Between the ages of three and five, children are developing rapidly and spend most of their time busily exploring the world around them. Play is essential to children of this age, and they use toys to express themselves, often considering a favorite toy an extension of themselves. As any parent of a preschooler will know, three-to-five year olds have an insatiable appetite for questions, asking “why” about every new event in their limited life experience. Preschoolers are becoming aware of themselves as individuals, but they have not yet developed a sense of guilt from asking so many questions or demanding that adults play with them. This article includes a list of developmental markers used to chart spiritual growth in young children and a brief exercise to help parents think about their child’s growth over the next year.

Love God

1. Foster in your children a sense of security that God loves them. “We love him because he first loved us” truly applies to preschool children. They need to experience being loved by adults so they can respond back in love. These children need to hear the stories of grace that God loves them.

2. Help children learn to worship God through prayers, singing, and Bible stories.

3. Help children learn to love God’s creation. Nature with all its glory is a tangible expression of God’s work. Loving God’s world is an important step in learning to love God.

Love Others and Self

1. Teach your children the spiritual values of generosity, cooperation, and kindness. You can model these virtues in the way you treat the children and other adults. Children also learn through practice in their social interaction with other children and adults. Teachers can lay the groundwork with preschool children so that these values may grow stronger as children mature.

2. Provide children the experience of being valued, respected, cared for, and treated as capable by their teachers and parents/caregivers. Preschoolers are active and curious. Teachers and parents/caregivers can provide them the security of being loved. Allow children to express their strong needs to explore, question, and initiate activities.

Too much criticism and restriction stifles children’s creativity and learning. Such actions can teach guilt and lack of self-confidence and give the message that “there’s something wrong with you.”
Too much freedom ignores preschoolers’ need for adult supervision and interaction. Children need limits. They need to know what the rules are and that there are adults who care enough about them to set necessary limits. A child who is frequently criticized by significant adults or who does not have good supervision is not a happy child.

From Help! I Teach Children’s Sunday School by B. Max Price, published by Smyth & Helwys. To order call 1-800-747-3016.