I saw this great Infograph online this week, and wanted to share. Take some time this weekend to get off Facebook and talk your families…nicely of course.
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Early Childhood Winning: Four-Six
I believe the real horror of Nursery Ministry is when leaders fail to teach to the level of learning of their kids. When we start to define success for our leaders, set realistic expectations, get to know our kids, and submit our needs to prayer we can begin to lead in new and creative ways. I’ve found the following materials as it relates to development of kids and I’d like to share!
What should I expect both developmentally and spiritually?
Speaking directly about those kids between four years old and six, I’ve found the following information.
Developmentally // Three to Six
Between three and four:
- Recognizes and matches six colors
- Intentionally stacks blocks or rings in order of size
- Draws somewhat recognizable picture that is meaningful to child if not to adult; names and can explain the picture.
- Asks questions for information. // Why? How?
- Knows own age
- Knows own name
- Begins to be aware of past and present
Between four and five:
- Plays with words; creates rhymes
- Matches pictures of familiar objects
- Draws a person with recognizable parts
- Knows own street and town
- Has more extended attention span; learns by observing and listening to adults; as well as through exploration; is easily distracted.
- Time concepts are expanded, can talk about yesterday and tomorrow
Between five and six:
- Retells story from picture book with reasonable accuracy
- Sorts objects by single characteristics
- Uses classroom tools meaningfully and purposefully
- Attention span increases noticeably; learns through instruction; when interested, can ignore distractions
Spiritually
Three to Seven Years // Experiencing Faith
Children typically act with “experienced faith.” Children respond to actions of parents and adults, while learning to initiate their own actions. They explore and test, imagine and create, observe and copy, experience and react.
Ministry Implications:
- Continue activities begun in infancy, but with increasing involvement of the children.
- Add to reading and playing, Bible stories with exciting narration, and encourage active use of the imagination on the part of the children.
- Involve the children in creative telling and dramatizing of Bible stories.
- Encourage children to ask questions about the Bible reading, and imagine what Biblical characters might say if they could be there.
- Provide a worship readiness opportunity to help children understand what it means to worship and why the church participates in the various aspects of the worship service.
Early Childhood Winning: Birth-Three
I believe the real horror of Nursery Ministry is when leaders fail to teach to the level of learning of their kids. When we start to define success for our leaders, set realistic expectations, get to know our kids, and submit our needs to prayer we can begin to lead in new and creative ways. I’ve found the following materials as it relates to development of kids and I’d like to share!
What should I expect both developmentally and spiritually?
Speaking directly about those kids between one years old and three, I’ve found the following information.
Developmentally // One – Three
By one:
- Follows moving objects with eyes
- Recognizes differences among people
- Responds to and imitates facial expressions
- Responds to very simple directions
- Puts small objects in and out of container with intention
Between one and two:
- Imitates actions and words of adults
- Understands and follows simple, familiar directions
- Is able to match similar objects
- Looks at storybooks with adults
- Recognizes difference between you and me
- Has very limited attention span
- Accomplishes learning through own exploration
Between two and three:
- Responds to simple directions
- Stacks rings on pegs in order of size
- Recognized self in mirror, saying baby, or own name
- Can talk briefly about what he/she is doing; imitates adult actions
- Has limited attention span; learning is through exploration and adult direction
Spiritually
Infancy – 3 Years // Sensing Security
The greatest need is to feel that the world is a safe place and that the people in it are dependable. The sense of security and trust usually comes from the family and provides a foundation for children to trust God. The primary learning tool is mimicking.
Ministry Implications:
- Talk, Read, play, sing, and pray with children
- Involve children in activities with other children and adults.
- Begin family faith traditions and holiday rituals.
- Provide parenting classes and support groups for parents
- Baby Dedications or baptism ceremonies.
Winning in Early Childhood: Next Steps
One of the very first steps to setting up our Early Childhood environments for a win is to set realistic expectations. I’m talking about expectations that set us up to win and to keep on winning and keep on winning and keep on winning. The issue is that these wins have to be defined by each leader on a unique level, and have to be defined for each church based on the win for that body of Christ in that location.
I’ve defined 3 “Next Steps” for helping us define the win where we are. These things have to be done for us to begin to attempt being successful for Nursery and Preschool children and their families.
1. Know Your Kids. Really, really, really know the kids you teach and lead. Do we know their families? Do we know their siblings? Do we know what could be happening in their lives away from church?
It’s a gigantic cop-out to say that our churches are too busy or too large to find these things out. Each kid has a unique story, and if we take the time to find it out we can then take our ministry to a new level.
What does this look like? It looks like teachers praying for parents in the hallways, and fathers that don’t attend church coming for the first time. It looks like teachers knowing the birthdays of their kids and kids celebrating the uniqueness of their teachers with gifts and hugs.
2. Learn what’s developmentally normal. Take the time to make your leaders as educated as possible on age appropriateness. There are books, blogs, and information galore on this topic. Why not take the time to put it all out there when you do teacher training? Why not add some notes and helpful hints along the way for your leaders? Why not use these?
3. Pray. Let me guess. You forget this one sometimes, right? Let the Holy Spirit lead, in spite of what your developmentally or cognitively know about your class. The Lord desires to have your true leading from Him. Make prayer a priority for your class and classroom leaders.
Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
The Real Horror Story of Early Childhood
I’ve seen the real horror of Early Childhood and Nursery ministry. It’s NOT the one person in a room of 20 kids under 18 months old all by themselves. It’s NOT the parent that insist that we not call her out of service when her kid throws chairs across the classroom. It’s NOT even the kid that comes to church and prays for Jesus to protect them from the crocodiles (whatever that means…)
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen happen, that you can laugh about now?
I’ve found that the real Horror Story happens when classroom leaders fail to teach up or down to the level of learning of their kids. It’s a horrible tragedy when leaders of 4 year olds treat their class like 14 year olds and grow exasperated when they won’t sit down for her lecture. It’s a tragedy when the 2 year old leader doesn’t take the time to illustrate biblical truths to her kids in an environment ripe for learning.
I’ve just about seen it all, but these above scenarios are what keep me up at night. When these things happen the kids don’t absorb the truth of God’s Word like they are created to, and those leaders grow frustrated and anxious about the job they are failing at. It’s time that us in the leadership of our churches begin to train, teach and lead in a way that sets everyone up for success.
1. First, we’ve got to set realistic expectations. Don’t every place a leader in a room with an age of kids, without first explaining what that age of kid can and cannot do. Not doing this is like throwing someone the keys to your stick shift car and expecting them to know how to drive without having every driven a stick shirt before.
2. Second, you’ve got to give your leaders the information. Tell them what’s the what about the age of kids they have.
3. Third, and finally; you’ve got to define the win for your Early Childhood leaders. There may be no easier win in your entire Children’s Ministry, but also be the hardest to define. Tell your leaders how they know they’ve done the 4 year old class right.
Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding
