HELPFUL METHODS FOR MAKING SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE CHILDREN THE MOST PLEASANT AND PROFITABLE DAY OF THE WEEK.
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.
BIBLE GUESSES.
38. Tell a Bible story, or review one of the object sermons, omitting the names of characters or objects. Without warning, the one reciting the story stops, and the next player carries on the story if he has been able to guess the omitted names, without mentioning them. If he has not discovered or guessed the right story, the next player takes it up, and so on until the story is completed and everyone knows it.
39. One of the children goes out of the room and the others decide on some object used in a sermon, or a certain thing mentioned in the Bible, which is to be described. For example: A watch, telescope, or the Ark, Joseph's coat of many colors, etc. Upon entering the room, the child may ask all manner of questions which can be answered by "yes" and "no". When the right thing is guessed, another goes out of the room and the game is repeated. Two or more children, or groups, may be the guessers at the same time.
40. The game of thinking is equally interesting. The leader thinks of some character, place or object in the sermons or mentioned in the Bible. The "thinker" then says—"I am thinking of some thing (person or place) and the name begins with 'C' (or the initial letter)." Each of the other players asks a question in turn, that can be answered by "yes" or "no". The questions are continued until some one guesses the name. The one who first guessed the name becomes the leader.
41. Make word pictures by describing persons and scenes without mentioning names. The others are to guess what it is. For example: The leader may say—"I see some ladies walking beside the water. Suddenly they stop and listen. Then one of them wades into the water and finds something," etc. If the picture is not promptly guessed, the story or picture of Pharaoh's daughter finding the baby Moses (Ex. ii: 3) is further described, until the picture is made known. Other stories may be used in the same manner.
42. One or two players go out. The others sit in line and choose a well known proverb, Bible verse, or sentence from the object sermon, having as many words as there are players. Each player having made certain what his word is, the others are called in. It is their duty to put the sentence together. They ask each player in turn a question on any subject, and in answering the player must use the particular word given him. The questions may be continued, and the word must always be used in the answer, until the one guessing has discovered the particular word that player has, and so on until all the words in their order are guessed and the sentence or proverb discovered.
In the same way, instead of the questions, the particular word may be acted, as charades, until the person guessing has discovered each word and at length composed the complete sentence.
43. Distribute paper and pencils. Let a single letter be selected and have each child write down the names of characters, objects and places mentioned in the sermons, or the Bible, that have the same initial letter. For example: The letter "A" may be selected, then would follow "Apple", "Adam", "Apostles", "Angels", "Army", "Asia", etc. Other initial letters may be selected and the game continued.
44. Have some one call out and write down a Bible name beginning with "A", as "Abram". The next one is to think of a name beginning with "B", as "Benjamin". "C" would come next, as "Caleb", then "David", "Eli", etc. The object is to see how many letters of the alphabet can be used and how often without repetition. Also names of places, objects and titles may be used.
45. Ask the children to write down as many as they can of trees, or stones, flowers, birds, instruments, animals that are mentioned in the Bible.
46. Bible geography can be made interesting and profitable. Get a shallow box and fill it with fine sand. Cities and countries may be wonderfully made. A small pile of the sand will represent a mountain, strips of blue or white paper can be used for rivers and lakes. Use small blocks and spools for houses and temples, small pebbles for roads. The people can be represented by matches and trees by tiny branches or leaves. When Palestine, for instance, is to be studied, small pieces of paper may be laid on the sand for the cities; the names or initials of the cities should be written on the pieces of paper.
47. Maps may be drawn and colored crayons used to show the roads, water, cities, buildings, etc.
48. From one of the sermons or a Bible story, select the name of a person, place or thing. Have each player write a sentence with the selected name embodied in it. When the sentences are read aloud, it will show quite original uses made of the name.
49. To supply missing letters is an easy, simple game. Write names of sermon objects or Bible characters with letters omitted. The children will enjoy supplying the missing letters necessary to complete the name. Sentences and Bible verses may be used with missing words for the children to supply.
BIBLE DRILLS.
50. Bible drills are entertaining and especially valuable to children old enough to read and commit the lessons to memory. By a simple method the children can figure out the books in the Bible and their classifications. By pursuing the studies, the names of the books will soon be learned and in their regular order.
51. Have the children count the letters in "Old" (3) and "Testament" (9). Place them together (39) and it gives the number of books in the Old Testament.
52. Now multiply these two figures (3 × 9) and the result will give the number of books in the New Testament (27).
53. Add together the two sets of figures (39 plus 27) and you will find the whole number of books in the Bible (66).
54. The figure "6" is found in the number of books in the Bible (66), the number of known authors or writers of the books (36), and the number of years during which the Bible was written (1600).
Thus we have 36 authors, 66 books, 16 centuries.
55. The books of the Old Testament may be divided into five groups: as the Pentateuch (Books of Moses), History, Poetry, Major Prophets and Minor Prophets. Have the children trace the outline of a hand on paper and the thumb and fingers will represent the groups. Thus, the thumb will represent the Pentateuch; the first finger, the History; the second finger, Poetry; the third finger, Major Prophets; and the fourth finger, Minor Prophets.
56. The New Testament may also be divided into five groups and represented by the other hand in the same manner. The five groups are Biography, History, Pauline Epistles (or Paul's Letters), General Epistles (or letters), and Prophesy.
57. The number of books in each group of the Old Testament are: 5 plus 12 plus 5 plus 5 plus 12—equals 39 books. In the New Testament, the five groups are made up of 4 plus 1 plus 13 plus 8 plus 1—equals 27 books.
58. The name of each group with the number of books in the group, may be written on separate cards. The cards are shuffled and the children sort them and place them together in their proper order, forming the Old Testament, then the New Testament.
59. The names of the different books which make up the groups are looked up and written under the name of the group. Take the groups in their regular order. Thus, group one would be Pentateuch, 5 books: Gen´e-sis, Ex´o-dus, Le-vit´i-cus, Num´bers, Deu´ter-on´o-my. The second and fifth groups, where there are twelve books each, may be subdivided into threes and fours for greater ease in committing to memory.
60. If the proper spelling of the names has also been committed to memory, or learned, then a regular spelling-bee may be held and the names of the Bible books used for the test words. The same tests may be made with the spelling of names of persons, places and things mentioned in the Bible.
61. After the books of the Bible, in their order, have been learned, open the Bible and call out the book at which it is open. Name another book and ask which direction (toward the front or back of the Bible) shall the pages be turned to find that book. Many other test questions may be asked, such as: "What book is between Job and Proverbs?" "In which group is Lamentations to be found?" "Between what books is that of Luke?"
62. Arrange the children in a row, or let them take their places in tents as shown on page [60], and then, as in a spelling-bee, ask the preceding or the following questions, or any other Bible questions that would be suited to the age of the children. When one fails to answer he loses his place and the child who gives the correct answer moves forward. The element of play is thus maintained.
BIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
63. Who was the first man? Adam.
Who was the first woman? Eve.
Who was the first murderer? Cain (Gen. iv: 8).
Whom did he kill? His brother Abel.
Who went to Heaven without dying? Enoch and Elijah.
How old was Enoch "when God took him"? 365 years (Gen. v: 23, 24). The same number of years that there are days in a year.
Who was the oldest man? Methuselah.
How old was Methuselah when he died? 969 years (Gen. v: 27).
Who built the Ark? Noah (Gen. vi).
How many persons were saved in the Ark? Eight (Gen. vii: 7). Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives.
How old was Noah at the time of the Flood? 600 years (Gen. vii: 6).
Who had the coat of many colors? Joseph (Gen. xxxvii: 3).
How many brothers did Joseph have? Eleven (Gen. xlii: 3, 4).
What did they do with Joseph? Cast him into a pit and afterwards sold him to the Ishmaelitish merchantmen (Gen. xxxvii: 28).
Where did the Ishmaelitish merchantmen take Joseph? To Egypt.
To whom did they sell him? Potiphar (Gen. xxxix: 1).
Who lied about Joseph and had him cast into prison? Potiphar's wife.
Who were in the prison with Joseph? The king's chief butler and chief baker (Gen. xl: 1, 3).
Who was King of Egypt at the time Joseph was in Egypt? Pharaoh.
Why did Pharaoh make Joseph ruler? That he might gather the grain during the seven years of plenty to lay up in store against the seven years of famine.
What did Pharaoh dream? About seven fat kine, or cows, and seven lean cows (Gen. xli).
What did Joseph do with the grain he gathered during the seven years of plenty? Put in great store houses.
Why did his brothers come to Joseph in Egypt during the famine? That they might get food (Gen. xlii).
Did his father, Jacob, and family go to live in Egypt? Yes.
How old was Joseph when he died? 110 years (Gen. l: 26).
How long did Jacob's descendants remain in Egypt? A little more than two hundred years.
Why did they desire to leave Egypt? Because of the oppressions and cruelty of Pharaoh (Ex. i: 8, 14).
Whom did God raise up to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt? Moses.
How long did they wander in the wilderness? Forty years.
Was Moses permitted to enter the Promised Land? No.
Who led the Children of Israel into the Land of Canaan, which was the Promised Land? Joshua.
How did the Children of Israel cross the Red Sea and the Jordan? The waters were divided and they crossed "dry shod."
Who was the strongest man? Samson.
Who was the meekest man? Moses.
Who, as a ruler, was a man after God's own heart? David.
Who built the Temple? Solomon.
Who went to Heaven in a chariot of fire? Elijah.
On whom did the mantle of Elijah fall? Elisha.
Who was swallowed by the great fish? Jonah (Jonah i: 17).
Who destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and carried the Children of Israel into captivity? Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24, 25).
Where did he take them? To Babylon (2 Kings 25).
How long were they captive in Babylon? Seventy years.
Who interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream? Daniel.
How did Nebuchadnezzar reward Daniel? Made him ruler over Babylon (Daniel ii: 48, 49).
What were the names of Daniel's three friends? Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
What heathen names were given them instead? Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego (Daniel i: 6, 7).
What befell the three friends of Daniel? They were cast into the burning fiery furnace.
Why were they cast into this furnace? Because they refused to fall down and worship a great golden image which Nebuchadnezzar, the King, had set up in the plain of Dura.
Were they consumed in the furnace? No, God delivered them (Daniel iii).
What befell Daniel years later, when Darius was King? He was cast into the den of lions (Daniel vi).
Why was he cast into the den of lions? Because he prayed to the true God.
Did the lions harm Daniel? No, God stopped the mouths of the lions and delivered Daniel.
The author's intense interest in the safeguarding and saving of the boys and girls from the evils which have wrought the ruin of such countless multitudes, prompts in connection with this introductory word, to call the special attention of the parents to an advertisement which has been placed at the close of this volume.