Between the ages of 5 and 12, you learn and change a lot. You might see your few learn to read or lose their first tooth or style their hair themselves. The best part of this phase . . . they are hilarious. So we’ve collected a few scenarios that will probably sound really familiar to you as you lead your few through the elementary phase. Now, please sit crisscross applesauce as we reminisce together.

You might be a kids’ SGL if . . .

• You’ve ever had to rationalize why Santa’s reindeer leave magical footprints in some yards, and not others.
• You’ve found a sticker somewhere on yourself (out of eyeshot) when you got home.
• You’ve had to pray for multiple grandparents on the same day.
• You’ve been thoroughly educated in the different types of Pokémon.
• You wake up earlier on Sunday than any other day of the week.
• You’ve seen “coke” or “peanuts” or “beach” spelled in entirely inappropriate ways (helping you practice your poker face.)
• You find glitter in your hair on Wednesday . . . that’s apparently been there since small group on Sunday.
• You’ve been immortalized in a 2nd graders marker portrait with blue skin and red eyes.
• You’ve lost your voice by the end of small group because you’ve been explaining directions multiple times.
• You have an internal stockpile of random accents you can use for when your group won’t listen to your normal voice.
• You’re out of breath after worship because it usually consists of just jumping up and down again, again, and again with an occasional lyric thrown in.
• You’ve recruited your spouse, friend, or high-school student to co-lead with you because you just can’t without reinforcements anymore.
• You’ve learned not to be offended when they ask if it’s time to leave yet.

Now, raise your hand if a lot of these reflect your SGL experience. Great! Give yourself a gold star. There is something special about the heart of an elementary SGL because we know that we might not ever get the chance to be there when these kids have their “aha” moments. But we still say yes. We know that the blocks that we are helping build, literally and figuratively, will somehow start to shape their futures.

What have been some of the moments you’d add to the list?

By Afton Phillips & Molly Bell