CHAPTER V
THE PROGRAM FOR THE BEGINNERS' DEPARTMENT
I. Essential Elements
In planning the program for any department of the Sunday-school, three elements should always be included: the element of fellowship, the element of worship, and the element of instruction.
FellowshipThe element of fellowship is that which deals with the social side, contributing to the spirit of good-will, and manifesting friendliness. Kate Douglas Wiggin speaks of the "Magic of together." It is just that need which this element of the program is designed to meet. Since it is the teacher's aim to win lives for Christ, not by force, but by love, there must be in every Sunday-school some expression of personal interest. Accordingly in the Beginners' Department there are greetings and goodbyes and the informal conversation. Birthdays, new pupils, the return of absent pupils, new babies, are recognized and everything is done to give the children a happy time.
A kindergartner once visited the Beginners' Department of a friend of hers. At the close of Sunday-school the Beginners' teacher said, "Well, I don't know as the children learn much, but they have a happy time and love to come." The kindergartner replied, "They have learned something this morning; but even if they had not, it would be worth while for them to come to have a happy time, for they are gaining a love for the Sunday-school and forming the habit of attendance."
The element of worship fosters reverence through bringing the thought of God directly to the child. It is aided by
