Monthly Archives: March 2014

Hands-on Worship Friends:

January is a good time to settle in with your hands-on children’s worship program, with the excitement of Christmas past us and with the children being more used to the program’s procedures.  Step back and take a look:  how is it going?  What is working well/not so well?

As you get to know the students, are there some who could take on more of a leadership role?   We learn the most when we teach others; it also is true of children. In Montessori, children show mastery of a story or activity by being able to teach another.  A child could show another child stories or guide them in reinforcement activities.  This concept is different from announcing, “Susie is our special helper today”.  It takes noticing a student’s specific skills and asking them in a more private space to use those skills to help others:  “Susie, I notice how you are able to retell a story to yourself (or work with the watercolors to reflect on the story/etc).  Would you please guide our new friend Sarah?”  Children listen to other children often much more than to us, so let’s use that tendency in our favor!

Also, in Montessori, praising a child takes on a different form.  Instead of telling everyone, “Joe did such a nice job of putting away his story”, consider the following.  Make a general comment such as, “I noticed someone who took care to put all of the story pieces away and to find the correct space for the story.  Did you see something similar?”  More than one person will see him/herself in that scenario and can feel pride.

What is your particular challenge moving into 2014? What are your goals? Share, and together we can explore strategies for success.

Happy new year! -Margaret