Three Year Olds Make Great Teachers

I volunteer once per month to work with three-year-olds during worship. (I should know what ETC stands for but I don't but evidently that is what our church calls what I have volunteered to do.) I always go in ready to learn something (and hopefully, come out alive!) Today was no exception.

Our lesson was on Peter being prayed for by his friends while he was in prison; the angel appearing to Peter saying, "You are free to leave this prison"; and then Peter appearing to his friends who had prayed for him. There were interjections throughout the story by the students and I am listing a sample of them below:

• Question asked during the lesson - "Do you remember ever praying as a family for someone who needed prayer?" Answer by 3 year old S - "We never pray at our house! Well, we pray for meals." I am sure the parents would be mortified. I know them. They are praying people.
• Me - "So, how did you cut your thumb?" "I cut it while I was opening my body wash!" (3 going on 15.)
• New guy coming into the room - Me - "Hey J, so glad you are here!" J - "I didn't want to come." Me - "Sometimes I have to go places I don't want to go too. Let me tell you what we have planned today. We will play some games; work on some thank you cards to give to our pastors; sing some songs; have our Bible story time; and, then some gold fish and something to drink. How does that sound?" J - "Well, that's different. I like goldfish."

I laughed until I cried on a couple of other things. Ten 3-year-olds, Miss Bridget and me, and we learned alot. Well, I did anyway. Kids tell you what they think. They like when we get on their level (literally) and we listen to them. I signed up to help out once a quarter; somehow I got into the once/month rotation. I guess God knows I have alot to learn so once a quarter is not enough for me.