Nursery School Parent Page « Washington United Methodist Church

Nursery Summer Lesson Ideas

Welcome dear parents! We are so thrilled that you have decided to bring your baby to our Nursery! We want you to know that while your child is in our nursery, they will be given wonderful and loving care. Your child will also be prayed over and exposed to Christian principles at their age level.

Our nursery care is geared for infants through 2 year old children, but if your three year old isn’t quite ready to begin Sunday School, you can always hold them back. During worship, we will take children of all ages, but do encourage you to send your child to their age appropriate Sunday School class when available.

Here are some ideas to help you expose your infant or toddler for the summer months:

June:

Bible Verse: “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” -Acts 13:52

Faith Words: Joy and Church

Sing this song of joy to your baby or woddler to the tune of, “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”:

O-o make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

O let’s worship God with gladness,

O let’s worship God with gladness

O-o make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

At about six months old, babies begin to enjoy fingerplays. Although they will not be coordinated enough to play them exactly like you do, they will be fascinated watching you do them and will enjoy having you hold their little hands and fingers to make the fingerplay motions. (Of course, singing to babies and infants is always encouraged. We have included the above song for that reason.) One of the oldest and best-loved fingerplays for babies is the following:

Here is the church. (Put hands together and intertwine the fingers between the palms.)

Here is the steeple. (Put up the forefingers together to form a steeple.)

Open the doors, (Separate the thumbs to reveal the intertwined fingers.)

And see all the people! (Move the intertwined fingers. They are the people!)

Going to church every Sunday should become a family habit. It is important that babies and woddlers recognize that church is a special and happy place where they will learn about God and Jesus. Hopefully they will be filled with joy while they are there. Your positive attitude toward church will influence your child tremendously. Talk about church in a positive way.

Walk around the church holding your baby or woddler and pointing out the Christian symbols. If you are familiar with what the symbols mean, explain them to your child. Although the child will not understand the significance of the symbols, she or he will begin to understand that the symbols are important and remind us of what we believe.

Read Church Is a Special Place, © 2009 Abingdon Press. (Look for it in Christian bookstores.) This book explores what children will see and experience when they go to church. Children will begin to understand that church is a special place filled with special people!

Another activity to enhance your woddler’s growing love and appreciation of church is to let her or him create a scribble banner. A child who is twelve months old or older can participate in this activity. Give him or her a large piece of white paper and crayons under your watchful eyes. Turn on a Christian CD or Radio Station and say, We can listen to music about God and church and Jesus. The music fills our hearts with joy. We can create a pretty banner that shows how much we love God.

Hang the banner in your home. Point to it frequently with your child. Say: The banner reminds us that God is with us and loves us.

July

Bible Verse: “Peace to this house!” – Luke 10:5b

Faith Word: Peace

Prayer and Reciting Scripture Are Avenues to Peace

Creating peace in your home allows your child the freedom to discover God. One way to establish peace in any home is through prayer. As a parent or caregiver, you can pray for the people in your home in several ways and at numerous times during the day. It is wise to establish a prayer time every day. Praying before meals is also a good practice.

Let your child hear your prayers. Pray out loud and as often as you can. Pray in situations when your child is with you, such as when you are driving, folding laundry, or making dinner. Your child will begin to understand that prayer is important to you. Hold your infant and pray with the infant in your arms. Pray: God bless this child and all who come into his/her life today. Give them peace, patience and love.

Recite Scripture and prayers when you feed your child, change your child, dress your child, and put your child to sleep. A soothing voice and a prayer will help a child become peaceful.

Hold your baby in your arms and thank God for your child. Pray: Thank you, God, for (child’s name). Thank you for (his/her) eyes, nose, and toes. Help him/her to grow and to be a peaceful person. Amen.

Using Scripture as You Pray

Reciting Scripture while holding your baby or woddler will soothe the child and help her or him hear words of faith. (It will soothe you, also.)

Recite Psalm 23:1-3

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.”

Recite Matthew 19:14

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kindgom of heaven belongs.”

Recite 1 John 4:16b

“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”

Before feeding your baby in the high chair, recite this prayer with your baby or woddler:

Thank you, God, for this food. Let it help (child’s name) to grow and share your love and peace with everyone he/she meets. Amen.

August

Bible Verse: “And he [Jesus] took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.” – Mark 10:16

Faith Word: Jesus

Your child can begin to hear the faith word Jesus. You can talk about Jesus by telling your child that Jesus is God’s Son and Jesus loves him or her. Provide songs and games in which Jesus’ love for your child is emphasized. Sing this song to your child to the tune of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”

Jesus loves you very much, very much, very much

Jesus loves you very much. Yes, Jesus loves you.

Play this active game with your child. Say: Who does Jesus love? Jesus loves you when you clap. (Clap your hands.) Jesus loves you when you crawl. (Crawl around.) Jesus loves you when you walk. (Walk around.) Jesus loves you when you fall down. (Fall down with child.) Jesus loves you! (Pick up baby and cuddle.)

Read the book Jesus Is My Friend with your baby or woddler. (This book is published by Abingdon Press and is available in Christian bookstores.) Point to Jesus in the pictures. Use other Bible storybooks with your child and point out Jesus in them as well. Because it is August, it may be hot. Take your baby or woddler outside and let him or her take joy in the warmth of the world that God created. Say: God made the world. Jesus is God’s Son. Sprinkle water on your baby’s legs and feet as well as on your own. Say: Water is something we need in God’s world. Jesus drank water. God made water.

Another fun activity to do is to spread a piece of blue fabric on the ground or on a floor. Say: This is a lake. Jesus often went to Lake Galilee. Spread out some blocks on the blue fabric and tell the child that they are boats and fish. Play with your child and enjoy using your imagination!

Tell your child that she or he lives in a family. Talk and point to individual people in your family. Point to daddy and say: That is Daddy. He loves you. Point to yourself and say: I am Mommy. I love you. Jesus lived in a family too. He had a mother and father. He had sisters and brothers. Point to photographs of your family members and say their names to your baby or woddler and say: (person’s name) loves you, Jesus loves you, God loves you. YOU are loved!