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  • 10 Tips to Spice up your Sunday School lessons

    10 tips to spice up your Sunday School class sessions - 

    Spice up

    1. Create Interactive Lessons: Incorporate interactive activities like games, puzzles, and role-playing into your kids lessons. Interactive learning is more engaging and will help them understand complex biblical concepts better. By changing thing up they will keep excited and engaged.
    2. Do Creative Storytelling: Share Bible stories in a captivating and creative way. Use props, visuals, or storytelling techniques to make the narratives come alive. Risk being a little silly! Don’t forget to see if you have members of your congregation with acting skill. They just need to be asked.
    3. Add Music and Songs: Integrate music into your lessons. Teach children songs related to the lesson's theme, and consider playing Christian music that's suitable for their age group. Of course, action songs are still awesome!
    4. Arts and Crafts: Plan craft activities that connect to the lesson. Children can create art or crafts that reinforce the biblical teachings they've learned. When they take them home it also lets parents know what you have been teaching.
    5. Outdoor Activities: Take the class outside occasionally for lessons or activities. Jesus used nature to teach the disciples. Try nature walks, scavenger hunts, or outdoor games can provide a refreshing change of scenery.
    6. Guest Speakers: Invite guest speakers from the community or church to share their stories or expertise on certain topics. Hearing from different voices can be inspiring and, if they are interesting topics it will create a sense of anticipation.
    7. Use modern Technology: Incorporate age-appropriate technology like educational apps or multimedia presentations to make learning more interactive and relevant. That being said, don’t completely give up on the old flannel graph if it connects with the younger kids.
    8. Group Discussions: Encourage group discussions where children can express their thoughts and questions about the lesson. This promotes critical thinking and peer learning. The key here is to spend time creating engaging questions.
    9. Themed Lessons: Create themed lessons or series that cover specific topics or stories from the Bible. For example, focus on the parables of Jesus or the stories of heroes of faith.
    10. Field Trips: Organize occasional field trips to places like a local church, a museum, or a community service project. Experiencing faith in action can be inspiring. Do an internet search in your area to find the Christian ministries in your locality.

    PS – Do whatever you can to create a sense of surprise. Excitement and anticipation is vital.

  • Emergency Sunday School ideas

     

    “I’m unprepared and I need to teach a Sunday School class tomorrow!” -

    Here are some quick ideas that you could use: (Or you can always just check out the stories on this website!)

    Sunday School Panic

    1. Take the kids on an outdoor thanksgiving walk. Do a walking trip and ask the children to notice things they are thankful for. As they mention things, ask them why they are thankful for those items: You are thankful for trees. Why? What good things come from trees? (Wood to build houses; Shade on a hot day; privacy etc. After discussing each item, you (or the children) could lead in a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

    2. Read out a parable or other bible story and have the children act out the story as you read out a paraphrased version. (Parables such as the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan can work well for spontaneous dramas.) Extra: Record your drama on your cell phone and show it to them.

    3. Tell you story of coming to faith in Jesus and have the children tell their story. (Be sensitive to the fact that children may not all have a polished, rehearsed testimony. When you are finished, lead in prayer, giving thanks for the many ways that people come to follow Jesus.

    4. Have one of the young people share a problem or trial and facilitate a group discussion on how to help that person. What help does Jesus provide? What help can class members provide? This exercise can help develop your group’s compassion quotient.

    5. Facilitate a discussion on the practical needs of your church and community. Is there a project you could all be involved in? How can you help people in need? Bake cookies and ask church members to donate to your good cause.

    6. Prepare a song (an action song) or a skit that you could present to the congregation the following Sunday. (Or to an elderly shut in person)

    7. Put together a quick bible trivia game and ask the kids to fill in the blanks or give the answers.

    8. Play a Bible Pictionary Game. Make up a list of cards with bible names, events, or people. Divide into two groups and have a person in the group pick a card and draw a picture in front of their group without using words. If the team guesses what the picture is about, the team gets a point.

    9. Use building blocks to build the Temple, Jerusalem or other bible scene.

    10. Have the children work together to do a puzzle. Use this as an opportunity to speak about working together as a team.

    11. Ask a member of the congregation to come and speak to the kids. If you have a young person who is a role model, all the better. Or interview them: How did you come to believe in Jesus? Do you find it hard being a Christian at school? How to you keep strong as a Christian? What are some of your favorite bible verses? Hearing a word from an older young person can be powerful.

     

  • Free Bible Story Coloring pages

    Free Coloring pages for Sunday School -

    Only a few here so far but there will be more coming!  (Thank you Echo for drawing these!)

     

    -->Acts-214-Peters-Sermon-at-Pentecost.pdf

    -->Acts-1615-Lydias-Conversion.pdf

    --> Acts-1624-Paul--Silas-in-Prison.pdf

     ---> In_the_Begining_coloring_page.pdf

    --> Childrens_Advent_Wreath.pdf

    -->Jesus_in_Temple_coloring_page.pdf

    -->Jesus_lord_of_all_coloring.pdf

    -->Jesus__His_Disciples_coloring.pdf

    -->Jesus__Nicodemus.pdf

    -->Jesus__The_Blind_Man_coloring.pdf

    -->Letters_to_Gods_People_coloring.pdf

    -->Jeus__Lazarus_coloring.pdf

    -->Palm_Sunday_Coloring.pdf

    -->shepherds_coloring_page.pdf

    -->The_Crucifixion_coloring.pdf

    -->The_Holy_Spirit_coming.pdf

    -->The_Lords_Supper_coloring.pdf

    -->The_Lord_is_My_Shepherd_coloring.pdf

    -->The_Ressurection_coloring_page.pdf

    -->The_Road_to_Emmaus_coloring_page.pdf

    --> Check back later - more to come!

     

     

    children sun

  • Popular Sunday School Curriculums

    Here are some popular Sunday School / and family ministry curriculums:-  (I’m hoping to give a more detailed breakdown in the days to come – stay tuned -

    Sunday School Curriculum kids

    1. "The Gospel Project" this is by Lifeway Christian Resources - It is a Christ-centered Bible study that aims to help people of all ages see the big picture of God's story and how it applies to their lives. As the authors say, this material is focused on making sure the gospel really is "Good News".
    2. "Orange" by The reThink Group - This curriculum combines family and church resources to create a comprehensive program that helps children grow in their faith and develop a lasting relationship with Jesus.
    3. "Awana" by Awana Clubs International – Awana has been around for a long time. This is a global ministry that offers a Bible-centered program for children and youth, focusing on Scripture memorization, discipleship, and evangelism.
    4. "VBS" by Group Publishing – Our church and many other churches use this resource. This is a Vacation Bible School program that provides a fun and engaging way for children to learn about God's love and salvation. Great for ministry to children during the summer months. Tons of resources provided. 
    5. "DiscipleLand" by DiscipleLand - This is a Bible-based curriculum that aims to help children develop a lifelong passion for learning and living out God's Word.
    6. "Children Desiring God" by Desiring God Ministries (connected with well known pastor John Piper)- This is a curriculum that helps children and youth understand the importance of knowing and loving God, and it provides resources for parents and teachers to support that growth.
    7. "Hands-On Bible Curriculum" by Group Publishing - This curriculum uses a multisensory approach to help children engage with the Bible and apply its teachings to their lives. I find Group material to be very fun and engaging.
    8. "Bible Studies for Life" by Lifeway Christian Resources - This is a curriculum that offers practical, relevant Bible study for all ages, with the goal of helping people grow in their relationship with Christ and their understanding of the Bible.
    9. "D6 Family" by Randall House Publications - This curriculum focuses on helping families become more intentional about passing on their faith to their children and making disciples in the home.
    10. "Superbook Academy" by The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) - This is an online curriculum that provides animated Bible stories, quizzes, and other resources for children to learn about the Bible in a fun and engaging way. Worth checking out. 
    11. "Explore the Bible" by Lifeway Christian Resources - This curriculum provides a book-by-book Bible study that helps participants better understand and apply the Scriptures.
    12. "Sunday School Lessons" by Ministry-To-Children - This is a free online resource that offers a variety of Sunday school lessons for different age groups, covering a range of topics and themes.
    13. "Bible-in-Life" by David C Cook – They have been doing great children’s ministry for many years. This curriculum aims to help children and adults grow in their faith by exploring the Bible together in a holistic way, addressing spiritual, emotional, and social needs.
    14. "LifeWay Kids" by Lifeway Christian Resources - This is a comprehensive curriculum that includes Bible study, worship resources, and teaching aids for children of all ages.
    15. "FaithWeaver" by Group Publishing – (Again, I love “Group” material.) This curriculum provides a holistic approach to learning and applying the Bible, with lessons that focus on head, heart, and hands.
    16. "Godly Play" by Godly Play Foundation – Children learn best when the are using all the senses. This is a Montessori-inspired approach to teaching the Bible, using storytelling and hands-on activities to help children explore the wonder and mystery of God.
    17. "CrossWalk Kids" by Salem Church Products - This curriculum provides interactive Bible lessons that encourage children to ask questions, discover answers, and apply the teachings to their own lives.
    18. "My Awesome God Bible Storybook" by David C Cook - This is a storybook that provides a fun and engaging way for children to learn about God's love and the stories of the Bible.
    19. "Tru Curriculum" by David C Cook - This curriculum aims to help children and youth develop their knowledge of God and His ways. My understanding is that this primarily a digital resource product.
  • Youth Group Games

    Fun Youth Group Games

    These games are quick, easy to organize and fun.      

     
    Think Quick:
    -- Print out names of various animals on small pieces of paper. If you have 20 kids you might write out 5 pieces of paper with the word pig, 5 with the word cow, 5 with the word duck and 5 with the word cat. Put the pieces of paper in hat and have the kids reach in and pick a piece of paper. On the word “go” they must walk around and find the people who are the same animal by making the appropriate noise. The first group to find all the animals in their group sits down. They are the winners.
     
    Group grab:
    -- Ask everyone to come together in a close group and “mingle” (they can shake hands and say “mingle, mingle mingle…”) when you say the word go. After a few seconds call out a number (say “Six!”) Each person must find or form a group of six people. The first group to get the right number sits down. They are the winners. This is a lot of fun as group members panic trying to get another person, leave a group to join another, etc. After getting a winning team give a short cheer, ask them all to start mingling again and then call out a different number.
     
    Lap sit
    -- Get everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder facing in toward the center of a tight circle. Have everyone turn to the right and place their hands on the waist of the person in front of them. Give the group a “heads up” that at the word “go” you will get them to sit down on the knees of the person in front of them. This is a lot of fun. The group must sit down at the some time if it is to work. For extra fun get the group to actually walk in a circle once they are seated. Once seated the group leader needs to direct the walking. (eg. Sitting all together, left foot forward, right foot forward, left…) The whole group will probably fall down after a short circular walk!
     
    Animal smash
    -- Have the kids stand in a circle facing in. Ask each of them to come up with the name of some living thing (cat, worm, Garfield, octopus, etc.) that will represent them for the game. Give them a minute or two to share this representative name. One person stands in the middle with a rolled up newspaper smasher. When one of the animal names is called out the person in the middle must club the person whose name has been called out. To be “safe” the individual who had their “name” called out must call out another member’s animal name before they get hit by the wad of paper. If a person gets hit before they have time to call out another name they must go into the middle. This game is a lot of fun as individuals panic and can’t remember the names fast enough.
     
    Shoe Scramble relay
    -- Have everyone remove their shoes and put them in a big pile. Have someone stir up the shoes mixing them well. Divide the children into two groups and have them line up at the other end of the room ready for a race. On the word “go” the first person in each team must run down, find both shoes, put them on, and run back tagging the next person in the group. The first group to finish is the winner.
     
    Balloon Stomp
    -- Inflate a balloon for each group member. Tie a short (about 12 inches) piece of string to each balloon. Have each person tie the other end of the string around their ankle. On the word “go” each person stomps around and tries to pop as my balloons as possible while protecting their own balloon. Lot’s of noise and lots of fun!
     
    Clothes peg chaos:
    -- Give each person 4 to 10 spring loaded clothes pegs. On the word “go” each person tries to clip the pegs onto the other individuals in the group. At the same time they can be unclipping acquired pegs and transferring them to others. At the end of 2 or 3 minutes the winner is the one with the least number of clothe pegs on.