Encouraging Friendships in Preschoolers: Your Role as a Sunday School Teacher
As a Sunday school teacher, you have the unique opportunity to watch friendships grow in your classes each year. It is wonderful to see a little girl who is shy and reserved enter your class, and leave with a bounty of confidence as she moves on to a new class. Yes, making friends makes life so much more enjoyable. What ways can you encourage friendships in your Sunday school class?
Let Parents Know What Goes on in Class
The best friendships just happen when two or more people click. You may notice that Sally and Jill always sit together, laugh, and play all the time. They are more or less inseparable. You can alert the parents of these two budding friends of their friendship, and perhaps this will turn into play dates outside of church. Preschoolers only get an hour or two to spend together each week in your class, and being able to be friends outside of church can help that friendship to grow even more.
Provide Plenty of Teamwork Opportunities
Young children learn to be friends by being nice to each other and working together. Inspire friendships through teamwork games that you can play in class. Games such as bowling, a team scavenger hunt, or any game that requires kids to share parts is a great idea. When children learn that a game is not all about "me," they learn that it is more fun to work in a group with friends.
Have a Show and Tell
Show and Tell can accomplish three important tasks. First, kids can show pride in something that they want to share with the rest of the class. It can be their Bible, a favorite stuffed animal, or anything else that brings them joy and comfort. Show and Tell helps children discover other children who share the same interests as they do. This leads the way to conversation and friendship. This activity also gives you a chance to get to know your preschoolers better, and tune in on the things that they like.
Accept Natural Friendships
One of the best things you can do in your Sunday school class is recognize that not every child is going to be friends with every other child in the class. You probably see two girls clinging to each other, while another group of friends consists of the same five boys each week. As long as each child in your class has at least one other child to be friends with things are going great. You do want to emphasize the importance of getting along with everyone, but that does not necessarily mean making sure everyone is a friend. There is a difference between knowing how to be "friendly" and being a true "friend."
Teaching preschool Sunday school is a blessing. You are giving your time to help young children understand the Bible, and know that Jesus loves them each very much. Jesus says a lot about the importance of being friends in the Bible, and this is the most important reason why you should be teaching it in your class as well.
About the Author
Denise Oliveri is owner of Preschool Sunday School Central, a site designed to help preschool Sunday School teachers find the best resources for helping with Bible lesson planning. There are tons of free materials, as well as valuable and professional eBooks on many different subject matters. Visit today!
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