What Shall I Guard?

Posted on October 26, 2020 by S. J. Little

A few days ago, I needed to do some spray painting. I gathered old cardboard, the little flower pots I planned to paint, and the spray paint can.

I switched into old jeans and a t-shirt and took my watch off to keep it clean.

Outside, I set everything up. Then I looked at my phone.

I was expecting a text soon to which I’d need to reply. Therefore, I couldn’t leave the phone inside and miss the message. However, I certainly didn’t want to get paint on my phone!

I slipped it into my back pocket. That wouldn’t work. The pocket was too short leaving part of the phone exposed.

Pulling it out, I studied my phone. One end of the phone had the cameras and the headphone jack. Paint on the main camera would prevent me from taking pictures, but I often enjoy using my phone camera. Spray paint over the reverse camera would make Zoom calls impossible. Not good. As for the headphone jack, I don’t use headphones often, but losing the option wouldn’t be favourable. Therefore, I slipped the phone back into my pocket with the camera side down. That would keep it safe. Cell phone charging

But wait! The part of the phone now exposed was the power cord plug-in! That would never do. If the phone can’t be charged, then none of its functions would be usable!

Reluctantly, I switched it the other way around. Now the power plug-in was protected. I would be disappointed if the camera got damaged, but I owned a different camera I could use. What I wouldn’t have was a working cell phone if this one died.

Thankfully, I didn’t get any paint on my phone. I was paying enough attention to not touch it when my fingers were sticky with paint.

The lesson

Why do I recount this little story? Because there is a lesson here for me.

Similarly to how I needed to choose which part of my phone to protect, I must choose every day what parts of life I protect the most.

To some people, taking the time to think about which way to put my phone in my pocket may seem excessively cautious and pointless. Likewise, I sometimes neglect to put thought into what I want to prioritize in my life. It seems unnecessary to take time to think about prioritizing when I could be using that time to accomplish something instead.

The challenge is, like with my phone’s power plug-in, if I fail to guard the most important parts of my life, everything else will suffer.

So what parts of my life should I guard?

What the Bible tells us to guard

To find the answer, I did some research. I searched for the word “guard” in the Bible. Here are some of the verses I found.

I must be sure the way I am living does not involve evil.

“The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life.” (Proverbs 16:17 ESV)

What do I use to help keep my way pure and good? The Bible.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word.” (Psalm 119:9 ESV)

My heart needs tending to as well.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

Here’s something I must guard against.

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'” (Luke 12:15 ESV)

What’s the highest priority?

Okay, but which is most important? With my phone, the power cord plug-in is by far the most important thing to guard. What about in my life?

Here’s Jesus’ answer:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV)

If I am careful to guard God’s position as the first priority in my life, the rest will fall into place so much better.

God will help me

Easier said than done! Thankfully, God will help me guard my life according to His ways. I can trust Him to do so.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

…

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 121:1-2,8 NASB)

5 Classic Bible Story Songs for Preschoolers

Posted on October 9, 2020March 25, 2022 by S. J. Little

As Christian parents and teachers, we desire to introduce our children to the Bible while they are young. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of songs. These classic Bible story songs will engage your preschoolers in an exciting way while teaching them the Bible. Chances are, you may be familiar with some of these songs. Have you introduced them to your children yet? If not, perhaps today is a good day to start!

Because most of these songs directly correlate with the Bible stories they are telling, I would encourage you to try using visuals to tell the story as you sing it the first time. This helps young children associate meaning with the words they are singing.

Some of these songs have well-defined actions, while others don’t. For some of the songs, I have suggested my favourite actions. For others, I will let the videos show you some possible actions. If the actions don’t suit your fancy, feel free to make up your own!

Please note: The sample videos I have included were chosen for the clarity of the song and actions. I am not associated with any of them and have not done extensive research into the groups who posted them. Also, while I tried to find videos similar to how I prefer to sing these songs, some actions and/or words may vary from the versions I have recommended for you.

1. Arky Arky (Rise and Shine)

I chose this Bible story song about Noah because I appreciate how it includes God. It was God who told Noah to build the ark, and it is God who deserves all the glory. This song also has silly rhyming which is sure to thrill many preschoolers.

Depending on the age of your children, consider repeating the chorus after every verse or after every two verses. I would repeat the chorus more often for younger children.

Genesis 6:8-9:17

The Lord told Noah,

There’s gonna be a floody, floody.

Lord told Noah,

There’s gonna be a floody, floody.

Get those animals out of the muddy, muddy –

Children of the Lord.

(Chorus) So, rise and shine and,

Give God the glory, glory!

Rise and shine and,

Give God the glory, glory!

Rise and shine and,

Give God the glory, glory –

Children of the Lord.

The Lord told Noah,

To build him an arky, arky.

Lord told Noah,

To build him an arky, arky.

Build it out of gopher barky, barky –

Children of the Lord.

(Repeat chorus)

The animals, the animals,

They came in by twosies, twosies.

Animals, the animals,

They came in by twosies, twosies.

Elephants and kangaroosies, roosies –

Children of the Lord.

(Repeat chorus)

It rained and poured,

For forty daysies, daysies.

Rained and poured,

For forty daysies, daysies.

Almost drove those animals crazy crazies –

Children of the Lord.

(Repeat chorus)

The sun came out,

And dried up the landy, landy.

Sun came out,

And dried up the landy, landy.

Everything was fine and dandy, dandy!

Children of the Lord.

(Repeat chorus)

2. Only a Boy Named David

This song, and the Bible story it recounts, are truly classics. I recommend singing it standing so your children can get some energy out spinning and then pretending to fall down like Goliath. Who knows? This one might just become your child’s favourite!

1 Samuel 17

Only a boy named David.

Only a little sling.

Only a boy named David,

But he could pray and sing.

Only a boy named David.

Only a rippling brook.

Only a boy named David,

But five little stones he took.

And one little stone went into the sling,

And the sling went round and round.

And one little stone went into the sling,

And the sling went round and round.

And round and round,

And round and round and round.

And one little stone went into the air,

And the giant came tumbling down.

Suggested actions:

Only a boy named David – hold hand out as though patting the head of a child

Only a little sling – pretend to swing a sling over your head

But he could pray and sing – fold hands in prayer and/or pretend to strum a guitar

Only a rippling brook – wiggle fingers while moving hands from right to left

But five little stones he took – hold up five fingers

One little stone went into the sling – hold up one finger, then put finger into other hand

The sling went round and round – swing imaginary sling around over head

Round and round – if standing, turn around while swinging sling

One little stone went into the air – point one finger as though following path of the flying stone

The giant came tumbling down – fall down

3. Who Did Swallow Jonah

This could be a fun song to get creative with. Try letting individual children take turns singing “who did?” There are 12 “who did” parts per verse, not including the “who did swallow Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo” part which could be sung all together.

Jonah 1-3

Who did? who did?

Who did swallow

Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo?

Who did? who did?

Who did swallow

Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo?

Who did? who did?

Who did swallow

Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo?

Who did swallow Jonah…

Who did swallow Jonah down?

Whale did, whale did,

Whale did swallow

Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo.

Whale did, whale did,

Whale did swallow

Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo.

Whale did, whale did,

Whale did swallow

Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo.

Whale did swallow Jonah…

Whale did swallow Jonah down.

Optional other verses:

Daniel, Daniel, … Daniel in the li, li, li, li.

Daniel in the lion’s, … Daniel in the lion’s den.

Gideon, Gideon… Gideon blow your trump, trump, trump, trump.

Gideon blow your trumpet, … Gideon blow your trumpet loud!

4. Zacchaeus

Another timeless classic Bible story song that has been loved by many! Want proof? Look up “sings Zacchaeus” on Youtube and you’ll find many recordings of young children trying to sing this song. The song and storyline are simple enough for a child to follow. The actions, also, are straight forward. I’ll let the video teach them to you, other than one comment. In order to make the actions more full-body, I recommend walking in place as you sing “And as the Savior passed that way.”

Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

And a wee little man was he.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree,

For the Lord he wanted to see.

Toddler crouching and smiling

And as the Savior passed that way,

He looked up in the tree,

And said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!

For I’m going to your house today!

For I’m going to your house today!”

Optional Verse:

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

But a happy man was he.

For he had seen the Lord that day,

And a happy man was he;

And a very happy man was he.

5. Peter and John Went to Pray (Silver and Gold)

This is another fantastic Bible story song in that it has an easy to follow storyline that can correlate well with actions. I especially appreciate how accurately this song tells the story in line with Acts 3:1-10.

Peter and John went to pray;

They met a lame man on the way.

He asked for alms and held out his palms,

And this is what Peter did say:

“Silver and gold have I none,

But such as I have I give you.

In the name of Jesus Christ

Of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

He went walking and leaping and praising God,

Walking and leaping and praising God.

“In the name of Jesus Christ

Of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

6. Bonus!

Here’s a bonus recommendation for you. This song, titled “Stories” by Go Fish, includes both “Only a Boy Named David” and “Zacchaeus” in a catchy, upbeat modern song. I encourage you to take a moment to listen.

What are your favourite classic Bible story songs to sing with your preschoolers?

Other preschool songs on SJLittle.ca:

7 Simple Christian Songs for Preschoolers

Another 7 Simple Christian Songs for Preschoolers

If You Want To Be A… (Action song for almost any animal)

Daddy’s Near So I Won’t Fear

Posted on October 3, 2020October 3, 2020 by S. J. Little

Road leading into fog in forest with orange leaves

Daddy’s Near So I Won’t Fear

By S. J. Little

Written for: lydialukidis.wordpress.com/fall-writing-frenzy-contest-2020/

Word count = 198 (max. word count allowed = 200)

Image 10: unsplash.com/photos/5hvn-2WW6rY

Behind the story:

The fog hiding the distant road in this picture made me think of how sometimes, especially right now with this pandemic, we can only see a short distance ahead of ourselves on the journey called life. Taking that thought down to a child’s level, where do they find comfort when the journey holds scary things? In having their Daddy nearby.

This story is written to be a picture book for young preschoolers.

When Daddy buckled me in, I asked. “Where’re we going?”

“To Grandma’s house.”

“I love Grandma!”

Daddy started the car and away we went.

I watched the golden hayfields roll past.

Suddenly I saw a scary shape. It was tall with arms, and it was looking at me!

“What’s that!?”

Daddy glanced at the field. “That’s a scarecrow. It keeps the birds away. It won’t hurt you.”

I studied Daddy’s calm face.

Daddy’s near, so I won’t fear,

Whatever the journey brings.

The car tilted up. We were driving into the sky. I smiled, until I looked out the window and saw a steep cliff.

“We’re going to fall!” I cried.

Daddy wasn’t worried. “I’ll drive carefully. We’ll be safe.”

Daddy’s near, so I won’t fear,

Whatever the journey brings.

Further along, I watched beautiful leaves falling. Then the sun went down. Everything looked black.

I sucked my thumb. “It’s too dark!”

“It’s okay,” Daddy reassured. “The headlights will show us where to go.”

Daddy’s near, so I won’t fear,

Whatever the journey brings.

We turned a corner and there it was: Grandma’s house!

Warm light shone from the windows.

Grandma waved. “Come on in and Happy Thanksgiving!”

Fog Illuminates the Spider Webs

Posted on September 24, 2020April 29, 2024 by S. J. Little

A few years back, I had the opportunity to live in Germany for a time. The place where I lived included a sizable yard. Often in the mornings, I would stroll through the yard enjoying the freshness of the air before the day got started. One corner of the yard even offered a view of the nearby lake.

Then one morning, as fall crept near, a fine mist greeted me. A low dense fog hung in the air so thick I could feel it. The sky was grey and the view of the lake was gone. The grass in the yard, though cut short, quickly soaked my shoes and pant legs. The whole world seemed damp and grey and mysterious.

As I strolled through the yard that foggy morning, I saw something I’d never seen before. The hedge that lined one fence was spotted with spider webs!

I’d walked along that very hedge countless times, never noticing a single web, but now they stood out vividly!

Puzzled, I moved closer. I stooped to study one. To my astonishment, every strand of the web held tiny droplets of mist. As a result, the web was illuminated against the green of the hedge.

While spiders are certainly not my favourite critters, I couldn’t help but appreciate the intricate beauty of these glistening webs! At the same time, knowing just how many spider webs existed on those hedges was a little unnerving.

Later that morning, I was able to slip outside for a few minutes again. The world seemed completely transformed. The sun shone warm and friendly. The sky was blue. Not a hint of the mist from the morning remained. Not a single spider web shone with droplets. The beauty of it was gone. Only my memory of the stunningly intricate webs remained. (Until the next morning, that is, when the fog again hung low.)

So why do I share this memory now? What significance does it have?

Sometimes in my life, it feels as though a fog looms near, grey and heavy. Such fog makes it hard to see what I’m doing or where I’m going. Yet in the midst of the grey-ness, the fog illuminates something in me.

Just as the fog illuminated the spider webs, so in my life the fog sometimes brings visibility to things I had not seen before. Perhaps those things will be stunning webs of intricate design. However, they may be ugly, messy strands of cobweb sending a shiver of disgust down my spine.

The Bible uses a different illustration to explain that the way we’ve spent our lives will become visible one day.

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ESV)

Perhaps the foggy seasons in my life are God’s way of giving me a sneak preview of how I’ve been living? Have I been using my life to build what has lasting beauty, or have I been building with straw and hay, mere cobwebs that will be swept away?

When the fog illuminates those unseen parts of my life, may I remember to bring every concern straight to God. He can help me learn to build what has lasting beauty so that, when the fog rolls in, I may not be ashamed of what I see.

Then I can join Paul in saying:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV)

(If you want to see the incredible spider web photos I used in their original state, you can view them on Unsplash here.)

4 Sides: Easy Preschool Gym Game

Posted on September 11, 2020May 5, 2021 by S. J. Little

This game gets children moving with very little prep required. As an easy preschool gym game, it can be adapted to most spaces and adjusted for nearly any theme.

Set up

Designate four areas as the sides the children will be running to.
- In a gym with four walls, consider attaching a piece of coloured paper or a poster to each wall. (When playing with a group of children, I prefer using a wall rather than a corner so that the children have room to spread out.)
- In an open area, such as a field, consider placing four different coloured hula-hoops to designate the four sides. (See other options below.)

Play

To start the game, show the children each of the four sides.
Call out an instruction, such as “Run to yellow!”
Run with the children to the “yellow” side.
Once everyone has arrived, call out another instruction. For example “Hop to blue!”
Alternate between actions that are exciting vs. quiet, fast vs. slow, and tricky vs. easy. (See my list of suggested actions below.)
Keep an eye on your children’s engagement level. As soon as they start losing interest, or preferably just before they do, wind up the game. Finish with one exciting action followed by one quieter action.
- Ending with a quiet action will help prepare your children for the transition into the next activity.

Age

2 Year Olds: At the basic level, this game works wonderfully with most 2 year olds. These youngsters will enjoy playing this game many times, if you change it up a bit each time.
3 Year Olds: This is a great game for 3 year olds! They especially enjoy it if you can give them opportunities to call out the instructions.
4 Year Olds: If you include more challenging actions, or perhaps increase the number of sides to 6 or 8, 4 year olds will enjoy this game. However, I recommend only playing it occasionally with 4 year olds, as they may begin losing interest if they play it too often.

Size of group

1 Child: This game can be played with one child. It will go best if you play it with the child. Take turns calling out the instructions.
2-8 Children: Having a small group of children makes this game more exciting, while enabling you to allow each child to have a turn or two calling the instructions.
9+ Children: This gym game is excellent with a large group of children. However, you may not have the time to allow each child a turn to call the instructions. Therefore, unless you are sure you can give every child a turn, it is likely best to call all the instructions yourself.

Ideas for the four sides

If you don’t have walls to attach papers to, try using different coloured hula hoops, cones, or blankets. Alternatively, choose pre-existing objects to run to such as a bench, a flagpole, or a tree, etc.
If you have walls to attach papers to, your options are endless! For younger children, stick with simpler options, but for older children, enjoy challenging them with new vocabulary that is trickier.
- Blank coloured paper: could be basic colours (red, yellow, blue, green), or more tricky colours (purple, orange, brown, grey). You could even do themed colours (for Valentine’s day: red, pink, white, purple).
- Shapes cut from paper: For 2 year olds, I have done basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, star). For older children try trickier shapes (rectangle, octagon, trapezoid, oval). You can cut whatever shapes you want! For example, you could do pet themed shapes (cat, dog, fish, bird).
- Posters: if you are in a preschool or childcare facility, chances are you have various posters around. Why not use some of them? You could use transportation, zoo, or dinosaur posters to match the game with what the children are learning. (If you don’t have posters, colouring sheets could work.)
- Flat objects: Consider using foam letters or large puzzle pieces for the four sides. So long as the four objects can be clearly distinguished by name, you can use just about anything.

Ideas for actions

Changing up the actions will help ensure a full-body workout for your preschool children. Be sure to use a variety of easy and challenging actions!
- Basic actions:
  - Easy
    - Run
    - Hop
    - Fly (running with arms out as wings)
    - Stomp
    - Crawl
  - Medium
    - Skip
    - Walk sideways
    - Tiptoe quietly
    - Slow
    - Long steps
    - Tiny steps
    - Spin
    - Slither (or army crawl)
    - Bear crawl (on hands and feet with knees straight)
  - Hard
    - Hop on one foot
    - Crab walk (on hands and feet with tummy facing up)
    - Walk backwards (not recommended for larger groups, though it can work if you let them go two or three children at a time)
- Other actions: Children have incredible imaginations! Engage their creativity with theme-based actions.
  - Zoo
    - Stomp like a hippo
    - Walk like a giraffe (stretch arms up and take long steps)
    - Run fast like a cheetah
    - Waddle like a penguin
    - Hop like a kangaroo
  - Dinosaur
    - Growl like a t-rex (make short arms and run while growling)
    - Stretch like a brachiosaurus
    - Fly like a pterodactyl
    - Stomp like a triceratops
  - Bugs
    - Buzz like a bee (make tiny wings with hands and run while buzzing)
    - Fly like a butterfly (flap arms as large gentle wings while crossing slowly and quietly)
    - Jump like a grasshopper
    - Crawl like a ladybug
  - I think you get the idea so I’ll stop my list here. This game could also work with themes such as: farm, under the sea, transportation, emotions, sports or Olympics.

How to choose which action

The basic way to play this easy gym game involves someone calling whichever action they want. (If you let the children make their own calls, you’ll end up with a lot of running!) Consider making the game more engaging and visually appealing for your children, especially if they are still learning English or have language delays by doing one of the following:
- Dice:
  - Before playing the game, choose 6 actions and write them on a die. (You can make your own dice out of cardboard, or try looking for giant dice at your local dollar store.)
  - Hand the die to the child who is calling the instruction. Whatever they roll, that’s the action you’ll do next.
- Use picture cards:
  - Use themed cards, such as animal cards, to determine the next action.
  - The child who is calling the instruction pulls a card from a bag (looking or not looking, you choose). Whatever action is on the card, that’s what everyone does.
  - If you don’t have picture cards or action cards to use, you can likely find some online to print. As another option, print a copy of my Free Zoo Animal Skin Matching Game cards to use.
- Use small toys:
  - Alternatively, look around at what you have. Small plastic animals could be drawn from a bag.

This easy preschool gym game will be a fantastic addition to your preschool gym games tool belt. You may even find that it becomes one of your favourites!

Need more action ideas, or want to share your variation of the game? Comment below.

Looking for more no prep, super easy preschool gym ideas to get your children moving? Here are some ideas:

Interested in a preschool song that can go with just about any animal theme? See “If You Want To Be A…”