I found an awesome article on Ministry-to-Children.com by Wayne Stocks about talking to kids that lists ideas for conversation starters!
Check it out here: http://ministry-to-children.com/100-conversation-starters/
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
How Babies Learn!
I'm currently looking into a very simple curriculum for the infant nursery, but I came across this, to help get us started! Nursery Staff, please read!
How Babies Learn
Babies have to be physically comfortable before they can learn.
If babies are hungry, sleepy, in pain, sick, they cannot pay attention to any learning activity. Watch for babies who seem content. Then take a safe activity to them that matches their level of ability. Offer the activity, using a duplicate toy in a way similar to what you want the baby to learn to do--eventually. Wait to see what happens.
Babies learn through repetition.
Rather than changing the lesson every time the babies come to church, repeat lesson ideas and activities. These little ones need the repetition to give them time to respond to the activity. For this reason, consider making lesson activities, complete with instructions, that can be stored in and taught in the baby room during every service for a month, several months, or permanently.
Babies are dependent on adults.
Generally, nursery helpers will need to be sensitive to babies' needs to move to new positions, to have toys within reach, to have interesting pictures or objects to see.
Babies learn through their senses.
Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling--all add to what babies are learning. Babies like to handle and mouth everything. So every nursery toy needs to be safe and cleanable. After one baby finishes with a toy that has been in his mouth, teachers should remove it until it can be washed and disinfected.
Babies learn from imitation.
If a teacher shakes a bell or moves a toy in a way related to a Bible story, eventually babies will probably imitate that part of the lesson.
Babies learn to talk when they hear talk.
The more often a baby enjoys eye-to-eye "talks" with adults, the more quickly she learned to understand and communicate. At first babies will begin moving their mouths, then making coos, then jabbering, and finally repeating a word or two.
Babies need to be protected from one another.
Crawling babies may climb over other babies in their path. Babies need help to learn to go around, not over, other babies. Teachers can help babies learn to use gentle touches. Teachers can also distract babies from exploring one another to exploring interesting books or toys.
Babies are learning to trust and love.
When babies receive tender, loving care during the first year of their lives, they learn to love other and to trust that their needs will be met. Learning to love and trust adults, whom they can see, can be the first step in learning to love and trust God, whom they can't see.
How Babies Learn
Babies have to be physically comfortable before they can learn.
If babies are hungry, sleepy, in pain, sick, they cannot pay attention to any learning activity. Watch for babies who seem content. Then take a safe activity to them that matches their level of ability. Offer the activity, using a duplicate toy in a way similar to what you want the baby to learn to do--eventually. Wait to see what happens.
Babies learn through repetition.
Rather than changing the lesson every time the babies come to church, repeat lesson ideas and activities. These little ones need the repetition to give them time to respond to the activity. For this reason, consider making lesson activities, complete with instructions, that can be stored in and taught in the baby room during every service for a month, several months, or permanently.
Babies are dependent on adults.
Generally, nursery helpers will need to be sensitive to babies' needs to move to new positions, to have toys within reach, to have interesting pictures or objects to see.
Babies learn through their senses.
Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling--all add to what babies are learning. Babies like to handle and mouth everything. So every nursery toy needs to be safe and cleanable. After one baby finishes with a toy that has been in his mouth, teachers should remove it until it can be washed and disinfected.
Babies learn from imitation.
If a teacher shakes a bell or moves a toy in a way related to a Bible story, eventually babies will probably imitate that part of the lesson.
Babies learn to talk when they hear talk.
The more often a baby enjoys eye-to-eye "talks" with adults, the more quickly she learned to understand and communicate. At first babies will begin moving their mouths, then making coos, then jabbering, and finally repeating a word or two.
Babies need to be protected from one another.
Crawling babies may climb over other babies in their path. Babies need help to learn to go around, not over, other babies. Teachers can help babies learn to use gentle touches. Teachers can also distract babies from exploring one another to exploring interesting books or toys.
Babies are learning to trust and love.
When babies receive tender, loving care during the first year of their lives, they learn to love other and to trust that their needs will be met. Learning to love and trust adults, whom they can see, can be the first step in learning to love and trust God, whom they can't see.
Monday, May 3, 2010
First Impressions
I've been catching up on my http://www.childrensministrytalk.com/ podcasts lately, and I came across one about First Impressions that caught my eye. One of the speakers was saying that you have 10 minutes, when a family first walks onto your campus to make them go "Wow!" If they don't, you've already lost them. 10 minutes! It's got to be about 2 minutes for a child, and even less than that for a preschool or toddler. Here's what he had to say about his experience:
"I went to a friend of mine's church the next weekend, a large church, church with a brand new facility, we went to check him into the 3-year-old classroom, and the lady didn't talk to him at all, she only talked to us (my wife and I), he looked in, and grabbed my leg and starting crying. Why? Because kids were sitting on a tape line on the floor. They were waiting for class to begin. There were bins full of fun toys to play with, but they didn't have any of them out yet. Kids that age, boy, if you don't impress them in the first 5-10 seconds, you have a problem with a kid crying the whole service, wanting his parents. With elementary kids, you can have up to a couple minutes, when they walk in to check out Children's Church. You gotta have kids welcoming kids, something for them to do! Appeal to the child, to that culture, IMMEDIATELY when they walk in the room."
Good word for all of us to get a hold of! Please help make families and children feel comfortable and happy! I can only do so much with the environment and classrooms, I need your help, FV Kids Staff, to do the welcoming!
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