Using Object Lessons with Preschoolers
Teaching can be a challenge, and that is especially true when you have preschoolers. A classroom full of preschoolers can be a daunting task. You must keep them under control, keep them safe and happy and try to squeeze in your weekly Sunday school lesson as well. You know that preschoolers have short attention spans, so you will want to make the most out of your lessons. One way to do this is through object lessons. What are object lessons? Read on to learn more.
Object lessons are classroom lessons that use something physical to show the consequences of certain behaviors. Or in other words, these lessons are used to serve as an example about certain behaviors. These are often quite effective when teaching Bible lessons during Sunday schools. Children are often visual learners and reading a lesson out loud does not always effectively teach. A simple lecture may not stimulate the children or may not make the impact you had hoped. Using something they can touch and see will bring home the lesson or moral you want to teach.
There is one word of caution on using object lessons with preschoolers. You do not want to scare or intimidate preschoolers, so you want to make sure that the lessons are lighthearted and fun. When you use object lessons correctly with your preschoolers, they are useful tools. Look around you for everyday objects that you can use for these lessons.
If you are wondering how you can use object lessons, then here are some suggestions. First of all, read your weekly Bible lessons and find out what moral you are trying to teach the children. Then, look around you for everyday objects that can help you explain and illustrate your lesson. For example, if you want to teach your child that friendships grow with nurturing, then you can take two potted flowers. Have the children care for one of the flowers, but not the other. Soon, they will see that something that is cared for properly will grow and flourish. The thing that is not cared for will wither away and die.
Object lessons do not have to be too involved or complicated to make a big impact on your children. You can use anything from flannel boards, to pictures that the children illustrate to hand puppets to make a lesson come alive. Children may hear the lesson you are teaching, but it may mean little. When you show them through object lessons, it suddenly comes alive and has more value and meaning.
Denise Oliveri is a Sunday School teacher of 13+ years. She now runs Preschool Sunday School Central, a website dedicated to bringing preschool Sunday School teachers valuable resources for planning Bible lessons. Come visit our site at http://www.psscentral.com to find tons of free resources, as well as ones you can purchase.
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