Category: “Sunday School Lessons”

So I went all out this week. I had a little extra time and was feeling especially motivated. My kids have a favorite stuffy: Baby bear and baby bunny. So I decided to video a show featuring the two of them, I even created a jingle using the jingle bells tune. I had envisioned doing a series but I really haven’t had the time and I’m not sure that they were as engaged as when I did the lesson live.

I toyed with posting the video but I am not sure I want to make a fool out of myself that much! I will say that my youngest really remembered it still (I’m writing this a few weeks later). The video featured the two stuffies and “tickly worm.” Tickly worm is my finger which somehow took on a personality and a name along the way. Like his namesake he does a lot of tickling but I would often use him as a mediator between myself and my kids when they were upset or angry. Tickly worm wasn’t feeling very good about himself and the stuffies were reminding him that he was God’s artwork, unique and special- building off of the other lesson. I was proud of the work I put into it but I’m not sure that a video is really the way to go but they were surprised to see their stuffies show up on You Tube!

This week was a hard one. I wasn’t really feeling the best about myself and I hadn’t had time to prepare the way I wanted to. Especially after all the work I had put into the video the previous week, I was feeling like I was failing in this Children’s Church endeavor. My wife suggested that it was Ok to continue to build on the past lessons. So I grabbed and orange and a carrot and put faces on them. My oldest really didn’t want to engage in Children’s Church, he wanted to go off and play. I told him we had some special guests and that peaked his interest. My oldest got engaged quickly and my youngest joined in shortly after. The carrot was teaching the orange that he was great just the way he was. The orange wanted to be a carrot but the carrot pointed out how unique the orange was. They ended referencing being God’s art as a tie in.

I was surprised that my oldest actually drew the orange and carrot. He also referenced it throughout the week and later on requested that they come back for Children’s Church. I was going into the day feeling like a failure. It is still overwhelming trying to find ways to teach them that are more meaningful than simply passing along some bible stories. But I’m also convicted about how much I am living out and that the borders of a few moments on a Sunday morning or afternoon are simply not enough. I’ve begun to think about more ways that I can infuse some intentional “teaching” throughout the week and I’m doubling down on my own personal growth.

So this week I decided to tackle the subject of belonging. I wanted them to know that they were connected to each other and to God. I have been inspired by a lot of psychology and Christian writings on this notion of connection and belonging with others and God. I figured I would start with the family as the primary object lesson. So I gathered the family together and I tied a string around my oldest and walked him into the playroom. I told him not to come out until we told him. I led the string back to the living room and then I tugged on the string. I called out to him asking if he felt that? He said yes and I proceeded to tell him that even though he couldn’t see us we were still connected and he could feel us. Then I reeled him in and did it with his little brother. My 2 year old had a little more trouble with the concept but it turned out that later in the week it became a helpful illustration to remind him that he was OK even if we weren’t there.

I then brought them over to the table and drew four bubbles indicating that each represented one of us and had them draw as many lines as they could connecting us in all different ways. Then I drew a circle around all of us and had them connect their extended family. Then another circle indicating the earth and then a final circle encompassing them all, indicating God.

The “string” reference has come up periodically from both of my children and I have intentionally used it a bit. I think its been helpful.