My 3 year old came home from pre-school today talking about Moses on the boat...?

Question

I am on not Christian or Catholic, but I do send both my children 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 to a very good preschool, part of St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church. When enrolling my children, I was specific in that I did not want them to attend bible study or be there when bible stories were read. It is an NAEYC Accredited preschool and the teachers are wonderful and calm...but children at this age are like sponges! And I thought that we were ok, because I spoke with the director and they were not to be taught the religion at all...but tonight at dinner, my son says "Yeah, Moses was on the boat". I don't know if this is regular 3 yr old jibber jabber or if that is a teaching from school...please help, I need to know whether or not I should say something to their teachers.

Thanks!

Answer 1

You should keep cool...It may not be the teachers who are telling them the stories... Remember the teachers are not the only ones who are interacting with your kids... Most of the time, your kids are with their friends. Their friends might be excited about the story and start sharing it to your kid, though he or she might not fully understand what the story is about.

So if that is the case, the kid who listened the story filtered much of the story already, and by the time he or she tells your kid, it may be very much watered down. Although I know you are very concerned about the religious issues, it is very hard not to allow some infiltration in. It might come in through their friends and you can't stop them from communicating. social skills are crucial at this point in time.

Why not you wait and see for another 2 weeks or so. If the situation does not improve and things gets worse, you might want to speak to their teachers or find another preschool that is equally good but non religious.

Answer 2

I am not sure why you expect a Church affiliated pre-school not to tell little children's Bible stories to your children.  It seems unreasonable that you would expect them to remove your children from the room anytime religion of any type is discussed.  

Do not say anything to the teachers.  If they did get removed while the story was told it would be normal curiosity for them to ask the other children what happened while they were gone.  If they did get read a story, it is harmless and certainly a better alternative to some other children's stories.  The wolf dies in the three pigs story, the wolf tries to eat little red riding hood, etc.

Moses in the boat is also a type of plant.

Answer 3

Did you ever think that, considering children are like sponges, they also expel "water" like sponges? He attends a preschool that does teach bible study to other children. Perhaps the other children shared their knowledge with him.

AND... perhaps you SHOULD consult the teacher just to verify that your instructions were respected.

Answer 4

You need to take your kids out of that school.......what a hostile environment teaching young children about God.

What would Jesus do?

Answer 5

I personally wouldn't say anything if this is the first occurrence, because it's possible that the other children heard bible stories at school or at home, and were talking about them in your son's earshot.  However, if you're concerned, then it would be a good idea (and well within your parental rights) to ask your son's teacher what happened.

Answer 6

Well, to begin, your youngster has probably been exposed to some sort of religious story book or something of that nature.  But it was Noah on the Ark, not Moses.  Moses was the leader of the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt, and was exposed to a large body of water only once as an adult... The Red Sea.. which the Israelites walked across.. no boats involved.  (It could have been a reference to Moses in the basket in the river when he was a baby... .. but a basket is not a boat.)

I would be concerned that the child was exposed to religious content after you had requested that the child not be taught religion in school nor exposed to religious activities.   But my greater concern would be that the child is being exposed to erroneous information if they are talking about Moses being on the boat! Facts are one thing.. fiction is something else entirely.  

Another possibility is that your child was told of Moses and the boat by another child.....which has been exposed to bible stories and bible study. Three year old children can make up marvelous stories from what they have seen and heard and they may or may not be factual. As a grandparent of 6, I can attest to that!!

My first act would be to consult with the director of the school and the child's teacher and inquire specifically about your requests concerning the religious teaching.

If they are keeping your children out of Bible classes and from religious assemblies, I think you may assume that it is just something that the child heard from a fellow student.

Have a great day!!

Answer 7

He might've picked it up from some of the other kids who did attend bible study! theres not much you can really do about it, besides keeping ur child away from everyone which i doubt u want 2 do, but hmm.. talk to the teachers! you dont have 2 be very aggresive but just explain the situation! hope this helped!

Answer 8

Quite frankly, he could have even seen a painting, mural, or toy and asked another kid who's the man on the boat.

I've worked in the preschool department at several churches over the years, depending on where we moved to, and at 2 and 3 there is no real "religious" teaching going on.  The kids don't have the attention level or abstract understanding.  The most that happens is that kids get told that God loves them (and honestly, even if you're not Christian, where is the harm in that?) and they are read some Bible storybooks (like David and Goliath, or Moses in the basket, or Noah and the ark).  They are told "Jesus likes it when we share", or things of that nature.  Seriously, that's it.  They don't even begin to understand that it's anything more than stories (most of the time) until they're about kindergarten age, or older.

You really can't expect your child never to hear about the Bible when you're sending them to a preschool run out of a church; I wouldn't put my child in a school run by a mosque and expect him never to pick up Islamic teaching.  Even if the teachers keep him out of bible studies, he will hear other kids talking about God, and he will see toys, books, paintings, etc. laying around and ask about them.

You need to decide if the school is worth keeping your kids there and you can explain the beliefs however you see fit, or if there is a secular preschool somewhere nearby that you believe to be just as good.  Sooner or later, your kids are going to be exposed to different beliefs, and they'll need to know how to handle them.  Not saying that they should have to make these decisions while still in diapers or whatever, but they will come across religious beliefs sooner or later...and you'll need to decide how to deal with that.

I choose to deal with it by talking openly and honestly with my son about other belief systems, and to read with him about them.  We are Christian, and he's very strong in his beliefs, but he has a very functional knowledge of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism, and Taoism.  He'll be 10 in a few months, but he had several friends from different beliefs when he was younger and asked about them at different times over the years, so we talked on whatever level he could handle (starting when he was your kids' age).

You'll need to make that decision for your children, but I wanted to let you know that allowing your kids to learn about other beliefs, on whatever level they're at, isn't a bad thing.

Answer 9

You sent your kid to  St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church?? and yhou expect no bible teaching!!!

HAHAHAHAHA, good luck

Answer 10

Why is it a bad thing that they did learn this? Of all the things out there that they could possibly learn you should be glad they picked something like that up. If he remembers it, it must have been interesting to him. Instead of being ready to speak to the teachers maybe you should just embrace your son's interest.

Answer 11

I guess you could talk to the Director again.  But in the "real" world they will be faced with this all the time, I happen to be a Christian and decided to not put my children in a Parochial school because I want them to see and hear and learn things from all cultures but also to understand what we believe in.  I think it is the same with you, just talk to the kids and tell them what you believe.  If you feel that strong about it you may consider taking them out of that school.  I think it would be very difficult to keep bible teachings totally separate in a school like that.  Good Luck!

Answer 12

Get over it,that's not even theologically correct jabbering,let it go.

Answer 13

if you're worried, talk to the teachers - better safe than sorry. i'd say if he's at a christian school it's not likely to be a coincidence that he comes home talking about biblical figures

Answer 14

I wouldn't worry too much, it was Noah that was on the boat (or rather ark)...Moses went down the river in a basket as a baby, and later cross the Red Sea on dry land...

Answer 15

wasn't it Noah on the boat.

BTW if you're going to send your son to a religious pre-school of course he's going to pick things up........

Answer 16

It's pretty hard for him not to pick stuff up if he is at a church school. He may have heard stuff from his friends and absorbed it, not necessarily been formally taught.

You really need to send him to a non-denominational school if you want him to be completely isolated from religion.

Is it such a bad thing that he receives some exposure to religion? You can explain that it is just a belief that some people have etc, and the reasons you don't believe in it. He will be exposed to religion at some point in his life (esp if he attends a church school) so maybe it is best to discuss it with him now? You can't really claim to be open-minded about religion unless you expose your children to different religions, cultures and belief systems then allow them to make an informed choice. Otherwise you are just as intolerant as religious fanatics.

Answer 17

better to hear that than cussing or bad things.I would just leave it alone.Don't push it please.

Answer 18

This is very debatable, but I think you should let this one slide.  Some schools teach the creation story of Moses to help children understand how people, animals etc. came about.  I have heard the story before without any biblical/religious undertones.

My question is why they're enrolled in a lutheran preschool if you do not want them to have any religious instruction?  Plus, even though kids are like sponges, I don't think they would really retain that much going into regular kindergarten at a public school, just my opinion

Answer 19

You could politely approach the teachers and ask. You are sending your children to a religious place for preschool right? It may not be the teachings but rather other children who are religious telling your kids these bible stories. If you are really adamant about your children not hearing these things you may want to find a non-religious type place for your children to attend preschool. I would hope they wouldn't teach your child after you asked them not to, so I'd ask just to make sure. Ask is the key word ha ha. We as parents can get over excited about things and overreact. Good luck I hope it works out in the best interest for your family.

Answer 20

you should either make it extremely clear that you DON'T want him being taught from the bible, like tell them all about this moses thing. cause it can't be ordinary three-year-old jibber jabber, how else would he know that? if they keep teaching him this, put him in a different school if you really don't want him to be taught those stories.

Answer 21

He may have just heard it from his peers who do attend bible study. Relax, and if you're that concerned, tell him that is an opinion of another.