Before we begin to teach, we must understand how to be a student. This is most applicable when we are teaching God’s Word to children. Because of this, I have been led to structure all curriculum as a personal Bible study; a way to first lead you as a student of God, and to then empower you as a teacher of God’s Word.
Each lesson begins with a section called “Be the Student,” which takes the lesson text and breaks it into daily Bible study. Before you can effectively teach a passage, you must give God the time and space to speak to your heart, allowing His Word to become personal and applicable in your life. These daily study questions will be reflected in the weekly review sheet that you will send home with your students.
The final section called “Be the Teacher” should not be read until you’ve completed your personal Bible study. I’ve designed the crafts and activities to have minimal preparation required, and to use items that are common and easy to assemble. While I’m passionate about making every moment with children a teaching moment, and appealing to all learning styles throughout the class, we are not seeking to create art masterpieces. As a teacher, I’ve learned that preparing my heart to teach is far more effective and beneficial than preparing intricate craft components.
I have created teaching points and a take-home review sheet for each lesson, written in language that is easily understood by young children. Teaching points are included so that everyone has a starting point and a consistent message across classes. However, I encourage you to include insights that you’ve gleaned from your personal study. The student take-home review should have 5 stickers attached, a small incentive that encourages daily participation among both students and parents. You will find a review sheet for both small group (1st hour) and Children’s Church Worship (2nd hour). While the Bible text will remain the same for both hours, Children’s Church Worship will review the lesson with a specific focus upon how the text reveals God’s character. I recommend learning the memory verse using the American Sign Language (ASL) prompts as this often helps children by engaging visual, physical, auditory and verbal learning styles. Another option is to create visual cue cards using clip art to illustrate each key point of the verse while incorporating ASL.
I pray “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. (I) pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. “
(Ephesians 1.17-19)
Reflections Along the Journey 