After a long Sacrament Meeting, followed often by Sharing Time, most children are feeling pretty restless long before they reach your classroom. They won’t sit still for a forty-minute lesson, but you can easily add some action and interactivity to almost any lesson. By having some basic methods in mind, you can add the action at a moment’s notice when you unexpectedly need it.
Many stories in the manual can be adapted to let the children act out portions of it. For instance, the Sunbeam manual has the story of Zaccheus, (Lesson 26) a rich man who is a sinner. He wants to see Jesus, so he joins the crowds. However, he is short and cannot see over the crowd so he climbs a tree. I invited my little ones to pretend to be Zaccheus, trying to see over the crowds. I said, "He leaned this way. He leaned that way. He stretched his neck way up high. He stood on his tippy-toes….but he still couldn’t see Jesus." The children leaned, stretched, and stood on their toes, and then made tree-climbing motions. Those few seconds of movement settled them enough so that I could finish the story.
Other stories have repeating aspects. By using the exact same words for these repetitions, you can encourage the children to say them with you. “And she felt cranky and mean and her face looked like this!” The children can say the line and make the face each time you tell about an aspect of the child’s cranky day. When the happy ending comes, you can change the line and the facial expression: "She felt happy and helpful, and her face looked like this!"
Reviews offer many opportunities for action. My preschoolers enjoy lining up against the back wall of our rather large classroom. Each time I ask a review question, they take one step forward and then, as a group, they give the answer. If they don’t know it, they all move back together. They continue until the final question. When I ask it, they go to their seats and sit down before answering.
Put paper flowers on a wall or in a vase. They don’t need to say anything on them, although they can have numbers if you choose. You may want them to all be identical if you have a class that argues over choices. The children come up and select one, and then answer the question you give them. These can be reused many times, and if they are in the supply bag or box you bring with you each week, they can be added to the lesson at a moment’s notice.
When children answer questions, have them stand up. You can also give them an action to do, such as walking around their chair once before answering the question. If they need lots of movement, have them all stand. Ask a question and have everyone walk around the chair. When they stop, choose a child to answer your question.
I like to use the last few minutes to memorize. My four-year-olds are memorizing the books of the New Testament. They march around their chairs as they recite the ones we know so far. They also recite while clapping softly, patting their knees, shaking their heads and turning slowly. They claim the hardest way to recite is with your fingers in your ears and your eyes closed. (They invented this method themselves.)
Invite children to hold the pictures for you, hand out crayons, or lead the music. They can stand up before answering questions or reciting. Children can move to another section of the room for a part of the lesson. They can also slide to the floor to look at a picture. Anything that lets them change positions or move a little makes it easier for them to handle the class time.
Kids Sunday Notes, Vol. 1
