Sunday School on Broadway

My 11 year old walks around the house belting out Kid Connection tunes like she's on Broadway. Funny thing is, she hardly moved her lips when we were singing them at church this year and on the drive there each Sunday she'd say, "You're not going to sing those silly songs with us again are you?" Preteens--those kids who are caught between kid-ness and cool-ness--can be hard to figure out. Here's what I have a handle on so far:

• We can't take it personally when they roll their eyes or pretend not to sing in Sunday school. Preteens are paralyzed by a fear of looking silly on the outside, but that doesn't mean they aren't participating on the inside.
  


• Like Sally Field, they want to know we like them, we really like them! Preteens want to hang out in places where they feel loved and appreciated. It's important to smile when we see them, to brighten our eyes and tell them we're glad they've come--even though they might not react when we do. (Inside they're saying, "Thanks, I like you too.")


• They have a wacky sense of humor. They like bizarre props and exaggeration. They love seeing adults do something silly, and, if you're a preteen boy, gross things are cool.


• They like it when you join them instead of observe them. Preteens love to have you complete a worksheet or solve a puzzle or write in a journal alongside them during small group. (Which gives you all kinds of opportunities to faith talk together!)


• They like to help, but like clear instructions about what to do. The preteen brain is a work in progress--they don't instinctively know what to do and when to do it so when we involve them as helpers we need to model gentle leadership by giving them clear instructions.


• They support each other. Ask a preteen to be your storytelling assistant or help you with some dance moves and you'll be amazed at how well their peer group listens!


• They don't want to be treated like "babies." These kids feel much older than they actually are and we need to respect that. While having them all together for large group is great, when it comes to small group, they really need to be with their peers.

The great news is that while preteens might be paralyzed by a fear of looking silly--we're not! As adults we know that embarrassing moments are a survivable part of life. How awesome that we can be the silly adult doing all the actions to the songs and making strange faces and sound effects as we tell the Bible stories. Sunday school on Broadway? Sounds like a good idea to me!