{"id":33118,"date":"2019-04-01T13:54:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T19:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/?p=33118"},"modified":"2019-05-02T14:02:24","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T20:02:24","slug":"3-tips-for-using-dig-in-with-preschoolers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/sunday-school\/3-tips-for-using-dig-in-with-preschoolers\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips for Using DIG IN With Preschoolers"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I\u2019ve been using Dig In<\/a> in my preschool ministry since its inception, and I love it! The Core Bible Discovery<\/a> lessons are solid, and the flexibility allows me to suit my special group of little people\u2014and my special group of adult leaders. As the director of my church\u2019s preschool ministry, I\u2019ve been able to guide my leaders and volunteers as they\u2019ve come to embrace this amazing curriculum. Here are some preschool-friendly tips we\u2019ve applied to make DIG IN<\/a> the best it can be for our <\/em>preschoolers:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Don\u2019t shoot for perfection. <\/strong>Preschoolers can be unruly, and you never know what they might do next. Some are experiencing their first lessons and learning how to interact in this setting. One thing I\u2019ve found is when things don\u2019t run perfectly, it\u2019s more bothersome to leaders than it is to preschoolers. Remind your leaders (and yourself) that the goal isn\u2019t to make it through a lesson exactly <\/em>as it\u2019s written. Encourage your leaders to focus on creating a positive experience for kids because this is what shows God\u2019s love. For example, the DIG IN preschool crafts look amazing in the photos, but I don\u2019t expect my preschoolers to create a replica of the photographed craft. I expect the eyes to be out of place on the bowl piglet and the cutting to match my preschoolers\u2019 abilities. (Or my team does the cutting if it\u2019s completely out of the question for our youngest preschoolers.) In preschool, a lesson is a guideline to expose children to a concept about God. So lay down the perfectionism and show kids God\u2019s love through a positive experience with you and their peers.<\/li>\n
  2. Expect to adjust lessons for your kids.<\/em><\/strong> Every group of preschoolers is so unique. Some classes have only 5-year-old kids. Others have 2- and 3-year olds. Some churches have preschoolers with a lot of educational support and others have none. Because of this fact, no preschool lesson will fit your <\/em>group perfectly. When you find a curriculum that has a solid base, as I did with DIG IN, stick with it! In my ministry, it works best for us to start with the craft as children are arriving; so I adjust the text to set the stage for the Core Bible Discovery activity. The DIG IN instructions do suggest that the Core Bible Discovery activity be done before the craft, but it\u2019s okay to break the rules to make the lessons work for your kids. And DIG IN\u2019s flexibility even makes it easy for to make that change. Now that you\u2019re ready to make adjustments for your kids, don\u2019t forget my first point\u2014even your lessons won\u2019t work out exactly as you plan with preschoolers, and that\u2019s okay!<\/li>\n
  3. Be strategic about how you order activities. <\/strong>Aside from DIG IN\u2019s recommendation that we use the Welcome first, the Core Bible Discovery second, and the Life Application Wrap-Up last, the curriculum leaves the order of the lessons up to you. And as I already mentioned, it\u2019s easy to make adjustments to switch that up, if that\u2019s what\u2019s best for your preschoolers. I\u2019ve found in my years of experience that the order makes a big difference for preschoolers. If your kids get really ramped up for an activity, then don\u2019t plan a more contemplative activity right after it. With my group, I\u2019ve found it\u2019s best to save the games for the end of the lesson. But if your group needs something to get them energized at the beginning so they\u2019re engaged throughout, then you might plan the game first. DIG IN\u2019s editable lessons make it easy to do that.<\/li>\n
  4. Choose the right blocks.<\/strong> While the Talk-About Video block is <\/em>available for preschoolers, the videos are aimed more toward elementary kids. But don\u2019t worry! We have a special option for preschoolers: Preschool Puppet Skits. This interactive puppet show is sure to be a hit with your preschoolers! It\u2019s available in Digging Into the Heart of God<\/a> and Digging Into Epic Teachings of the Bible<\/a>, and coming soon to Digging Into the Life of Jesus<\/a> and Digging Into the Bible in One Year<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    One of the best attributes of DIG IN<\/a> is its flexibility. If it\u2019s not perfect for your ministry the way it is, you can make adjustments without needing to completely overhaul your ministry, like some curriculums require. Try it yourself with DIG IN\u2019s newest program, Epic Teachings of the Bible<\/a>, releasing this summer.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I\u2019ve been using Dig In in my preschool ministry since its inception, and I love it! The Core Bible Discovery lessons are solid, and the flexibility allows me to suit my special group of little people\u2014and my special group of adult leaders. As the director of my church\u2019s preschool ministry, I\u2019ve been able to guide my leaders and volunteers as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":33119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[711,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dig-in","category-sunday-school"],"yoast_head":"\n4 Tips for Using DIG IN With Preschoolers - Group Children's Ministry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve been using Dig In in my preschool ministry since its inception, and I love it! 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