Lessons for the little ones can be very hard. I agree at this age the attention of these little ones can be very short but here aresome ideas that I have used over the years...:)

• The idea situation is that you have one person giving the lesson and another handling the crowd. (If you have to stop and go a lot of times you will loose their interest)
• Use control play for your beginning instead of free play. Less for them to give up and a easier clean up.
• I let the children move their chairs... I would say " story time and help me please" and after the first month these children knew it was time for to move their chairs to the circle... and my helper knew to watch John and Luke (heheeh the names have been changed because they are 12 years old now...need I say more:)
• I always started with a song...."I am a Child of God"
• I used music as crowd control too. When I saw that I was loosing interest among the children I would burst out in song... Maybe it was shock and maybe it was my voice (hehehe) but the children would stop and listen and older ones joined in when all the adults would..:)))
• Use bright colors and things that the children can handle and get them working with you. I use contact paper for those things I planned to use over and over and from week.
• Use things over and over. At this age the children like to know they can to it... :)
• Plan several things for the lesson. Save what you don't use... or things that don't work at the moment...and bring them back what they are not interested in now.... may interest them next week...:)
• Know your lesson... ;) Don't take your manual with you. If your mind is trying to read ahead and you don't have eye contact you will loose them... Any verses or poems or activities put on the opposite wall or arrange them so you can still talk and see them... They can not read so they don't know you have them there :) When I demo this in a nursery one time.... the Nursery Leader and Assistant didn't even know I had them there. Haha! Don't have the children walk a long way to help. They will loose interest...Get up close to give the Lesson.
• When you dealing with small children sometimes you have to give the answer to questions ask... Tommy, I think Heavenly Father loves you...don't you?...( nodding your head yes)
• Use activities that go along with the lesson. Make a list of all of the stories in the lessons... :) As you go about things I would see things that I could use... (Maybe a note pad that had a rainbow and sun for the story of Noah.) I made this into a mobile by putting contact paper on it and putting holes in the bottom and using yarn to tie animals that they colored....
• During quite time and while you are waiting for the parents I would use pictures or a storybook to go with the lesson....:)