The top 3 ways children learn to Listen Pray Care
There is something simple about teaching children.
Our young ones love concrete things. So much so, that we have to be a little careful how we illustrate what we teach. Like object lessons.
After I carefully prepared and delivered a children’s message in church using a beautiful helium balloon, one child blurted out the lesson he learned, “Kids should not play with balloons!” He then grabbed the balloon and, with a loud noise, popped it!
This is not to say that children can’t be taught. Our teachings just need to be concrete, simple and effective.
As I discuss in the video (above), that is the whole idea behind teaching three actions of love that are easy to understand and remember. In other words: Listen Pray Care. The three-word idea can be compared to the age-old phrase “stop, look, listen,” which would be taught to children as a way to remember to be safe at railroad tracks.
Unfortunately, where I live in Wisconsin, there was a tragic accident where a young person was killed by a passing train.
Ever since then, they set up a sign at the tracks with those three things:
It was an effective teaching tool, and anyone of any age could catch on and remember it. Similarly, the three-word phrase “listen, pray, care” can be easily remembered, easily learned and taught to others, and even easily translated into other languages.
It’s simple enough for all to understand--no matter one’s age, nationality, or language. That is the goal.
We even made a children’s book so you can share the Listen Pray Care message with young people and kiddos! It’s filled with fun illustrations of colors and animals, and has plenty of exciting examples of listening, praying, and caring for each other. As an aside, my wife says she discovered many times that she could understand the biblical concepts even better when she taught bible lessons to the very young. In the same way, this children’s book can benefit ones of any age who read to the younger!
The video (above) emphasizes three great teaching techniques specific to children.
Teach by example.
Teach directly.
Teach by involving children in the Christian community.
God bless you as you share God’s love with each other and with the world.