Preschool Leader Articles

Timely Tips May 2013

1. If not meeting in the summer:

Plan at least one event during the summer for your preschoolers and prospects.
Have an end-of-the-year party.
Recognize teachers and preschoolers with a certificate.

2. Preschoolers going to first grade:

Have a celebration for them in class and possibly recognize them in church.

From Helplessness to Hopefulness

Terrorist attacks, bombings, war between nations—each of these crises has affected everyone, including our children. How can we help children cope in these difficult times? As they see the news of these crises the foremost question for children is, “Will this happen to me?” What can teachers of preschoolers and children at church do to help in dealing with these disturbing events?

As you teach children in Mission Friends^®, Girls in Action^®, Royal Ambassadors^®, or Children in Action^SM, you will have questions from children about these crises. Children need reassurance during troubling times. Children’s teachers at church (and parents) can give this reassurance as children sort through their feelings about these tragedies and those that will come in the future.

Activity Teaching

Choosing Activities for Your Group

Four or five weeks of good suggestions for activities and materials are given for each unit in Mission Friends materials; how do you choose what is best for the group? From the wealth of activities suggested, consider some of the following points as you plan.

Project HELP: Natural Resources/Personal Gain

This Land Is His Land
Have you ever picked up a wad of dirt and examined it? Did you marvel at the composition, color or texture? Or did you toss it aside with a “yuck”?

Timely Tips March 2013

1. Easter comes early this year:

Easter is March 31.
Share how missionaries have Easter celebrations to tell people about Jesus.

2. Using your cell phone in Mission Friends:

Do you know a missionary you can call and put on speaker phone?
Text your preschoolers’ questions to your church missions team and share answers as texts are received.

Ways to Use Mission Friends at Home

Ideas for parents:

Make a scrapbook of your family engaging in the Family Time pages ideas, as well as other missions activities you do.
Talk about the Family Time pages. Ask your preschooler what else your family can do.
After completing the I Can Do It Myself activity, ask your preschooler to share other activities he can do and celebrate with him.

Talking with Preschoolers: Communicating Nonverbally

Johnny came into the room like a whirlwind. I suggested he might like to paint at the easel. Several colors of paint were there for him to choose. He dipped a paintbrush into the black paint and just went back and forth all over the paper. I asked him to tell me about his painting. “It’s a tornado,” he responded.

Tracking Christmas in August Along the Mississippi

The mighty Mississippi is how those who live along the Mississippi River choose to refer to it. Southern Baptists have been making an impact on those living along the Mississippi river for the past couple of decades through Mississippi River Ministry (MRM), a ministry of eight state conventions—Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee along with the North American Mission Board and WMU^®.

Meet Our Writers for 2012–2013

We appreciate these writers sharing their expertise and creativity with Mission Friends through Mission Friends Leader, Mission Friends at Home, and Mission Friends Leader Kit. Some also contribute to this Web site.