the parent {cheat sheet}
the BEST ideas come from the BEST volunteers.
a few months ago, i was meeting with one of our best volunteers, asking if she'd help develop a system for integrating new families. she said, sure. and, ALSO, she had an idea for something else she'd like to discuss. an idea she'd had for connecting church + home. OK.
the very lovely volunteer mentioned how much she loves bringing her two-year old to church, but often finds it difficult to meaningfully discuss the lesson at home {given that two-year olds aren't the chattiest bunch}, and is never really sure how to spiritually + practically encourage her young daughter during the week. after i finished HUGGING her, i said, PLEASE. share your idea.
i was curious to hear her idea, because i thought we were experiencing some good success with our sticker system. in place of a take home sheet in the Age 2 + Age 3 classrooms, we'd been creating a simple, colorful sticker that we place on the child's shirt as they're leaving to give parents a verbal cue for discussion. i'm a BIG fan of the stickers. i mean, adorable, right?
yes, the stickers were fantastic, she said, but we could do MORE {still hugging her at this point}. she mentioned that when she's home with her daughter, she needs ideas for activities. and, if those activities could reinforce the lesson from church, WIN.
drumroll, please. her idea: the parent cheat sheet. a simple half-page sheet that summarizes the activities the child did during church with the purpose of encouraging parents to replicate the activities at home. use the toys you've already got, there's no pressure, no timeline, just ideas when you're home and need some ideas. so much YES.
we're just a few weeks in, experimenting in the Age 2 + Age 3 classrooms only, but so far, VERY good. we'll keep at it a bit, tweaking + improving as we go, and then, we'll roll out to the older classrooms. a different format, i'm sure, but with similar goals. oh! and, if i could get this whole thing ONLINE, even better. all for the sake of helping parents encourage faith at home.
the BEST ideas, i'm telling you, don't often come from us, the leaders. our job is to keep our eyes open--giving the BEST volunteers opportunity to contribute, share ideas, and use their skills to implement. and for me, that's the best part about being the leader.