Mission Friends Helping Others Activities: More Caught than Taught

An old saying states, “The lesson is more caught than taught.” This is certainly true as we teach preschoolers through Helping Others activities. We can sit them down and lecture them about the needs of others. But until they have opportunities to actually help others, they may not fully understand.

As you lead preschoolers in doing Helping Others activities, you give them rich opportunities to move from a self-focus to being others-focused. Preschoolers are naturally egocentric and their world revolves around themselves.

Doing Helping Others activities with your preschoolers gives you the opportunity to talk with them about the needs of others. Preschoolers’ eyes are opened to see the needs of other people. They also experience what it feels like to meet the needs of others and share God’s love with others.

Recently in my Mission Friends class, a mother of one of our preschoolers led a Helping Others activity. She helped our preschoolers make cards with painted handprints for homebound members of the church. The preschoolers had fun getting paint on their hands and the activity led into a discussion of what it means to be homebound. We also talked about how it will make someone feel to receive one of the handprint cards.

When you do Helping Others activities, have these kinds of discussions so preschoolers know who they are helping. Talk about the needs of others and how preschoolers are helping to meet needs. Say simple prayers for the persons. Along with the activity, read the books Be Kind, Make Friends or One Little Child. Use the text in the books to talk with preschoolers about ways they can show kindness to others, help others, and pray for others. Help preschoolers know they can share God’s love with others.

The lessons preschoolers learn as they do Helping Others activities are invaluable. Lead preschoolers to do missions themselves as they help to meet the needs of others.

Preschoolers gain so much in doing Helping Others activities. These are lessons that are more caught than taught.