Very young children respond enthusiastically to simple poems and songs illustrated with puppets. Consider these guidelines for the effective use of puppets with toddlers.

          1. Seat yourself so you are on the same eye level as the children. Your hands need to be free to manipulate the puppets.

          2. Quietly and slowly show the puppet; begin to repeat the poem or song rhythmically and distinctly.

          3. Avoid suddenly springing the puppet on a young child. If the child is frightened by the puppet, remove the puppet and guide the child to another activity. You may be able to reintroduce the puppet and poem/song at a later time.

Enlarge and cut out the figures from this family of finger puppets to sing “Where is Thumbkin?” or other family songs.

1. Practice the Presence
Be always aware that this Ministry is committed to God. Seek to ‘practice’ the presence of God during your playgroup session. When a problem arises….how would Jesus have me handle this? Go into your morning just being God’s person.

2. Prayer
Pray as a committee for each morning. Ask some members of your church to pray for you during that morning time. Include Playgroup as a topic in the Church prayer points. Pray for your Mums, especially those in special need. Pray for the children.

3. Positive thinking
This is an essential skill for a Playgroup Leader to develop! Try to handle any difficulties that arise in a positive way. Speak to any negative Mums lovingly to help them see a positive attitude to their problems. Help mothers to speak positively to their children. Try getting through a morning without saying “no” to the children, rather offering them alternative things to do.

4. Pastoral care
Have a listening ear and an understanding heart. Should you become aware of any special needs, let the church staff know eg parent in hospital, people seeking marriage guidance counselling, baptism enquiries etc. Try to be at the baptism of your Playgroup children with a small gift. Invite Mums to Women’s Outreach activities in your church.

1. Welcoming, inspiring and engaging.
   The space should feel nurturing and familiar at the same time as inviting children to explore and investigate by capturing their attention and provoking their interactions with the space.
2. Includes elements of nature and natural materials.
   The natural colours and textures of materials such as stones, seedpods, pinecones, tree blocks, and wool, make a nice change from the bright colours and flashing lights of many modern day toys. They also encourage children to play more creatively as seedpods become ‘food’ in their home corner play or pinecones a ‘family’ enjoying a day out.
3. The majority of toys are ‘open ended,’ allowing for active exploration and many different types of play.
   Before purchasing a toy consider if it is something which can be used flexibly, in many creative ways. These are they toys which will be worth the hard earned dollars you spend on them as they will offer an infinite number of new play scenarios, and not just now but for many years to come.
4. Feels cosy and comfortable, with a sense of homeliness achieved through including sentimental family items and/or beautiful objects.
   Plants, photos in frames, thoughtfully displayed artworks, cushions – all create a sense of homeliness. By including objects important to the family, you have an opportunity to help children learn to treasure and respect their belongings and those of others.
5. Includes areas where children can play together or alone.
   Children need time and space to play both alone and with others. By setting up an activity at a small table with just one chair (or alternatively two or more chairs), you are providing an indication of how that space should be used. Consider a balance of small, independent play and larger, collaborative play spaces when planning your space.
6. One of the beneficial ways to design a positive learning environment is through interest areas.
   These are commonly used to support a play based learning curriculum and provides a predetermined area in which to set up experiences based upon each individual interest area. The physical environment can be organised into the following: art and craft, block play, construction area, home corner, library area, music and movement, outdoor area, puzzle play, sand and water area, science and nature, sensory play, toy table. Interest areas will offer an environment for the children to explore and discover, an opportunity for the children to grow.

It is extremely important to have a welcomer at the door to welcome the families to Playgroup each week. This person would ideally be someone who remembers names and facts and is slightly extroverted though not to the extreme. Families feel loved when they are greeted by name and especially if the welcomer can then engage in a short dialogue in regards to that family’s situation. (Eg. The family might have mentioned going on a holiday, or loss of employment, sickness etc.) This is an opportunity to show that you care for your Playgroup families. Knowing the children’s names and a high five gesture helps everyone feel loved and welcome to  Playgroup!

At the beginning of the year we start to plan what we will do at our GFS meetings.

Planning begins with “PL”.

P is for Persons, the participants. Important questions to ask at the beginning of the planning process are:

• For whom are we planning?
• What do we know about these persons?
• What are their needs and interests?
• Why will they be participating?
• How many will there be?

L is for Listening. We must listen to the participants and also invite them to participate in the planning. Also we must listen to the call of the Spirit of God. Indeed listening for the Spirit of God in prayer demands involvement with people. God speaks in the midst of such involvement. We must never let our plans dominate our concern for persons or our need to listen for the call of God to follow him in ever new and adventurous ways. That’s faith!

Planning is a process. It is not something a leader does only before going into action. It begins before action, continues during action and goes on after action. So it continues ….

1. PURPOSE: What is our Aim? “We preach …. We warn …. We teach …. “ Colossians 1:28

2. POSSIBILITIES: What is known or available? Paul says everyone has different gifts to be used for a range of possibilities for God’s service. 1 Corinthians 12

3. PRIORITIES: What comes first?“We are free to do anything, but does everything help the building of community?” Corinthians 10:23. This indicates that there is a need to prioritise.

4. PROGRAMME: Who will do what, when and where?In the early church they chose some men to go to Antioch with a letter. Acts 15:22-23. This was their programme.

5. PRACTICE/PERFORMANCE: Action!1 James: 25 “…. be not a hearer who forgets but a doer that acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

6. POST-PERFORMANCE: What have we learnt?”Put all things to the test: Keep what is good…” 1 Thessalonians 5:21 We need to learn from our mistakes and our successes for the next plan.

There is one more “P” required to include for our Planning Process. That P is for Patience. Patience means spending time in the whole planning process. It takes time and patience to plan well.