What?
Kalli's gone MIA?
Pretty much I feel like I should have been locked up in the loony bin pumped full of psychotropic drugs cluelessly under the impression that I'm vacationing in the Bahamas with my swimsuit model physique instead of suffering through the dregs of post-Christmas-wait-until-April-stay-away-from-sharp-knives-and-steep-cliffs sort of mind fog of the last and next few months.
It will end. I know this.
But dudes, I seriously am having issues.
To make matters worse, at church my shorter half and I got called to teach the 3 year olds. An hour. Alone. With 5 to 6 midget sized harbingers of panic and feelings of inadequacy (on my part). Today was our first day and after about 20 minutes our bag of tricks (snacks included) was fully depleted and we resorted to handing over the chalk and letting them fight over who got to draw on which section of the board. Fail.
This is where I ask you for help. I've never taught 3 year olds. I don't have one, yet. I'm not a natural game creator or entertainer of children, pretty much at this point they just scare me. I'm good at basic needs, you know, food, education, coloring. Apparently I need games, I need stories, I NEED A BETTER BAG OF FREAKING TRICKS!
Oh you who are wiser than me and meccas of knowledge in the ways of taming the 3 year old mystery... impart upon me your knowledge.
And be specific.
This is serious.
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21 notes:
One of our first callings as a married couple was sunbeams. I hated it...HATED it.This might sound terrible but that is when I realized that it is hard to care about strangers' (pretty much strangers) kids.
Then we did nursery and then back to Sunbeams a few years later.
I would help if I could, but those times are now memories I have chosen to block out.
...I guess one thing I used to do was take them for a walk to the farthest drinking fountain while "practicing" being reverent.
I feel your pain. But! Last year my 3 yr old had an amazing teacher. She literally had bags of tricks, three to be exact. She had a mini fishing set and would let the kids fish and then ask them a question about their lesson when they caught one. She also had a mini bowling set, several stuffed animals, a boombox w/primary music, playdo, a picnic blanket for snacktime, water & cups, and of course scads of coloring opportunities.
She would rotate the bags and what she'd bring. The games were always for the end of class and my daughter couldn't wait to go to class. All her supplies made subbing for her a lot easier.
3-year-olds SHOULD scare the crap out of you. They're crazy and cannot be reasoned with. The end.
P.S. My 3-year-old is going to be the death of me. Seriously. But don't worry, you'll be fine...
Mrs. O has great suggestions.
Remember that Sunbeams are still transitioning from Nursery to Primary. Don't feel like you have to stay put in Sharing Time the whole time. Go back to your classroom, go for a walk (get a rope with knots in it, one for each child, and have each kid grab a knot), have a *short* lesson, a snack, and grab some toys from the nursery (or bring your own). They'll get the hang of it eventually, and you can phase out the toys and snacks.
If all you do is have a 15 minute lesson and then play the rest of the time, that's perfect for the first few months. Consider it parent prep for when the Nub is 3.
I'd probably choose the 3-yr-old over the 5/6-year-old, which is the age group I always gets asked to teach. For some reason, they find hilarity in bodily functions, and find any way to sit on the folding chairs, other than upright.
Aside from the other great suggestions already left, I would suggest a lot of "wiggle" games - even singing the wiggle songs from the Primary songbook. In your bag of tricks, have a bean bag, or small stuffed animal that can be tossed to each kid while asking questions about the lessons and after they catch it, they can answer.
Usually, Froot Loops and lots of activities do the trick! :) (at least it works for me as the teacher)
I *loved* teaching the sunbeams!! That was my very first "grown up" calling and I did it for two years. Here's my advice -
I'd say first off, expect that you'll only get about 10-15 minutes of actual lesson time, and that's ok. Make your lesson as structured as you can, (My schedule was prayer, talk to the kids about how their week was, lesson, game, coloring & snacks, closing prayer.) I usually didn't make my kids sit in chairs, we sat on the floor (you'll usually end up fussing at them about keeping the legs on the floor or staying in their seat - so it's a great way to eliminate the problem)
I always started the class by (in a very excited voice) asking if anyone knew what the lesson was going to be about (I always told them the week before what the lesson would be the following week-it's fun to see if they remember) it's always hilarious to hear their suggestions about what the lesson will be about. Once you tell them what the lesson is, ask for their input. Make sure to tell them they need to respect eachother and speak one at a time so everyone can hear everyone else. (My kids were terrible about talking all at once, it took a couple weeks for them to learn. After a while they would correct *eachother* for speaking out of turn!) If you have a "problem kid," give them a special job that they are responsible for everyday. For instance- I had a kid my first year who refused to sit still or behave and basically just drove me up the wall (It didn't help that his mom started the year off by telling me how sorry she was that I got stuck with her kiddo because he was the spawn of Satan - fantastic!!) One day, I took him aside and told him I had a special job for him because "I knew he could be good and very helpful" and I put him in charge of holding my manuel during class. I told him that if he didn't sit right next to me and hold the book VERY STILL that I wouldn't be able to teach the lesson. Surpisingly enough, it worked!! He was an angel for the rest of the year! I agree with Mrs. Organic, bags of tricks are good. I went to the dollar store and stocked up on games and crayons which was a HUGE help. Wooden puzzles, (I'd stick a piece of paper to the back of each one with a question and once they answered it, they got to put the piece in the puzzle. Just make sure you have enough pieces for each kiddo to get one) fishing games, anything that can be worked into a lesson somehow. Also, I got a couple stuffed animals and told the kids that only the person holding the animal could talk. They had a blast tossing it to eachother. I also had something for them to color every week. After the lesson, I'd pass out snacks and let them color for the last 10ish minutes of class. Oh - snacks!! There are some that just don't work!! Don't ever (ever, ever, EVER) get them crackers that require more than one bite. (like the square ones with cheese, peanut butter, etc. in the middle. They only look like a great idea because they're all spiffy and prepackaged.....but they are horribly messy for kids with moderate to horrible eating skills) Goldfish, animal cookies, fruit snacks, pretzels, raisins, marshmallows, mini nilla wafers, fruit loops, & honeynut cheerios are all great. I always got snack size ziploc bags and had them already portioned out. (Then, you can buy stuff in bulk) The kids seemed to like it when I did a "trail mix" type snack. (a mix of animal cookies and marshmallows, fruit loops and pretzels, really any combo works.) BE SURE to ask all your parents if their kiddos have any allergies!!
Phew! That's all I can think of at the moment. Obviously, this isn't the only way to do things, it's just what worked for me. Feel free to e-mail me if you need more suggestions. If I could remember where all my games and lesson helpers were, I'd send them your way!! I'm sure they still use the same manuel so it would all still work.
Good luck!
The terrible twos are a myth. It's the 3 year olds you have to worry about. This last year with Gwen was a tough one.
I've taught the 3 year olds. I think you've been given some excellent advice already. I did the picnic blanket thing. Walks around the building when it's warm. Coloring. Snacks. Music. Etc. You'll be fine. I promise.
Having served in Primary for the last 15 years, and having survived two of my own toddlers, here's my advice:
Have a schedule, and stick to the same schedule every. single. Sunday. If you deviate in any way, you will lose them.
Break up your time into lesson, singing (with actions of course), game, and drawing or snack time. Do it in the same order every time, and don't let your lesson be longer than about 6 minutes (twice their age is the rule with toddler attention span).
A fun thing we did in one of my wards was to go to the carpet store and ask for some remnant carpet squares. Instead of having the kids sit in chairs, which they didn't like, they each had their own carpet square on the floor, and they loved it! Good luck!
I think my crucial mistake was busting out the snacks too early.
So many good ideas!!
I just got done with 2 years of teaching the 3 yr olds. I hated it at first but it slowly became my favorite calling. Ask them a lot of questions and give them plenty of time to talk. Not only does it kill time but they love to feel heard. When there is a question in the lesson I would ask all of them to answer. They always get side tracked but I just let them. I figured at the end of the day if all they got out of primary was that I loved them and Heavenly Father loves them then that was good enough.
There is also great sunbeam books with things to make instead of just coloring. They are great and they take up more time.
The last thing I did was save treats for the very end. They knew that they only got a treat if they were good. I would keep reminding them of that and it worked.
Good luck!
Also, don't feel like you need to sit through sharing time. Expect that, by about June they will be able to go the whole sharing time. And ask the chorister to come in and do 5 minutes of singing with the Beams when they are in class. ABSOLUTELY have a schedule. Go to the library and check out some "Activities to do with Toddlers" books--full of crafts and finger play songs and things. And demand you be released by the time Nub is in primary.
Oh--and stock up on hand sanitizer.
glad you can do snacks for the little dudes... our primary is adamantly opposed to it. For real. It's awesome. And my 3 year old loves it (i'm being sarcastic... what?)
Oh--when all else fails, break out a box of wipes and let them clean the room. They will wipe down tables, chairs, walls, for a long time. Especially if you say "How does a MONKEY wipe the table? How does an ELEPHANT wipe the table?"
puzzles, my friend. and lots of them. if they are Jesus puzzles, even better.
Also, ask them about what's going on in their families. That's the best kind of entertainment you can get. It's where all the dirt is spilled.
None of this is spiritual advice... because it's Monday and I don't do that except for on Sundays :)
Honestly though, don't expect too much from Sunbeams. They just want to talk about themselves and their pets. I used to try to bring a few crafty things for them to do. Picture bingo is a good game for that age. I'd always take them for a walk around the church before class started and let them get a drink and whatnot before going in.
Good luck. have you been to the website www.sugardoodle.net? It has some good ideas too.
I got nothin. BUt GOOD LUCK, Kalli. I'd put money on you're doing an excellent job.
Why is it when you're newly married they put you in as Sunbeam teachers? That was our calling as newlyweds and I too have blocked out the experience. Perhaps that's why for the longest time when moving into a new ward I always "suggested" they NOT put me in as a Primary teacher.
Though they can be crazy, previous commenters have had some wonderful suggestions. I wish you luck! Just remember there is a perk to teaching the 3YO class: you'll learn all those fun family secrets!
P.S. I'm staying away from sharp knives, steep cliffs and alcohol. Way too tempting in February.
uh! they are so hard huh? i have a 4yo, 2yo, and 10mo...and on sundays i get to add six 3yo to the mix. lame. and hard. but getting better.
definitely check out sugardoodle.net
-i just skim through the lesson for the key point they are supposed to learn. like "jesus had a body" and repeat that like a zillion times at random moments and let em eat and play and color for the rest of it. plus a handout is always good. and playdoh.
it is definitely more like nursery and less like sunday school. we usually ditch out of sharing time too. they are ready for a good run of "ring around the rosies" after sacrament mtg ;).
also- by the end of class yesterday i had every kids shoes held hostage b/c they were using them as boxing gloves-so i might make them start checking those at the door ;)
This is funny.
Whilst in El Paso, we were called as Sunbeam teachers. With our oldest one of the Sunbeams at the time. Not a good combo w/ your kid in the class....
Anyway, here's how we broke it up..
5 minutes of singing time.
5-10 minutes of lesson. (usually 5)
10 minutes of snacks
30 minutes of playdoh. They loved the stuff. Magic I say.
10 minutes at least of planned mayhem.
Ummmm.... ya. I taught the 4 going on 5... going on to prison in a few years old class for 1.5 years.
I will pray for your salvation.
Think... Bribe with Marshmallows.
I don't blame you. I HAVE a 3 year old, and she scares the crap out of me sometimes. Sigh. :)
I miss you. How's the novel???? (No, I won't let it go. If I can't get published at least I'll push my protege to greater heights ;).
I just had the most perfectist idea.... I will bring the twins over once a week for an hour and let you practice with them! Brilliance..I know.
your welcome.
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