Pre-school Topics, Block 8, Week 75: We respond to certain types of movement because they can bring us comfort, happiness, or excitement

Human Responses

Week 75
We respond to certain types of movement because they can bring us comfort, happiness, or excitement

A precious part of our humanity is that we become aware, we recognize (or are affected) and we respond to the world around us. Through our senses, we touch, smell, taste, hear, and move responding to what’s around us in a variety of ways. God has endowed us with the ability to respond in ways that are well beyond any animal. Animals typically do not exhibit any responses to what they see, hear, touch, and taste outside the realm of their survival. We, of course, have many responses to the world around us.

Point to emphasize
Moving can bring us comfort, happiness, or excitement.

Sample content and conversation with children

[Begin by singing the song “Oh, I’m just too young to drive a car”. Lead the children to do the motions for this song. Then lead the children to sing the song while they march, clap, run in place, hop, etc. Encourage the children to join in all the movements. Make sure to make the time active and fun!] Did you enjoy singing this song? Which movement did you like best? Well, today we will see that moving can bring us comfort, happiness, or excitement.
[Show video of baby being comforted (video #1).] Do any of you have younger siblings or cousins? Have you seen them cry? What do parents do to comfort them? [Let the children answer.] Yes! A crying baby will be comforted by patting it on the back, or by getting rocked, or bounced. Babies like this.
When we become older, we can move more. Have you seen a child walk for the first time? [Show video of girl learning to walk (video #2).] Is she happy she is learning to walk? Yes! God created us in a wonderful way and everyone enjoys seeing a baby learn to walk.
As we grow, we learn other movements and we enjoy them. [Show videos of children jumping, spinning, and swinging while you converse with the children (videos #3 to #5).] What are the children doing in this video? [Let the children respond.] Do you think these children like what they are doing? Can you see them smiling, laughing? Yes, we all enjoy moving!
Let’s see if we can enjoy some other movements together! [Have children try each movement as you say it and watch for reactions]. We can: sit down, stand up, twist, shake, wiggle, walk, run, climb and jump. Do you enjoy doing these movements? Can you tell me what other movements you enjoy? [Let the children answer; some examples might be swinging, spinning, jumping, swaying, skipping, etc.] Moving just makes us happy! We don’t move just because we want to move or go somewhere. We also move because we like the feeling of moving!
Now let’s watch a short video. [Show video #6. You may also show picture #1.] Frogs need to jump to catch their food! They also jump, swim, hop or leap to escape from danger or to move to another place. We move to get places too, but we also like to move with no purpose other than to have fun. God has made us so that we can move in different ways and enjoy doing it.

Songs
Oh, I’m just too young to drive a car
I am so glad that Jesus loves me

Additional suggested activities

In-person—Movement obstacle course
Zoom activity—Follow the color: Begin with 2 papers of different colors (ex. red and blue). Give a command for each color. If you show the red color paper, the children need to clap, and if you show the blue color paper they need to jump. Alternate showing each paper. After a minute, or when the children follow the commands easily, add another color with an additional command. See how many colors/commands you can add so that all the children can follow.
Red Light, Green Light: Draw a starting line and a finishing line. Start with everyone along the starting line, when you say “green light”, everyone will move towards the finish line. When you say “red light”, everyone must immediately stop. If children are still moving after you say “red light”, they must go back to the starting line.

Videos
#1: Baby being comforted

(https://www.youtube.com/embed/oQuzfm3o9kg?rel=0)