Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Godly Play
This past Monday night for class we all dived into leading our respective groups of kids in Godly play. It felt like the night ran very smoothly. We all had our different stories that put kids at the center of the stories in the Bible that we presented. I feel like the main point of Godly play is to make the participants feel like they are living out the story themselves. Helping the kids try to experience the presence of God was a very enjoyable thing to do. Not only did we help them experience God, but it also felt like we all encountered God by leading them through it. Here are some questions to think about. First off, what could your group have done better in preparation for the night? Would you have changed anything from what you did? Finally, how often should Godly play be used in ministry?
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I think my group was fairly well prepared although personally I feel like when I told the story I was rushing a bit. One of the things that did end up changing was how we played our first game with the kids in our group. We had some fun props and ended up using some to play a unique game of tag. I feel like Godly play should be used when the story allows for it. Obviously if you are talking about something like death, you do not want to be playing a game to try and teach them about it.
ReplyDeleteI, being a part of Cody's group, agree that we did a fairly good job. Personally, I feel like it took me til after the first game to really warm up to the kids and I want to strive towards warming up faster with students. I felt our Bible lesson was great and the only thing I would change is I would have had more questions for the students to ponder on. Overall, I felt we did a good job with connecting with the kids and were considered their "best friends" as they informed as when they left. I think Godly play is very beneficial to use in lessons. I agree with Cody that there is a time and place for using it, but when done right it can help encourage different learning styles to prosper. So I would say one should decide on using Godly play based on each scenario.
ReplyDeleteI think that for our group, we could have met more and decided a more concrete plan for the night. Although we had a script and creative way of getting the kids to interact with the story, I feel like if we had played out some scenarios in our heads we would have known more specifically what to be prepared for. I think as far as Godly play goes though, it is a good way for them to learn, but just like Cody and Tanner said, there is a time and place where it is appropriate and can be done right. So, it should be thought through with your planning process.
ReplyDeleteI think that our group went really well! I was with Jeremy and Andrew and we had a group of girls ranging from ages 6-9 I believe. I felt like our lesson went well! The girls were really hyper and excited, but they participated well! It was a lot of fun. I wish we could have had a bit more time to think through our entire lesson plan. I felt a little bit unprepared. But again, the girls responded really well and I felt like they got something out of our lesson. I think Godly play should be used as much as possible for children especially. As students get older I believe interactive, experiential learning is still super important. It will just look different with a group of teenagers than with children. But it's a great way to teach! I definitely believe that.
ReplyDeleteI think echoing many thoughts so far I wish we would have been better prepared. Cody, Dillon, Tanner and I split up responsibilities and when it all came together the individual parts went really well but transitions were awkward on all four of our ends since there was no communication out thought behind any transition. As far as when to us godly play I think, similarly to Kauri, that there is an age were godly play turns from fun games of paraplegic tag to a more interactive experiential learning. The same is for a more serious matter, godly play can still be in the form of experiencing the more serious topic, whether through actual experience or story.
ReplyDeleteI thought the night went really well for the most part! I was in a group with Andrew and Kauri. We had a group of all girls from 6-9 and they were really hyper, but it was a lot of fun still! I think over all we did a really good job and I think all the girls really enjoyed it. However, I believe that we could have done a better job in preparing. I didn't think the room that we were in was very functional for kids. I wish we would have moved all the desks or had a small table. However, I have learned that you can not perfectly anticipate how every little thing will go when working with kids. So over all I think we did a really good job with all things considered.
ReplyDeleteDerrick Kelley: (Replica is my Google username) First off I wish I had given you guys the script/lesson plan sooner as it was written as more of a production based activity where the kids participated but not as much as Godly play probably calls for. By getting it to you when I did I limited our effectiveness in it. You guys were able to correct me as it was, and the kids participated and enjoyed the lesson all the better for it. So overall I think if I had sent it to you guys by say Wednesday or something the previous week then we could have touched base sooner. I would have probably also made the lesson without the history of Israel and God. I thought by taking 3-5 minutes to get David's story would give the kids a better understanding of how important he was. In the end it took up time and was not what the main story was about. Godly play allows the kids to experience God and the Bible in a more relative way. The are apart of the story and so they can understand points about the story we wouldn't always think of ourselves. While games are fun and all, what really matters is getting the kids to think about the Bible in new and profound ways, allowing them to experience God on a higher level.
ReplyDeleteWe all think that we could have been prepared a little more. I know that I think that as well. But, we did a good job. Like Jeremy said, the night was fun and we had a good time. This night had provided us all with experience and will come in handy later on in our ministry. I don't think that I would have changed anything because of the way that it went. It went well and it was fun. The girls had fun and were interactive with the lesson that we had. There is always room for more experience and I believe that we can always be learning from all of the lessons and teachings that we do. I think that there is always a right time and place for using Godly play. I think that it will always work well with kids and not so much with teenagers. You can use it with teenagers but I believe that it will work better with kids.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Bailey. I think if our group had more of a specific plan, we could have done things a little differently. I also think that we should have taken into consideration the possibility of a lack of attention by the kids and maybe come up with a plan b that involved a little more interactive learning, rather than just asking them to sit still and listen. A lot of kids learn best by "doing," so utilizing Godly play is so important to our present/future ministries. Like everyone else has said, Godly play is a great way for kids to learn, when used in the correct setting.
ReplyDeleteI'm jumping in late now that I've figured this out! I was with Tanner, Cody, and John. We did the story of the paralyzed man lowered through the roof to Jesus. We had some great kids and they were all about playing. I feel similar to Tanner in that it took a little bit longer than I had hoped to warm up to the group. However, without Godly Play, that would have taken even longer. Implementing Godly Play allowed for the group to grow closer with one another and for the story to really jump out and make sense for the students. It also helps to have people like Kenzie (or Kinsey, maybe?) who just warm up to everyone in a matter of seconds and at one point told each of us were her best friends, if only for a few minutes. I think we were well prepared aside from discussion questions.
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