Why Teach This Way

Spiritual goals for fours and fives as you teach through the preschool curriculum are:

• To know that Jesus died to save us
• To know that God loves us and forgives us
• To know that we are part of God’s covenant family
• To respond to his love with hearts that trust and obey him

Four and five year olds need a different atmosphere of teaching in comparison to toddlers and are capable of so much more in terms of learning. They need:

• Opportunity to change activity often
• Social interaction, group games
• Concrete Bible stories, no abstract concepts or “isms”
• Imaginative activities
• Plenty of opportunities to move around

Settings that encourage learning by doing

• Opportunities to learn by specific actions
• No references to what numbers mean or to geography
• Freedom within limits—routine and structure
• Opportunities to practice cutting, pasting, drawing and coloring
• Opportunities to learn through language
• Periods of rest
• Tasks to perform
• Encouragement; reasonable praise
• To learn about God in terms of what he does rather than who he is