baby, one might simply hold a flower or a leaf for baby to see. Let the baby touch it as you say, "God made the flowers." That's it! It really is that simple. A baby's attention span is extremely short, so teaching a baby is all about taking advantage of "teachable moments" like holding a flower and simply stating "God made the flowers." It sounds almost too easy, doesn't it? Babies learn through touching and seeing, so the more they see and touch, the more cognitive connections they make. For a 2-yr-old, one might teach the same concept this way: put lots of pictures of flowers, trees, and plants with paper and glue sticks on a table. Invite the child choose a few pictures to glue onto the paper, and say, "God made the flowers. What colors of flowers do you see?" This can lead to a conversation (believe it or not, 2s love to talk and they can say quite a lot!) about all the things God made. For a 3 and 4-yr-old, one might have a planting activity, where the children can plant their own flower in a pot or even plant seeds into a cup with soil. As the children work with their hands, lead the children in discussion of all the different plants God made. All three of these age groups (babies, 2s, and PreK) learned the same concept of "God made the plants," yet they learned in completely different, age-appropriate ways.

The Shema Lifestyle = Teachable Moments
Say to the baby, "God made the flowers"...it almost sounds like I am being patronizing, but I am not...it's just THAT simple. God intended for learning about Him to be a lifestyle. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is known as The Great Shema, and it was God first real instruction for teaching children.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
God says teaching children faith should be a lifestyle of learning. Parents can model to their children and take advantage of "teachable moments" found in every-day life. Teachable moments are all around you! Take a walk and point out all the things in nature God made. Provide Bible-based board books and an actual Bible for children to read and play with at home. Talk about how God made people during bath time, pointing out the different body parts (God gave us ears to hear, eyes to see, etc.) Thank God for food to eat at mealtimes. Once you start doing these things at home with your children, it will begin to feel more natural and you will eventually see your children learning these concepts! Go ahead and ask them questions and see what they say! When asked, "Who made the trees?", our 1-year-old answers back, "God did!" This is not something she learned on her own...we taught her God made the trees by simply talking about it day after day.

The Shema Learning Styles
The Great Shema talks about all the different ways the Israelites were to teach their children. All children have different learning styles and methods in which they learn best. Preschoolers generally learn through repetition, through play, through using their senses, and through activities which tap into their audio, visual, tactile, and even kinesthetic learning styles. Watch how your child plays. Does she love music or listening to you read aloud? She could be an auditory learner. Maybe your child likes to use his hands to touch, feel, squish, or tap with his hands...he could be a tactile learner. Maybe your child runs, moves, and wiggles all over the place...kinesthetic learners learn through movement. Many children learn in more than one way, so your child could fall into several categories, too! The Shema Lifestyle caters to the way a child is "wired" and designed to learn...as you sit at home, walk along the road, write them, tie them, etc. Even in the Old Testament times, God knew how children needed to learn!

Be Inspired! You CAN Do This!
The longer I work in children's ministry, the more I realize how daunted the current generation of parents are by the task of teaching their children about God. Some parents don't even realize this responsibility is theirs, let alone know how to accomplish it! I believe it is the job of the church to partner with parents, giving them the tools they need to help them lead their children into faith in God. I love helping parents learn how to teach their kids...it comes easier for some parents than others, but God has equipped every believing parent with the ability to teach their children about Him.

The "Blow Your Mind" Stats
George Barna statistical research states that kids, age 5-13, have a 32% probability of accepting Christ, while 14-18-yr-olds only have a 4% chance. After age 19, people have a 6% probability of accepting Christ. This statistic scares me and inspires me at the same time. How much emphasis does your church put on children's and preschool ministry? How important did you think it was before you saw these numbers? It's absolutely VITAL for children to learn about God as early as possible. The window of opportunity seems so small when you see these statistics. What an incredible opportunity we have to make an eternal difference in the lives of preschoolers as we teach them about God!

I can tell you from personal experience that babies CAN learn. Toddlers CAN learn. 2s, 3s, and 4s CAN learn. To wait until children are able to discuss and articulate their feelings is a waste of precious time! Chew on this for a while, please. Children cannot teach themselves. Children need us to be their teachers and to be their advocates. All children can learn, despite their age. The question is, "Are you willing to teach them?"