This week’s Bible lesson is about Joseph and his brothers. It teaches how Joseph loved his brothers and was kind to them, even after all they had done to him. Ephesians 4:32 tells us, “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Kindness is not always easy to teach to preschoolers. They know what they want and they want it their way. They don’t want to always share, take turns or use kind words. They certainly don’t think to always put the needs of others before their own as we are taught in Philippians 2:4. It is important as the faith builders in the home to teach our preschoolers how to be kind to others and love like Jesus. Here are a few tips to help you as you weave kindness into your preschooler’s daily actions.
Kind words. That seems so simple, but teaching little ones to use kind words can be a challenge. They learn from others, so be mindful of what they are hearing. Are you using kind words? Do they have older siblings that don’t use kind words? What are they watching on TV? What words are they being taught to use?
Include others. It is easy for a preschooler to have a favorite friend or two. Building relationships is important, but we also want to teach them to include others so feelings do not get hurt.
Neighbors. Have you met your neighbors? I know, I know, we have to social distance, but it’s amazing how much a wave or hello can mean to someone. We need to teach eye contact and communication now more than ever with everything we are having to go through and the limited exposure we have to each other.
Do for others. Not too much more to say about that. God wants us to love others and there are so many things we can do to show love. Mail a card or picture they have made to someone. Bake cookies together and drop them off to someone they know. Pick flowers for a neighbor. The saying is, actions speak louder than words.
Nice. Teach them to be nice to others. The best way to teach this is to lead by example. Are you being nice to others? How easy is it for us to get frustrated with others, especially in our own homes. We must remember to be nice to others too, even when it is so hard to do.
Encourage others. It is best to teach our children early in life to be encouragers, to build others up and not tear people down. Hopefully, soon they will be able to give high fives and hugs when needed. Nothing encourages me more than the love of my little friends.
Share. This is a difficult one to teach. Sharing is one of the hardest things for preschoolers to grasp, but it is so important for them to learn. Kindness at its best is seeing a preschooler share a favorite toy or activity.
Serve others. This one refers back to putting others first. Go ahead and teach them age-appropriate chores around the house. Once they learn to serve others at home, the next step is to teach them to serve others everywhere they go. They can hold a door open, pick up and return something that has been dropped, bring in a neighbor’s mail for them or even pull weeds to serve those God has placed around them.
I am here to join you on this journey to kindness. Let’s go shine Jesus with our words and actions!
Resources
In striving for a touch-free church experience, please plan to print these activities ahead of time, if you plan for your child to complete them during Sunday services. Remember pens and crayons too, please.
Follow this link for a complete step-by-step time of Bible study with your preschooler:
Here are a few activities about Joseph showing kindness to his family: