Playtime with Jesus, Devotions for the Littlest Ones, my new book, is a devotional chock full of fun fingerplays for babies and preschoolers. A few readers wanted to see these fingerplays in action! So my dolls and I put together a few short videos to demonstrate the fingerplays in the devotions and how to use the book.
This first video shows how I walk my three year old through the fine art illustration for the first of the devotions. Then we read the verse and perform the first fingerplay together. I give a few notes on repeating the devotions often. Preschoolers love to master a skill or subject by repeating it over and over! I recommend either reading one devotion each day for a week before moving on to the next one. Or you can keep rotating the devotions every ten days, reading through the book, then starting over.
In the second video my doll and I demonstrate the fingerplays from Days two through five of Playtime with Jesus, Devotions for the Littlest Ones. Of course, the participation will look different with a six month old than a three year old. The parent or caregiver will name the objects in the painting, identify the colors and shapes, and make the sounds of sheep or the ocean. The tickling part is the most fun with the littlest ones! The sensory elements of tickling, the surprise elements, and the fine motor skills of finger and hand movement are all optimizing brain development.
I have some great suggestions for using the classical music selections that accompany each devotion in my post about listening to classical music with kids. It is also great as background music to your day or music for the car. Time tested music develops musical taste, paves the way for playing instruments later on, and develops the brain. The complexity of classical music challenges the brain far more than the three chord repeating pattern of pop music.
The fine art illustrations are all from collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City or the National Art Gallery in Washington, D. C. These are the museums kids are most likely to visit at some point. I teach art using Charlotte Mason’s method. Nothing beats being able to see a piece of art you have become familiar with in person at a museum! You can always check on-line to see what pieces are on display if you have are blessed to visit either of these magnificent museums.
Please leave your questions about using the book in the comments and I will be happy to answer them!
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