This Week in Preschool

David showed God’s love by being kind to Mephibosheth
1 Samuel 20:14-17, 42; 2 Samuel 9

BIBLE VERSE:
“Be kind to one another.”  Ephesians 4:32

Hi Preschool Parents,

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. This week our lesson in Preschool is about David and Mephibosheth. This is a good story to help the kids learn and grow in their ability to share and be generous. Just think how God has shown His generosity to you through others. God used David in many ways. When David became King, He kept a promise he had made to his good friend Johnathan, even though Johnathan had died. David searched for Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was unable to walk due to a accident when he was young. When David found Mephibosheth, David brought him into his home and took care of him for the rest of his life. Normally a new king would have all the family members of the former king killed to reduce the threat to the throne. But because of David's promise, the former king's grandson was well cared for.

God keeps all His promises. You can depend on Him to always be with you and care for you. And just as God extends His hand of grace and care for you, you have the power to extend care and generosity to others. Ask God to show you ways to make kindness real to your children. Your kindness shows your children that God is kind and generous. Its a great time of year to show generosity and kindness to some one!
 
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed." Proverbs 19:17

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have , for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." Hebrews 13:16
 
"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus , how He Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Teaching our children to prayerfully give, to sacrificially give and to give for the glory of God is a very important lesson. Help your children with opportunities to give and share. Help them understand why God wants us to help meet the needs of others. Faithfully planting these seeds now will allow the Lord to work in your children. And, in time, you will see that He has helped them grow a cheerful, giving heart.

See you Sunday!

Praying for your family,
Melanie Ekblad
Nursery Preschool Director

Wednesday December 15th 7-9:30p

For children 6 weeks through 6th grade

Enjoy an holiday evening out and let us watch the kids! Children can join us for Christmas crafts, story time, a movie, & a snack.

We all want our children to grow up to be kind, empathetic and generous people caring about others. The bible tells us to be generous and compassionate to those in need. There is also scientific research that shows how generosity releases happiness endorphins to our brain and clams stress. Preschoolers are like sponges and are keen observers. Your children learn the best lessons by watching what you say and do. Developmentally preschoolers are ready to understand the concept of sharing like they are ready to do things for themselves like getting dressed, etc. Initiative is key at this stage. Look for ways to help your child practice being a cheerful giver on their own.

Here are some strategies to help raise a kind, generous child:

• Model Generosity - By being kind and generous to those in need. Idea: Keep granola bars in your car or bag to give to homeless or take a meal to a sick neighbor. I have memories of my Mom being kind to people in need. She taught me a lot about being generous.
• Talk about Generosity- Point out when you see others being generous. Like when a friend shares a cookie. Say how generous or kind that was of the friend.
• Practice Giving - When there’s a gift to give, have your child help, select, wrap and give.
• Practice Hospitality - By welcoming other children into your home, your child gets to practice sharing their space and toys with others.
• Don’t Force Generously or Giving- Instead give positive reinforcement when you see your child sharing, giving, or being generous. Let children be aware of how their behavior impacts others: For example you can say, “When I saw you sharing your favorite toy with your friend that made me feel very happy.
• Be Generous Together- Like participating in the Preschool food drive or Operation Christmas Child. These are the perfect examples of how a small child can participate.
• Give Old Toys to a Charity- Tell your child how another child will now get enjoyment playing with them.

There are many ways to model being generous : help an elderly neighbor, adopt/sponsor a child in another country, give to a coats/clothing drive, pick up trash at the park...

As soon as our children are old enough to understand we should start teaching generosity. Always remind them that the Lord has called us to give and that what we have has been given to us by Him. Let us all be a good steward of what God has given us and be generous!