If your class is meeting online, invite teens to bring supplies with them to class.

• When was the last time you had a conversation with a small child? For those of you who have experienced this recently, what was it like? (While experiences will of course vary across individuals, one of the hallmarks of young children is a voracious curiosity that leads to a near incessant line of questioning and talking.)

Little kids will happily share every single detail of their day with you, regardless of the contextual importance of any one shared element. They’ll tell you what they ate, where they went, who they were with, what they were thinking, how they were feeling, and ask hundreds of questions about the things going on around them.

This curiosity is natural and an important part of children’s development. However, it can be easy for parents, teachers, or caretakers to become annoyed or frustrated with children’s constant questions and conversation.  

• Do you think God responds to us in this way when we share all of life’s details with Him? Why or why not? (Allow students to respond as they see fit.)

There’s a fallacy if you think this way: We’re projecting our own emotions and capabilities onto God. We think that because we can sometimes get annoyed when a child (or whoever) shares every single detail of their lives with us, then that must be how God feels when it’s our turn to share.

This couldn’t be further from the truth! Mark 10:13-16 says, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Distribute supplies (or invite students to have them ready at home). Challenge your students to practice coming to God like a child in this upcoming week, throwing off their insecurities to truly open up to their Father. Guide them to go through the following exercise in order to facilitate arriving at this heartplace:

Using your supplies, record all of the triumphs, problems, and even normalcies (big and small) that you encounter throughout your day, writing them down as they occur or periodically. Feel free to record as much detail as you want (i.e. the people involved, the emotions you’re experiencing, etc.). 

Finally, wrap-up each day by sharing with God all of the events of that day—talking with Him about all the details recorded. Encourage your students to do this at least three times in the coming week. Let students know they can also record their thoughts in a notebook or on the notes app of their smartphones.

Close in prayer.