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as teaching tools.
    Play is to early childhood what gas is to a car.May our preschool hallways be filled with the sounds of kids playing instead of “shhh.”May our preschool rooms be filled with smiling faces that come from playful activities instead of frowns from being made to sit still.Having fun is key to a thriving preschool ministry.Let’s play!
—Dale

Teaching preschoolers how to pray can be challenging, and using rote memorization or words a child wouldn’t normally use won’t develop an understanding of the true meaning of prayer.We need to emphasize simple prayers that come from the heart and help preschoolers build a relationship with God through conversation.
    Follow these simple guidelines to help preschoolers talk to God.
    Emphasize that we’re talking to God and that God loves and cares for us.God, as an unseen being, is a difficult concept for children to understand, so keep your explanation of God very simple.
    Use plain language.When we use language that’s formal or unfamiliar, we communicate the idea that God is formal and unreachable.
    Don’t insist on a specific body position.While closing our eyes may help us concentrate, preschoolers can become distracted by the challenge of keeping their eyes closed.
    Encourage preschoolers to give thanks for things that are important in their lives.Giving thanks for their parents, pets, food, and friends will make sense to their level of understanding.Never tell a child that what he or she is praying for is wrong.At this stage preschoolers are developing a relationship with God as a friend and confidant.
    Don’t ask a preschooler to pray in front of others unless you know he or she is comfortable doing so.It’s better to ask if someone wants to volunteer to pray.
    Help preschoolers understand that prayer is a way of asking for help for themselves or others.As they learn to express their hearts and concerns through prayer, children will build trust in God and a foundation of faith.
    Use creative experiences to help preschoolers pray.Preschoolers are visual learners, and teaching prayer in an abstract manner makes it harder for them to understand.Instead have them each create a prayer book, a prayer box, or similar item.Then encourage them to draw, color, or bringpictures of things they’d like to include in their prayers.Have them each keep their “prayers” in their book or box and add other prayers over time.This simple concept will help them move into the next stage of their prayer lives as they grow in age and understanding.
—Barbara

Preschoolers are learners.They constantly perceive and discover new ways of doing things.Research has shown that children this age are especially receptive to learning; their brains are like sponges picking up concepts through the use of all their senses.
    One of the best things our preschool ministries can do is to offer children experiences that help them truly learn God’s Word.The beauty of teaching young children to soak in God’s Word is that they haven’t developed preconceived notions about the truth in the Bible.
    Our preschool ministries should be primed and ready to help these natural learners learn.The good news is that kids learn best with people they love and when learning is fun.This means that when kids develop relationships with ministry volunteers and have fun experiences—they’re in their tailor-made learning environment.Use these key elements to help preschoolers learn.
    Relationships—At our church, we create a setting that’s conducive for preschoolers to soak up God’s Word by having consistent volunteers in our preschool ministry.Preschoolers can’t build a meaningful relationship with a volunteer who only serves once a month.While we strongly encourage all our preschool volunteers to serve on a weekly basis, we require that they serve at least twice a month to maintain consistency for our preschoolers.We’ve found this still allows relationships to be formed between our volunteers