Preparing Ourselves Before We Prepare the Lesson: Why Children Learn More Than Our Lesson Plans

Early childhood educators understand the importance of preparation. We gather materials, arrange learning centers, review objectives, prepare visual supports, and think carefully about how to introduce a new skill.

We prepare the lesson because we want children to succeed.

But before we prepare what we are going to teach, we must also prepare ourselves for the children we are going to teach.

A beautifully organized lesson plan cannot replace patience. A carefully designed activity cannot replace gentleness. A well-written classroom rule cannot replace an educator who consistently demonstrates what that rule looks like.

Children learn from the lessons we plan, but they also learn from the way we respond when the lesson does not go according to plan.

They watch how we react when someone spills the paint, refuses to clean up, interrupts the story, struggles with a transition, or asks the same question for the fifth time.

In those moments, the educator becomes part of the lesson.

Knowing the Lesson Is Not the Same as Living the Lesson

Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a respected teacher who possessed religious knowledge but still struggled to understand the spiritual truth Jesus was teaching him.

John 3:10–11 (NIV)

“‘You are Israel’s teacher,’ said Jesus, ‘and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.’”

Nicodemus knew how to teach what he had studied, but Jesus challenged him to understand something deeper.

For early childhood educators, this passage offers an important opportunity for reflection. We may know the correct teaching strategies.

We may understand child development, classroom management, social-emotional learning, and age-appropriate practices. However, knowing what children need is different from consistently demonstrating it.

We can teach children to use calm voices while speaking harshly when we feel overwhelmed.

We can teach children to take turns while becoming impatient when a child needs additional processing time.

We can teach children to solve problems together while responding to conflict by immediately separating or punishing them without helping them practice a solution.

We can teach children that mistakes are part of learning while showing frustration when they make the same mistake again.

Our lesson plans may communicate one message while our reactions communicate another.

That is why preparing ourselves is just as important as preparing the lesson.

Jesus, the Master Teacher, Repeated His Lessons

Jesus is the Master Teacher, and one of the most powerful things we can learn from His teaching is that He was willing to repeat Himself.

Jesus taught His disciples about faith more than once.

He reminded them repeatedly not to be afraid.

He taught them more than once that leadership meant serving others rather than seeking recognition.

He repeatedly explained that His kingdom was different from the kingdoms of the world.

He taught them to love God and love others, and then He demonstrated that love through His actions.

Even after hearing Jesus teach, the disciples did not always understand.

They argued about who was the greatest. They became afraid during storms. They struggled to understand His parables. They tried to send children away. They sometimes focused on status when Jesus was teaching them about service.

Jesus did not stop teaching simply because they did not understand the first time.

He repeated the lesson.

He demonstrated it again.

He asked questions.

He corrected them.

He used another example.

He allowed them to experience the lesson in a new situation.

This is an important model for every early childhood educator.

Great teachers are great repeaters.

Repetition is not evidence that teaching has failed. Repetition is part of teaching.

Young Children Need More Than One Opportunity

Young children are still learning how to manage emotions, communicate their needs, wait, listen, transition, share materials, and solve problems with others.

They may understand a classroom expectation during morning circle time and forget it during center play.

They may use kind words with one friend and struggle to use them with another.

They may complete a transition successfully on Monday and become overwhelmed by the same transition on Tuesday.

This does not always mean the child is being deliberately disobedient. It may mean the child still needs practice, support, modeling, and repetition.

Imagine teaching a child the phrase, “May I have a turn when you are finished?”

The child may repeat the words during a lesson. However, when another child picks up the toy the child wanted, strong emotions may make it difficult to remember the phrase.

That is when the real teaching begins.

Instead of saying, “We already talked about this,” the educator can calmly repeat the words and help the child practice them in the moment.

“You really wanted that toy. Let’s remember what we can say. You can say, ‘May I have a turn when you are finished? "

The educator is not simply correcting behavior.

The educator is helping the child connect the classroom lesson to a real experience.

That connection often requires repetition.

Companion Reel: Preparing the Lesson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa43Rc8P1w0

In the companion reel, Moxie explains that she enjoys listening to her teacher read because her teacher demonstrates what a good reader sounds like. However, Moxie also shares that she has difficulty moving to the next classroom activity.

The conversation reminds us that children do not only learn from the activity we lead successfully.

They also learn from how we guide them through the parts of the day that are difficult.

An educator may be fully prepared to read the story but unprepared for the child who does not want the story to end.

We may have prepared the next lesson but not prepared ourselves to respond patiently when a child is not ready to transition.

The transition is not separate from the learning.

The transition is also a lesson.

During that moment, children are learning whether adults will remain calm when they struggle. They are learning whether their emotions will be acknowledged. They are learning whether mistakes bring guidance or shame. They are learning whether the kindness discussed during circle time will still be present when the classroom becomes challenging.

Prepare Your Heart Before the Children Arrive

Preparing ourselves does not mean expecting ourselves to be perfect.

It means recognizing that our hearts, attitudes, words, and reactions influence the classroom environment.

Before children arrive, educators can take a moment to ask:

• Am I prepared to repeat this lesson without becoming irritated?

• How will I respond when a child needs more time?

• What will I do when the activity does not work as planned?

• Am I expecting developmental perfection from children who are still learning?

• Are my words demonstrating the same kindness I am teaching?

• Have I asked the Holy Spirit to guide my reactions today?

  
  

A prepared heart makes room for interruptions.

A prepared heart understands that some of the most important teaching moments will not appear in the written lesson plan.

A prepared heart recognizes that the child who appears to be delaying the lesson may actually be presenting the opportunity for the lesson to become real.

The Child Who Needs Repetition Is Not Wasting Your Time

There may be days when an educator feels as though the class has practiced the same expectation repeatedly without making progress.

“We have talked about cleaning up.”

“We have practiced taking turns.”

“We have reviewed our listening rules.”

“We have discussed kind words every day this week.”

But repetition does not mean that nothing is happening.

Every calm reminder is another opportunity for the child’s brain to make a connection.

Every modeled phrase gives the child language that may eventually become independent communication.

Every patient response helps the child understand that learning takes time.

Every consistent boundary helps the child feel secure.

The lesson may be taking root even when the educator cannot immediately see the result.

Jesus taught people who did not always understand Him immediately. He continued teaching because He knew that transformation was deeper than simply hearing the words once.

As educators, we must also remember that learning is often gradual.

We plant.

We model.

We repeat.

We practice.

We trust God with the growth.

Repetition Should Be Consistent, Not Mechanical

Repeating a lesson does not always mean saying the exact same words louder.

Sometimes repetition requires teaching the same truth in a different way.

Jesus used stories, questions, demonstrations, conversations, meals, miracles, and everyday experiences to help people understand spiritual truth.

Early childhood educators can also present the same skill through different experiences.

A lesson about taking turns might include:

• A puppet conversation during circle time

• A turn-taking song

• A visual “my turn, your turn” tool

• Teacher modeling during play

• Guided practice during a game

• Calm coaching during a real classroom disagreement

The truth remains the same, but the child has several opportunities to see, hear, practice, and experience it.

That is meaningful repetition.

Pop over to Moxie's Teaching Toolbox to get your Free Lesson Plan "My Turn, Your Turn!", because this lesson can not be repeated enough in the early childhood classroom.

Children Learn How We Handle Their Mistakes

Children need correction, boundaries, and clear expectations. However, the way we provide correction teaches a lesson of its own.

When a child makes a mistake, our response can communicate:

“You are still learning, and I will help you.”

Or it can communicate:

“You should already know this, and your struggle is frustrating me.”

Jesus corrected His disciples, but He also continued walking with them. Their misunderstanding did not remove them from His presence. He taught them through relationship.

Early childhood educators can follow that example by offering correction that is clear without being shaming.

Instead of:

“How many times do I have to tell you?”

We can say:

“You are still practicing. Let me show you again.”

Instead of:

“You know better.”

We can say:

“You know the rule, and now I am going to help you practice it.”

Instead of:

“Stop crying. It is time to clean up.”

We can say:

“You are sad that playtime is over. I will help you put the toys away, and then we will go together.”

These responses do not remove the expectation. They help children meet the expectation through patience, connection, and guidance.

Our Example Gives the Lesson Meaning

Children listen to what we say, but they also study what we do.

They learn about patience by experiencing our patience.

They learn about forgiveness by watching us apologize.

They learn about gentleness by hearing our tone.

They learn about self-control by seeing how we respond when the classroom becomes difficult.

They learn about problem-solving by watching us approach challenges calmly.

They learn about love when our actions remain loving even while we are correcting them.

This is why our preparation must go beyond laminating materials and organizing supplies.

Before we teach patience, we must be willing to practice patience.

Before we teach kindness, we must examine how we speak.

Before we teach children to regulate their emotions, we must consider how we manage our own.

Before we teach children how to repair relationships, we must be willing to apologize when our own words or actions cause harm.

The educator does not have to be perfect. But the educator must be willing to remain teachable.

Let Jesus Prepare the Teacher

Jesus does not only care about what we teach children. He also cares about who we are becoming while we teach them.

Our classrooms can become places where we depend on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, patience, gentleness, self-control, and discernment.

Before beginning the lesson, we can pray:

“Father, prepare my heart before I prepare this classroom. Help me see the children as You see them. Give me patience when they need repetition, gentleness when they need correction, and wisdom when the lesson does not go according to my plan. Help my words and actions reflect what I am teaching. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

The lesson plan is important.

The materials are important.

The learning objective is important.

But the person delivering the lesson matters too.

Children may not remember every activity we planned, but they will be shaped by the repeated experiences of being guided, corrected, encouraged, and loved.

Great teachers are not educators who only explain something well the first time.

Great teachers are great repeaters.

They repeat the truth.

They repeat the expectation.

They repeat the demonstration.

They repeat the encouragement.

And when necessary, they allow Jesus, the Master Teacher, to repeat the lesson in their own hearts before they teach it to the children.