Session: Mental Growth in Preschoolers

Preparation

• Gather materials to make shoebox collages: shoeboxes, glue, markers, old newspapers and magazines.
  
  
• Write the word "Milestones" on the marker board.
  
  
• Ask participants to bring their books or print the age-group articles and make copies: "God Made Babies," "God Made Ones and Twos," "God Made Threes and Fours," and "God Made Kindergartners."

Reflect and Practice

1. Begin the session with fellowship and prayer.
   
   
2. Say, "During this session we are going to discover how preschoolers develop mentally."
   
   
3. Divide participants into four groups according to the preschool age-level they parent or teach (babies, ones and twos, threes, fours, and kindergartners). Ask each group to reflect on the information on mental growth in the age-group articles (Babies, Ones and Twos, Threes and Fours, and Kindergarteners). Prepare a creative way to engage the total group in conversation about mental growth. Identify the implications of mental growth to use in learning activities.
   
   
4. Let each small group make a presentation and facilitate the discussion. Give each group a time limit as appropriate.
   
   
5. As a group, review the sections on mental growth to identify milestones. Write them on the marker board.
   
   
6. Close the session with a time of prayer for personal concerns. Remind your participants to read the article(s) for the next session.