from the director | april 2018

I am regularly amazed by how quickly preschoolers grow. Their physical growth is often the easiest to recognize. There are some Mondays when it looks like children are walking into school an inch taller than the Friday before. 

This is the also the time of school year where skill proficiency kicks in. After months of practice, opening and closing scissors are easier, holding a pencil feels more natural, and crossing the monkey bars is doable. Watching many of the 4 Day students write their names with confidence gives all of us such a sense of accomplishment. Classrooms in April “hum” as children play and socialize in ways that sometimes felt like an impossible goal in September (just keeping it real, folks).

Spiritual growth is a little trickier to measure than physical growth, for example. We can observe spiritual behaviors at school such as participating in class prayers, listening to Bible stories and reciting Bible verses. But how do we know what is growing inside a child’s heart? Genuine growth in faith is an outward and an inward journey. Behavior alone is only a partial measure. One way we like to measure spiritual growth is by asking questions. We recently asked our 4 Day students 3 questions. Here are some of their answers:

Tell me what you know about God. Why is God special?
“He made the whole Earth for us to live in.”
“He can hear people.”
“He won’t let us die on the cross because Jesus already did.”

What do you like to talk to God about?
“I like to ask Him, ‘Do you love me?’”
“I talk to him about helping me sleep because I’m always waiting for it to be morning.”
“When I’m in bed, I talk to Him in my head, but I forget what I say.”

What is your favorite Bible story and why?
“I like the fishy story - Jonah fell in the fish. I like it because I love fishing so much.”
“When Jesus was born because there are two Gods after that.”
“When God closes the lion’s mouth because Daniel gets out.”
“When Jesus was born because God used a star to show others where Jesus was born.”
“The Easter story one because I get to eat candy.”

I want to encourage you to foster your child’s spiritual growth with as much passion as you encourage academic and social skills. Children are the most open to faith in the preschool and elementary years. Giving them a foundation from a young age makes a lasting difference In “What Great Parents Do” this month, we’ll share a few super simple steps to guide you.

Finally, I want to express my appreciation to a fantastic group of leaders who I love and admire - our 2017-18 Advisory Board led by Kristen Burden. Thank you for feeding our staff each month at our monthly meetings (HUGE!). Thank you for organizing and running events that build community among parents like the “Cup of Christmas Tea” and “Daddy and Me Day.” Thank you for organizing our Room Parents so teachers are supported and well-resourced. Thank you for the FUN FAIR and stocking supplies for woodworking...and ALL that you have given to Weekday School this year. Our Advisory Board is amazing and I thank God for each of you!

In Christ,

try this at home | march 2018

4 ways to talk about Easter with young children

If you have a preschooler in your family, you may be wondering the best way to share the story of Easter in a way that is developmentally and emotionally appropriate for your child. 

Teaching children about the birth of Jesus at Christmas time is easy and appealing. Everyone loves the story of a God’s Son being born in a stable surrounded by angels, shepherds, cows, and sheep.

Teaching a young child about the death and resurrection of Jesus can feel a bit daunting. You may be tempted to skip the part of the story about Jesus on the cross because you are concerned that your child will be overly sad or disturbed by Jesus’ death. While every child is unique in temperament and development, here are some general guidelines for sharing the Easter story:

1.    Keep it simple: Stick with the basics of the Easter story and save the details about nails, the crown of thorns or other painful details for when your child is older. You may simply say to your three year old: “Jesus was hurt by some bad guys and they put Him on the cross and He died.”  
2.    Tell the truth: Death is a part of life. If your child has lost a goldfish or a great-grandparent, they may have already felt the sadness that death can bring. In a gentle and simple way, talking about death helps a child understand their world and the promises of life after death with God. 
3.    Focus on the GOOD NEWS: Jesus came to life again. He beat death! He made a way for us to go heaven! Easter is a story with a happy-ever-after ending. 
4.    Answer their questions: Little people don’t process big things all at once. Expect lots of questions. Answer them the best you can, keeping in mind that short answers are best. It’s also okay to say, “I don’t know…what do you think?” Questions mean that your child is thinking about Jesus, which is a good thing!

what great dads do | march 2018

Great dads are involved in daily life of their children.

Research has proven what we have always known. Dads play a crucial role in a child’s development during the preschool years and beyond. Children with involved fathers have a social and academic advantage over children with distant or disengaged fathers. They are more likely to have better language skills and less behavioral problems. Interestingly, this result holds true even if the father doesn't live in the same home as the child -- for example, in divorce situations. It appears that how involved the dad is -- not where he lives in relation to the child -- is the crucial factor.

Great dads play with their children.

Dads tend to play differently than moms - and this is good thing. Fathers tickle more, they wrestle, and they throw their children in the air (while mother says . . . "Not so high!"). Fathers chase their children, sometimes as playful, scary "monsters."

Fathering expert John Snarey explains that children who roughhouse with their fathers learn that biting, kicking, and other forms of over aggressive behavior is not acceptable. They learning self-control by being told when “enough is enough.” Girls and boys both learn a healthy balance between timidity  and aggression.

Great dads lovingly discipline their children.

Educational psychologist Carol Gilligan tells us that fathers stress justice, fairness and duty (based on rules), while mothers stress sympathy, care and help (based on relationships). Fathers tend to observe and enforce rules systematically and sternly, teaching children the consequences of right and wrong. Mothers tend toward grace and sympathy, providing a sense of hopefulness. Again, either of these disciplinary approaches by themselves is not good, but together, they create a healthy, proper balance.

Here’s more about how to discipline with love: Why Kids Need Boundaries

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13
 

from the director | march 2018

Happy March! As we prepare to SPRING forward, here are three things we’re inviting you to do this month.

ONE: Appreciate Dads!

Father’s Day doesn’t arrive until June, but at Weekday School we can’t let the school year go by without celebrating our dads. Because they’re AWESOME. We look forward to Daddy and Me Day next Wednesday. Children and their father will attend chapel, play outside, visit classrooms and share a snack. 

Dads play a unique and crucial role in a child’s growth and development. Check out “What Great Dads Do” to learn how.

TWO: Tell your child the Easter story.

Does your child know the true story of Easter? The one that is found in the Bible? It doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to know how to answer all of your child’s questions. We can help! We’re sharing our suggestions in “Try this at Home.” 

Your family is invited to attend First Presbyterian Church for worship join us on Easter Sunday, April 1. Our service will take place at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center so there are plenty of seats for everyone. Find details here: Easter In The City

THREE: Complete our annual survey.

Parent feedback is an important part of our continuous improvement plan at Weekday School. We encourage you to complete the parent survey that we email to you the Monday after spring break. Your voice matters. Your opinions count. 

Thank you for all the big and small ways you support the ministry of Weekday School...in particular, for making playdough! It’s such a blessing for each of our classes to have a fresh batch each month. 

In Christ,

faith and family | march 2018

Planting the Seeds
 
Lately, I have recognized my I need to slow down. I am often racing my children to school, sports lessons, church, play dates, planning committees, grocery shopping, birthday parties, doctors appointments, and everything else we have on the calendar.
 
In addition to the physical rushing, I sometimes find myself mentally hurrying my children to the next stage of their lives as well. I must admit I often think that “if we could get through ______ (a particular behavioral stage, or a developmental accomplishment, or a more independent place), then things would be so much easier.” For example, if my almost two-year-old could communicate better, he would have less meltdowns, or if my almost four-year-old could just understand and implement the concepts of listening and sharing with his little brother, life would be a breeze in our household. However, I am (slowly) learning that it is a journey to get there, and there is beauty in the process.
 
Our Heavenly Father tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1-3, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build.”

During challenging stages, while I am tempted to hurry to get to the next phase, reading this verse in Ecclesiastes reminds me personally that this season is “a time to plant.” We are planting seeds in our children now, and we may not see the fruits of those seeds for a while. The process may be longer than we'd like, and it may require more patience than we think we can muster up. However, in this season, God has things He wants to teach us. He has things He wants us to share with others. And later, when we see the harvest that comes from the seeds we are planting now, the fruit will be all the sweeter.