Читать книгу With the Children on Sundays - Stall Sylvanus - Страница 5

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The idea of "playing church" is by no means an innovation. What is shown in the pictures upon a preceding page has been actualized in many homes. Let me quote from a single letter which lies before me:

"The writer was one of a large family of children and well remembers the Sunday afternoons spent in his village home. 'Playing church,' was one of its features. The chairs were placed in regular fashion, imitating the seating arrangements of a church, every one of us took his or her turn as preacher, hymns were sung, a real collection was taken and one of us, as preacher, took his text and preached the sermon. There wasn't a dull moment in those good, old Sunday afternoons in our home. Occasionally, the preacher would provoke a smile by his original way of handling the text and of emphasizing some point in his discourse.

"We have all grown up since those happy days; some of us attained to a degree of efficiency as public speakers, and we attribute much of our efficiency and character in life to those profitable Sunday afternoon hours."

From the experiences of the children as narrated above, the suggestion occurs, why not use these object talks in like manner? "Play church" Sunday afternoons, read an "object sermon," show the illustrations, ask the questions at the end of each chapter and then follow it up with a discussion from the children, giving their ideas and experiences.

You will find that you will get as much benefit and entertainment from these Sunday afternoons "playing church" service as the children will. You will be surprised at their interest and the originality that they will display in these discussions. You will be quickening their faculty of observation and stirring their imaginations, in a manner that will surely make observant, thoughtful and considerate men and women of the children, and consequently, affect their entire destinies in the years to come. Then, too, you yourself will be helped mentally and spiritually, because it is absolutely true that in the devotion that we exhibit and the time and attention that we give to our children in this companionship, we will ourselves be receiving large blessings in the development of our own character and the finer characteristics that make for good people.

PLAYING CHURCH.

The following suggestions will be helpful, to which original ideas may always be added.

1. Make the "Afternoon Church" a real, not frivolous, occasion. The time it requires to make careful, pains-taking preparation on the part of the parent, is always profitably employed.

2. The afternoon church should always be a regular, fixed engagement. It adds to its importance.

3. Do not postpone nor omit it for any trivial reason. Treat it as any other important engagement.

4. When visitors are in the home, invite them to be present and to participate. It will help them as well as the juniors.

5. The fact that there is only one child in the family does not preclude the idea of playing church; for the dolls can be brought to church and even chairs can be converted into imaginary people.

6. Never permit the realness of the occasion to be questioned. Always avoid embarrassing the child and never ridicule. Refrain from laughing at any mistakes that may be made in speech, thought or conduct of the child, unless he first sees the mistake and invites you to join in his mirth.

7. Ask any additional questions pertinent to the subject besides those suggested at the end of each sermon. It will develop wider thought and increase the interest.

8. Encourage the child to ask questions, but always lead in directing the thought.

9. Adults present should always enter seriously and earnestly into the whole program or plan with the child's spirit. Where adults enter upon the execution of the plan with this spirit it adds much to the enjoyment of all. If they cannot do this, they should not participate.

10. A bell can be slowly rung as the time for church approaches.

11. Use the brightest and most cheerful room in the house for the afternoon church. Add to the furnishings on Sunday anything which may make the room even more than ordinarily attractive.

12. Chairs may be suitably arranged and a child can drive the others to and from church in an imaginary carriage, as shown in one of the pictures upon another page.

13. When the church is held in another room, an older child or person can receive the attendants and usher them to seats.

14. Open the church service with singing. Select several simple devotional hymns or songs, such as are used in the primary department of Sunday-schools. Have all the children learn the tunes and teach a verse of each song to any child that cannot read.

15. A collection can be lifted by one of the children. A toy bank may be used in which to save the money received at this child's service, and subsequently contributed through the Church or Sunday-school for missionary purposes.

16. Teach the children the importance of saving from their own spending money, or earning what they wish to give in the collection.

17. This money should always be regarded as sacred, and care should also be exercised lest this little fund might become a source of temptation to the children during the week.

18. At some time during the service a brief prayer should be offered. This may consist of a sentence prayer by each in rotation or by all uniting in the Lord's Prayer, or in some brief selection from the Prayer Book.

19. When a child is willing or wishes to do so, have him preach the sermon in his own way of expressing the thought, using the text or object of the day for his subject. Always give the same interested attention to him that is expected from him when another leads.

20. Some of the objects mentioned in the sermons can be easily and cheaply obtained for use at the church. When such an object is secured, it should not be shown to the children in advance of being used.

21. Do not prolong the service too greatly so as to weary the children. Effectiveness and pleasure usually terminate at the same time. Lend animation to the service and interest will not so soon flag. It is well also to impart interest by having the parent enter heartily into every part of the service.

22. A social period after "returning home" from the "children's church" should be introduced. If the children have played driving to church before the service, the idea should be continued and completed by driving home in the same manner.

AFTER CHURCH.

23. After the conclusion of the church service, additional exercises or games suited to the sacredness of the day may be appropriately used to entertain the children and continue their happiness. By methods of this kind, Sunday may be made not only the most profitable, but the brightest and best day of the week.

24. Some light refreshment may be introduced, as fruit, cake or candy. This refreshment should be something very simple and inexpensive, and also something not calculated to spoil the appetite or injure the digestion of the child. In recognition of good conduct, close attention or special help at the church service, one of the children may choose what the refreshment is to be for the next Sunday. This choice should be kept a secret during the week.

25. Pictures and illustrations can be cut from magazines, and these can be pasted in a scrap book or on blank paper to represent Bible characters and scenes, or those used in the sermons.

26. Many acting games and tableaux can be arranged by the children from the sermons and Bible stories. Chairs can be arranged so as to represent a pit or tent, and the children within them may be "Joseph in the Pit" (Genesis xxxvii) or "Daniel in the Lion's Den" (Daniel vi). See illustrations on pages 80 and 91.

FOR OLDER CHILDREN.

27. Let one child represent an idol. He must stand motionless and give no sign of life. The others are to ask him questions and for favors. If the "idol" laughs, moves or speaks, he loses and another takes his place. Idols are lifeless things that cannot move, see, hear or speak.

28. Children's blocks are useful in building a well, altar, castle, temple, chariot, etc. Have the children give a text or verse from the Bible referring to the objects builded. A Bible story may be told about the object, its history, use, etc.

29. One child, or more as may be needed, can pose to represent a character or scene. The others are to guess the character represented. For example: A child can sit with hands upheld. A child on each side of him hold up the extended arms. They represent Moses with Aaron and Hur during the battle (Ex. xvii: 12).

30. Charades, or words and scenes may be represented by the children in motion. The children may be divided into groups. One group will select a word and represent it in the presence of the others by motions. For example: Children come into the room and go through the motion of sowing ("Seeds"), reaping ("Harvest"), threshing with a flail ("Wheat and Chaff"), picking flowers ("Weeds and Flowers"), taking pictures ("Eye and Camera"). Many of the sermon subjects may be used in this manner. Cutting stone, measuring, eating husks, washing dirty face, etc. The other groups are to guess the word and have their turn.

31. Children are always fond of riddles; especially when they are able to guess the answer. The suggested review questions at the close of each object sermon for afternoon church, may often be effectively used with slight changes. For example: "What is it that cannot see nor hear, but always knows when danger is near?" The answer is—"The Oyster."

What is it which no boy or girl can see or hear, and the approach of which can not be made known by any of the natural senses? (Sin.)

What is it which tells us when sin is near? (Conscience.)

Have the children try to make up their own riddles from the objects shown and their uses, or lessons learned from the sermons.

SLATES AND CRAYONS.

32. Provide slates, or paper and pencils may be provided, and the children draw the object or something suggested by its use. Always have blank paper and pencils on hand for some of the games or exercises mentioned below.

33. Cheap colored crayons can often be used with added value.

34. Each Sunday appoint one child to take charge of the slates, papers and pencils, which are to be kept in a safe place and not disturbed during the week, and then to distribute them on the following Sunday.

BUILDING AND WORD GAMES.

35. Word building games are always interesting. Cut small squares of cardboard and plainly mark each with a letter. Many more vowels than consonants will be required. (These little squares with printed letters can be purchased at any toy-store.) Mix up the squares on a table, and the child who spells the largest number of names of places or objects mentioned in the sermons, using the letters on the squares, wins the game.

36. This can be played in a variety of ways. For instance: Select the name of an object, person or place, and the one who first picks out the necessary letters to spell it, is declared the winner.

37. Each child is given the same number of assorted letters and all try to make up the largest list of names from his portion of letters in a given time.