What does it mean when our teaching materials say that young children are "literal-minded"?
They accept what they hear and see at face value. Preschoolers and young children do not have the mental capability of abstract thinking. When we say, “God is the Good Shepherd and we are his sheep,” adults know that we are speaking of God as One who watches over us and cares for us. Preschoolers, however, visualize a pasture of sheep and a shepherd standing nearby. Don’t be surprised if they start crawling on the floor, imitating sheep baaing! Say what you mean, without using abstract or symbolic terms and analogies.
