Most of the children I teach come from a past of dysfunction and have very short attention spans. It’s great that their parents are in church now, however I spend a good amount of time redirecting the focus back to the topic. I thought the 3 motivations were right on. At the beginning of children’s church we start with prayer and then 3 rules and I ask them to help each other to stay focused. Sometimes it works and sometimes it don’t. I also sing with them a song related to the topic and we try to memorize one verse a month. We also have ages 7 to 12. What are your thoughts on that? I appreciate any feedback or suggestions.
You have a great opportunity to impact their life! Show them you care about them personally and that your on their side. "You can impress people at a distance. But you can impact them only up close." - Howard Hendricks
I’m sorry but this is really bad advice. The relationship part is good, but the reward and punishment motivators are terrible! People are motivated intrinsically. Autonomy, mastery and purpose are the three greatest motivators, and these are things that drive your motivation. Reward and punishment may have short term effects, but kids see right through it and it can lead to long term negative responses. I came looking for help but I genuinely think this video could do more damage than good. Thanks for your good intentions, but please reconsider this!
Autonomy, mastery and purpose are great motivators. Thanks for your contribution. However, based on this video, I believe that 1. the reward he's talking about refers to personal and life changing benefits. 2. punishment = demerits and how it affects their personal lives.. Regards and GOD bless