the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16

A snap shot of a Three year old:

Social: a follower, some interaction with peers, gaining social skills

Physical:   some fine motor control, awkward, energetic

Emotional: dependent, insecure in new situations, loving, can struggle to control emotions

Cognitive:  short attention span, beginning pretend play, cooperative, experimental, building literacy skills

Spiritual: enthusiastic in worship

The Three year old needs:

Social: individual and small group activities, acceptance, respect, modeling of social skills, Practice of skills, Dramatic play

Physical: Play-dough, tearing, cutting, Lots of manipulatives, Finger plays, Music and movement, Opportunities to run and climb

Cognitive: time to play, explore, discover and construct knowledge, manipulatives to sort, sequence, classify, discovery items, stories, rhymes

Spiritual: Worship opportunities, Christian role models, unconditional love, to
know Jesus as their friend, recognize God as the creator

Creative: Music and lots of “stuff” to mess with