Respect, Kindness, Listen…
I noticed Sunday during Kids Church that there were a couple of squirmy kids that were demonstrating a measure of disrespect to the teacher. Oh wait, I was the teacher….My helper who is a very experienced teacher decided it was time to give the kids an impromptu lesson on respect, kindness and listening.
To my delight, the kids were truly engaged in this lesson and seemed to respond well to being reminded about what their behavior should look like during Kids Church and anytime they are in a learning environment. I must say that the style and transparency of the lesson giver was truly entertaining too.
It is useful to repeat the rules to the kids and to let them know what is expected, to let them know what is coming next for smooth transitions, to praise them for good behavior and to expect the best from them. We also need the skill to get them back, for example: shave and a haircut – 2 bits…this is a signal to clap and look at the teacher.
We had about 20 minutes of good solid sit down discussion about the life lessons, and the Bible story lesson….we were tempted to keep going but that was asking for ultra squirmitus among us. Twenty minutes was a good block of time for this assorted age group to be sitting and focusing on the same content, we needed to transition into another type of related activity.
Repetition is useful when memorizing songs, verses, and for plain learning. Sometimes we repeat the Bible Story with a review of a video, after reading, to reinforce the lesson. I have noticed in the Old Testament that God repeated all kinds of lessons and teachings and warnings to the Israelites. We need repetition at times….young, adult, and senior.
By Debra