Jesus welcomed young children to Himself because He valued them and knew that they too needed His touch (Matt. 19:13-15).
Yet, He related to the young children differently than others He taught.
Jesus’ Approach to Ministering to Young Children
A study of Jesus’ teaching ministry would reveal that He primarily taught adults with lecture and questions. He also used object lessons and word pictures to connect spiritual truths to that which was already familiar to them.
When Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me,” He did not gather them around Himself to lecture them. Rather, He touched them, blessing them with His presence. “He took the children in his arms” (Mk. 10:16). Very possibly He laughed along with them and perhaps even played with them. Though Scripture does not say Jesus got down on their level and into their world like this, it does express His delight in them and His touch.
Nursery Workers, as Foundation Builders, Need This Kind of Approach
Workers need this same kind of developmental understanding of this age level. They need to understand the limited attention span of young children and not over-structure the session yet still bring them to Jesus by touching them with His love and speaking of Him as they care for them and play with them.
Resource: Early Childhood Age Level Characteristics Module Download