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How to Use the Curriculums
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Lesson
The curriculums are written for use in the SET APART Bible Clubs
for children ages 6 to 12 years, and it is adaptable for use in
churches, Sunday schools, home cells and home schools. Each curriculum focuses
on one major biblical principle
divided into sections. Each section has the aim, introduction
and approach for its lessons which serve as the basis for
teaching the children. These sections are further broken down
into specific subject matters on the biblical principle which
make up the individual lessons. To get the best out of these
lessons, the complementary resources which are the teaching
visuals,
memory verse activities, and take-home assignment - the SET
APART Child Weekly; should be used along with them. Extra resources
such as three grade appropriate
lesson activity worksheets and crafts for usage in the other
setting have been provided. These
materials have been written to compliment each other.
The lessons are
essentially designed to disciple the children for Christ and opportunity is provided for the unsaved children to
receive Christ. At the beginning of each lesson, the outline of the subject matter is stated
and it is comprised of the bible text, relevant memory verse,
and the emphasis which is termed the truth of God’s Word. This
subject matter is thoroughly expanded upon in an easy to
understand language with supporting scriptures for further
studies. The bible text is narrated in story form for easy
comprehension. The application of the subject matter to the
children’s everyday life is discussed. The conclusion or
decision the children should come to concerning the subject
matter is highlighted. The user-friendliness of the lesson is
seen in the layout which follows the SET APART Bible Club segments
sequence and links to explanations in the sample lesson on usage and complementary
materials provided.
View
sample lesson
Go to
sample lesson page
Prayer
Always start the lesson with prayer. No matter how good a
teacher you are, it is the Holy Spirit who is going to give
understanding to the children. After the lesson, it is very
important that you lead the children to pray concerning what you
have ministered to them. Utilizing the living for God -
conclusion, encourage each child to pray on the specific things
he/she has learned especially the decision made based on the
lesson. The younger children will benefit by saying the prayer
aloud after you. For the older children, encourage them to pray
aloud one at a time.
Tip for Teacher
For prayer time, it helps to have a method to get the children
to focus. Using the P-R-A-Y method, encourage the children to
spell the word along with you while incorporating the following
positions.
P the children stand at attention or sit with their arms
by their side.
R the children raise both arms 90 degrees sideways or
forward.
A the children clap their hands together in the praying
position.
Y the children bow their heads and close their eyes.
Bible Text
The bible text for each lesson should be used in preparing and
presenting the lesson. It is always relevant to the truth of
God’s Word for the lesson. In preparation, make references to
other relevant passages in the bible that may aid your
ministration to the children in line with the stated truth of
God’s Word. For some lessons, extra bible text (in parenthesis)
is added.
The bible
text is always a story. As part of your preparation, you must
understand the bible text thoroughly to narrate it to the
children accurately, and emphasize the truth of God’s Word where
it is applicable. Care must be taken not to water down or
exaggerate the facts portrayed in the bible story in an attempt
to make it more interesting. Accuracy and simplicity of language
is very important because your narration of the bible story may
be the first or only account of the bible text a child may have
for a long time. Also, according to Jeremiah 1:12 and Mark
16:20, God is committed to using only the truth of His Word (not
self- imposed interpretation) to transform the lives of the
children.
Each lesson
includes a concise narration of the bible text under the living
for God - bible story and appropriate bible story visuals.
Memory Verse
The memory verse is always directly relevant to the truth of
God’s Word and the bible story. The New International Version
Bible (except where indicated otherwise) is used for the purpose
of clarity. The Word of God is alive and active so the memory
verse should be taught to the children WORD-PERFECT. Continuous
repetition will aid the memorization of the memory verse.
Truth of God's Word
The truth of God’s Word is the main emphasis or main truth of
the message to the children on the lesson and it is relevant to
the subject matter being taught. Introduce the truth of God’s Word to
the children as God’s message to them on the bible lesson. It is
important that you repeat the truth of God’s Word to the
children often during the class.
Tip for Teacher
Have a key phrase for the lesson which may be all or part of the
truth of God’s Word. Before the start of the lesson, tell the
children that anytime you mention the key phrase, the first one
to put up his/her hand will be thrown a candy (which they are
not allowed to eat until after the class), or given a sticker,
or awarded a point, etc. To effectively execute the reward
program, you need an assistant to monitor it so that you do not
get distracted or side tracked. Alternatively, just ask the
children to raise their hands or wave anytime they hear the key
phrase without any reward attached to it. The idea with the key
phrase is to ensure that the children remember the truth of
God’s Word for a long time. In addition, using the key phrase is
guaranteed to make them pay more attention.
Living for God
The
purpose of ministering the Word of God to the children is for
them to live it out. The living for God shows how the truth of
God’s Word applies to the children. Scripture references are
inserted to aid your ministration to the children.
The living for God is divided into three sections – bible story,
life application and conclusion.
Living for God – bible story summarizes the bible text.
Living for God – life application emphasizes the aspect of the
bible text that is relevant to the truth of God’s Word for the
lesson and how this relates to the children.
Living for God – conclusion highlights the decision the children
should be encouraged to make based on the truth of God’s Word.
Highlight for the Unsaved Child
Although
the lessons focus on the saved children, the unsaved children in
each meeting should be identified and encouraged to make a
decision for Christ using the highlight for the unsaved child.
Saved children should NEVER be made “saved all over again”,
though they can be encouraged to rededicate their lives to
Christ, if need be. Make a salvation call and encourage any
unsaved child to respond. As much as possible, give a thorough
one-on-one assistance in leading a child to Christ (you may use
the Heart Word section in the SET APART Child). It is
advised that you stick to the given phrase ‘…receive Jesus into
your heart to become saved’ in making the salvation call for the
unsaved children in order to avoid confusion.
Introductory Question
Ask the
children the introductory question on the current lesson.
Encourage each child to give an answer, if possible, using any
of the participation games. The purpose of this is to know what
the children understand about the subject matter and how best to
teach the lesson. This is not the time to try to correct any
misconception, the lesson you teach will do this.
Round-up Question
Round up
the lesson by asking the children to tell you what they have
learned or what action they are going to take based on what they
have learned. As with the introductory question, encourage each
child, if possible, to respond. This serves as a feedback for you.
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Preparing and Teaching the
Lesson
Even though every effort is made to ensure the user-friendliness
of this curriculum (especially with links to explanations on
usage
provided on the sample lesson
and complementary resources ), there is still the
need for a time of preparation required on the part of the
teacher before teaching the children. Preparing ahead of time
involves going through the lesson and the complementary
resources; and getting your teaching materials (and craft
supplies) ready. This enables you to be organized and ensures a
smooth flow in ministering to the children.
To
effectively minister the lesson, it is necessary for you to
review past lesson and prepare the new one. Praying for the
children and the class should be an integral part of your
preparation for your ministration to be truly fruitful in the
lives of the children.
Though the
lesson is laid out in the SET APART Bible Club segments sequence,
you may adapt it to fit your own schedule and setting. The lesson
starts with teaching the memory verse and this aspect rounds up
with the memory verse activity. Take a break to allow the
children to settle down before you start teaching the lesson.
Next is the review of the previous lesson taught by recalling
the following: topic, bible text, memory verse, truth of God’s
Word, and living for God - conclusion. Endeavor to establish the
link between the previous lesson and the current one.
After the
review, ask the children the introductory question on the
current lesson. Encourage each child to give an answer, if
possible. The purpose of this is to know what the children
understand about the subject matter and how best to teach the
lesson. This is not the time to try to correct any
misconception, the lesson you teach will do this.
Move on to
introduce the topic, bible text, memory verse, and truth of
God’s Word for the lesson. Tell the bible story to the children
in simple and clear terms using the living for God - bible
story. Employing the living for God - life application, relate
the bible story to the lives of the children. Round up the
lesson by asking the children to tell you what they have learned
or what action they are going to take based on what they have
learned. As with the introductory question, encourage each child,
if possible,
to respond. This serves as a feedback for you.
Although
the lessons focus on the saved children, the unsaved children in
each meeting should be identified and encouraged to make a
decision for Christ using the highlight for the unsaved child.
It is very important that you lead the children to pray
concerning what you have ministered to them after the lesson.
Utilizing the living for God - conclusion, encourage each child
to pray on the specific things he/she has learned especially the
decision made based on the lesson. Hand out the SET APART
Child Weekly which is the take-home assignment. For other settings,
take another break before
handing the children the appropriate lesson activity worksheet.
The worksheet helps to solidify the subject matter in the hearts
of the children. Conclude the class with the lesson crafts.
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Teaching the Memory Verse
In
teaching the children the memory verse, make sure you teach it
to them word perfect and continuous repetition will ensure this.
Use the memory verse visual and let the children recite the
memory verse a few times. When you think they are familiar with
the words adequately, try the following methods to further help
them.
Depending on your bible club or class, cover only one line of the memory verse at a
time or cover a line of the memory
verse from the top progressively until only the last line which
has the memory verse reference remains. The idea behind this is
to get the children to always recite the memory verse from the
top regardless of the omitted portion. You may do this as many
times as possible.
Also, at a
point, divide the class into teams (usually a gender based team
generate more enthusiasm especially if evenly divided). Let the
teams compete against each other in reciting the memory verse.
In addition, to avoid monotony and generate even more interest,
incorporate actions along with the recitation. For example, you
may want the children to jump, or clap, or simply close their
eyes while reciting the memory verse.
When the
children have learned the memory verse satisfactorily, move on
to the memory verse activity. Using the memory verse cards for
the lesson, select an appropriate memory verse activity for the
class.
Memory Verse Cards
The memory
verse cards are the memory verse words divided up into card
format. Printable templates containing memory verse cards for
each lesson are provided. To use, just print out the page and
cut out the cards along the dotted lines. The number of copies
to print is depended on whether you want to incorporate a team
or an individual activity.
View sample
memory verse cards
Memory Verse Activities
There are
various memory verse activities to choose from, so try to vary
the activity from lesson to lesson.
Arrange the Cards
Print
out two copies of the memory verse card page and cut out the
cards along the dotted lines. Divide the children into two teams
and distribute the cards randomly to the children (it is okay
for a child to have more than one card if there are not enough
children). Give time for the teams to confer among themselves.
Then have a competition to see which teams will be the first to
arrange the memory verse cards in the right order.
A variation
to this activity is to paste two sets of as many pieces of
double sided tape as there are memory verse cards in a row.
Have the teams line up side by side some distance away from the
pasted tapes. Going one at a time from both teams, let the first
child paste his/her card on the appropriate tape. The next child
in line should follow when the previous child has returned to
the line. The first team to arrange the cards in the right order
wins.
Alternatively, you may individualize this activity by letting
each child arrange the memory verse cards by himself/herself.
Remove and Recite
Print out the memory verse cards page and cut out the cards
along the dotted lines. Arrange the cards to form the memory
verse on a table. Blindfold a child and let someone remove one
of the cards. To make it more challenging, remove more than one
card at a time. Untie the blindfold and let the child recite the
whole memory verse including the missing portion. Let the
children take turns doing this.
Drop and Pick
Divide the children into groups of at least 4 children per
group. For each group, print out as many memory verse card
sheets as there are children and cut out the cards along the
dotted lines. Randomly distribute the memory verse cards to the
children in the group, and each child should have the same
number of cards. In each round, have the children in the group
drop one card each. The idea is to drop a card that is
duplicated. They are only to pick up a card if they do not have
it already. So in each round, every child must drop one card,
but should only pick up a card if it is needed. The rounds of
dropping and picking of cards goes on until one child has enough
cards to form the memory verse. The winner is the first to have
all the cards to form the memory verse.
Connect the Cards
Print out the memory verse cards page and cut out the cards
along the dotted lines. Tape the cards randomly on a board.
Using the appropriate writing material, ask the children to
connect the cards together in the right sequence. You may either
let the children do this individually or in a team. The first
child starts from the first memory verse card and connects that
card to the second memory verse card; the next child starts from
the second memory verse card and connects it to the third memory
verse card; and so on. If there are not enough memory verse
cards to go around, start all over again with the remaining
children.
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Teaching Visuals
The
teaching visuals are provided to help teach the memory verse,
review previous lesson, and present the current topic, bible
story and life application. The teaching visuals may be
downloaded and printed out on either paper or transparencies.
For manual presentation on paper, it may prove challenging to
pick up one paper after the other to show to the children.
However, it is much easier using a “poster board booklet.” Get
as many poster boards as needed, cut into two and fold along the
middle. Use a piece of string to join them together in the
middle. Staple the visual papers on the pages of the poster
board booklet in the appropriate sequence and just flick the
pages as you teach. Do not paste the papers on the poster board
booklet for easy removal so that you can use the visuals over
and over. Whatever the method of presentation, the teaching
visuals are provided for use in teaching the lesson to the
children and you may use as many or as little as you desire.
View
pictures of poster board
booklets
Memory Verse Visual
Memory
verse visual are the memory verse words in big print on a paper.
If you have a large class, you may just write the memory verse
in large print on a board.
View sample
memory verse visual
Review Visual
The first
review visual states the topic, bible text, memory verse and
truth of God’s Word for the previous lesson. The second review
visual emphasizes the aspect of the bible text that is relevant
to the truth of God’s Word. The last review visual focuses on
how the truth of God’s Word relates to the children.
View sample
review visual
Topic Visual
The topic
visual states the topic, bible text, memory verse, and the truth
of God’s Word for the lesson. If you have a large class and it
is not printed on a transparency, you may just write the content
in big print on a board.
View sample
topic visual
Bible Story Visual
The bible
story visuals are colorful illustrations of the bible story with
captions which summarize the pictures. These visuals are for the
living for God - bible story portion of the lesson.
View sample
bible story visual
Word in my Life Visuals
The Word in my life visuals illustrates the relevance of the
truth of God’s Word from the bible text and its application to
the children’s lives as found in the living for God - life
application section of the lesson.
View sample
Word in my life visual
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SET APART
Child Weekly
The SET APART Child Weekly is a take-home
assignment sheet for the children in the SET APART Bible Club.
It may also be used as an outreach tool to save and disciple
children outside the bible club or church.
The SET APART Child Weekly is a
2-page lesson activity sheet in a newsletter format. The SET APART Child
Weekly
contains a summary of the lesson with life application,
different activities to further establish the lesson in the
children's hearts, bible study section to encourage a daily
quiet time with the Lord, and "Heart Word" for unsaved children.
The front page contains the topic, the truth of God's Word,
bible text and the bible story with the life application to the
children.
There is a brief summary of what the children will learn in that
edition of the SET APART Child Weekly. Also, on the front page
is the Daily Quiet Time with God section. The children are meant
to read the bible text given and use this to answer the
question. It is meant to be done daily.
On the second page, provision is
made for the children to write their name and the date.
The memory verse for the lesson is written out with some blanks
which the children are to fill in. These fill-in words are key
words which are relevant to the truth of God’s Word for the
lesson. For each lesson under the Bible Quiz section, the children are to answer five
questions which summarize the bible text. Various methods of
questioning have been used to avoid monotony. The
Living for God section focuses on the main application
the children should take away from the lesson. The picture the children are to color is the
key visual which is representative of the truth of God’s Word
for the lesson. The Heart Word section is for the unsaved child.
It links the lesson to the need for salvation in simple terms.
The salvation prayer is included and space is provided to fill
in name and date. Instruction on the usage of the SET APART
Child Weekly is listed out under Important Information. You should
write your name or your bible club name in the space provided
for submission.
You should encourage the children to do the assignments in the SET APART
Child Weekly and submit by taking record of it and acknowledging their
faithfulness.
Check and mark the submitted SET APART Child Weekly before returning them to
the children.
View sample
SET APART child Weekly
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Lesson Activity Worksheets
The worksheets are provided for use in
churches, Sunday schools, home cells and home schools and are
designed to further establish the lesson in
the children’s hearts. In all the worksheets, the lesson topic,
bible text and truth of God’s Word are displayed. At the bottom
of the page, what the children learned from the lesson (living
for God - conclusion) is stated in a personalized form.
Encourage the children to sign their signature in the space
provided.
Let the
children to do the lesson activity worksheet individually. When
the time allocated for the lesson activity worksheet is up, go
through the various sections with the whole class. Since the children are expected to write down the
answers in their own words, there is bound to be variations in
their answers. Therefore, when going through the answers with
the class, emphasize to the children that their answers are
acceptable even though they use different words (as long as they
are not totally off base).
Junior Lesson Activity Worksheets
The junior lesson activity worksheet is designed for children in
grades or elementary classes 1 and 2. At the junior level, the
activity worksheet helps the children to know what subject
matter is and how it applies to them personally. There are three
activities for the children to do in this worksheet which are
the bible story, living for God and color the drawing.
Bible Story:
For each lesson, the children are to match four sentences which
summarize the bible story with the pictures presented. These are
the same visuals used for the bible story.
Living for God: The living for God focuses on the main
application the children should take away from the lesson. To
serve this purpose the activity is made simple enough to ensure
that every child in the class is able to figure it out by
himself or herself.
Color the Drawing: The picture the children are to color is the
key visual which is representative of the truth of God’s Word
for the lesson. It is expected that this will help the children
identify with the truth of God’s Word better. For time
management, instruct the children to do this portion of the
worksheet last. If they have not finished coloring at the end of
the allotted time, they can complete it at home or if there is
time at the end of the class.
View sample
junior lesson activity
worksheet
Intermediate Lesson Activity Worksheets
The intermediate lesson activity worksheet is designed for
children in grades or elementary classes 3 and 4. The lesson
activity worksheet at the intermediate level help the children
to know what the subject matter is, how it applies to them
personally, and be able to articulate these to others as needed.
There are four activities for the children to do in this
worksheet which are the memory verse, bible quiz, living for God
and color the drawing.
Memory Verse:
The memory verse for the lesson is written out with some blanks
which the children are to fill in. These fill-in words are key
words which are relevant to the truth of God’s Word for the
lesson.
Bible Quiz: For each lesson, the children are to answer five
questions which summarize the bible text. Various methods of
questioning have been used to avoid monotony.
Living for God: As with the junior worksheet, the intermediate
worksheet living for God section focuses on the main application
the children should take away from the lesson.
Color the Drawing: The picture the children are to color is the
key visual which is representative of the truth of God’s Word
for the lesson. It is expected that this will help the children
identify with the truth of God’s Word better. For time
management, instruct the children to do this portion of the
worksheet last. If they have not finished coloring at the end of
the allotted time, they can complete it at home or if there is
time at the end of the class.
View sample
intermediate lesson activity
worksheet
Senior Lesson Activity Worksheets
The senior lesson activity worksheet is designed for children in
grades or elementary classes 5 and 6. At the senior level,
through a more detailed study from God’s Word, the lesson
activity worksheet help the children not only know what
salvation is, but also know how it applies to them personally
and others around them and be able to articulate all these to
others. There are three activities for the children to do in
this worksheet which are the memory verse, living for God, and
draw and color.
Memory Verse:
The children are to fill in a lot of blanks. Distinct spaces
corresponding to the number of fill in words are provided to
guide them in writing out the memory verse correctly.
Living for God: The living for God section is in form of a bible
study. It focuses on the part of the bible text and other parts
of the Word of God that are relevant to the truth of God’s Word
with the life application to the children. Pointed questions are
asked and the children are to answer in their own words. The
scripture references for each question are provided from the New
International Version Bible and should be printed out for each
child. Encourage the children to read the bible verses and write
their answers based on the scriptures.
Draw and Color: At this level, the children are to draw the
illustration which is representative of the truth of God’s Word
for the lesson. For time management, instruct the children to do
this portion of the worksheet last. If they have not finished
drawing at the end of the allotted time, they can complete it at
home or if there is time at the end of the class.
View sample
senior lesson activity
worksheet
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Crafts
The crafts are provided for use in churches, Sunday schools,
home cells and home schools.
All the
crafts are paper crafts. Printable templates are available for
all crafts. Most of the crafts involve putting together more
than one shape, therefore, use multi-colored paper to print out
the template. Also, pair up the children or have them in a group
(according to the number of shapes), so that they have a
different color for each shape. This makes the craft look very
colorful and saves paper at the same time.
For the younger classes, pre-cut the shapes out for them and
assist them as much as needed in putting the craft together.
Even though detailed instructions are provided for the craft, it
is always a great idea for you to do the craft on your own
before the class. Not only will this help you familiarize
yourself with constructing the craft, but you may even come up
with a better way of making the craft. Depending on your level
of creativity, you may use alternate materials to make a craft.
View sample
crafts
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Lesson Segments
For ease
of teaching, the lesson is divided into different segments,
incorporating teaching, children participation, activities and
games, discussion, and crafts. The layout of the lessons follows
the SET APART Bible Club segments sequence and time duration. The option to follow or adapt this segments
sequence and the allocated time is up to you.
Opening
Segment (5 minutes)
Use this time to welcome the children and open in prayer.
Memory Verse Segment
(15
minutes)
This segment is for teaching the children the memory verse.
Memory verse visual which is the memory verse words in big print
has been provided. Using this visual let the children recite the
memory verse as many times as needed until they can recite it by
heart. Using the memory verse cards for the lesson, select an
appropriate memory verse activity for the class. Try to vary the
memory verse activity from lesson to lesson.
Break Time
(5 minutes)
This is to allow the children to settle down before you start
teaching.
Lesson Segment
(25
minutes)
For
lesson 1, start this segment with an overview of the
curriculum. For subsequent lessons, review the previous lesson
with the review visuals provided. After the review, ask the
children the introductory question on the current lesson.
Introduce the topic, bible text, memory verse, and truth of
God’s Word for the lesson. Tell the bible story to the children
in simple and clear terms using the living for God - bible
story. Employing the living for God - life application, relate
the bible story to the lives of the children. Use the visuals
provided for the lesson.
Use the Living for God - Conclusion to summarize for the
children what you have taught them and also as a prayer focus at
the end of this segment. This is the time to do the highlight
for the unsaved child, if necessary. Round up the lesson by
asking the children to tell you what they have learned or what
action they are going to take based on what they have learned.
Closing Segment
(10 minutes)
This is
the time to acknowledge children coming to the Bible Club for
the first time and the children who celebrated their birthday
during the week to PRAY for them. You may combine both prayers
to save time. Also, this is the time to make announcements (if
any), distribute the SET APART Child Weekly for the week
along with the ones you have marked and say the SET APART Pledge
before closing the meeting with a prayer. You may get the
children (and your helper) to be involved in assisting you.
Extra for
churches, Sunday schools, home cells and home schools
Break time
This is the time to take a break for snacks, bathroom or simply
have the kids relax before the next segment.
Lesson activity Worksheets Segment
This is
the time to distribute the worksheet. Use your discretion for
the timing of this segment. If you have time constraints,
instruct them to do the Draw-And-Color or Color-The-Drawing
portion of the worksheet last. You may end this segment when the
time is up regardless of whether the children have finished
their drawing or coloring, or wait until the first child is done
(waiting for the whole class may result in some children getting
restless and bored). If at the end of the lesson and craft, you
still have time, let the children draw or color; otherwise, let
them complete this section as a take-home. Conclude this segment
by going through the worksheet activities with the children.
Craft Segment
Engage the
children in the making the craft. No time has been allotted for
this because children vary in their creative abilities. Give
assistance to those children who need it so that they complete
their craft before the class ends.
| Segments |
Minutes |
| Opening Segment |
5
minutes |
| Memory Verse Segment |
15
minutes |
| Break Time |
5 minutes |
| Lesson Segment |
25
minutes |
| Closing Segment |
10
minutes |
| Break time |
|
| Lesson Activity Worksheet Segment |
|
| Craft Segment |
|
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Participation Games
In getting
the children to give a response, make it fun by using a
participation game. Below is a list of participation games to
choose from.
Making a Web
Have the
class stand or sit in a circle. Take a yarn and twist the string
once or twice around a finger. Throw the yarn to a child
preferably opposite you while still holding on to one end of the
yarn. The child who catches the yarn, participates, twist it
once or twice around his/her finger and throws it to an opposite
child. This goes on until each child participates and holds on
to a piece of the yarn. At the end, let everyone gently untwist
the yarn from his/her finger and collectively lay down the yarn
to see the web they have formed.
Catch a Ball
Using a
very soft ball, throw to the child you want to participate.
After the child has participated, you may either have the child
throw back the ball to you or to another child. Alternatively,
you may use candy but be prepared to give all the children a
piece of candy.
Pick a Number
Write
numbers on pieces of paper, roll them up, put them in a basket
and ask the children to pick one each. The children get to
participate in the order of the number they picked.
Memory Verse Cards
Print out
the memory verse cards page provided for the lesson and cut out
the cards along the dotted lines. Distribute the cards to the
children randomly. The child with the first part of the memory
verse says it out aloud and participates. The child with the
second part of the memory verse says it aloud and participates,
and so on. If you do not have enough children, hold on to the
remaining cards and be the one to say those parts of the memory
verse aloud, and move on to the child with the next part of the
memory verse.
Puppets
If you
have puppets and can manipulate them, use them to pick children
to participate.
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Tips for Teachers
These tips are useful suggestions to help you have a smooth time
in ministering to the children. They are complied from personal
experience of over 20 years of ministering to children, and from
shared wealth of experiences of other children workers.
Know that the
attention span of children is short. You will lose the
children’s attention if you are the only one doing all the
talking. Encourage the children to respond and engage in
activities. The lessons are divided into segments to accommodate
this.
Get all your
teaching, workbook, activities, and craft materials for the
lesson ready and arranged in the order you will use them. Make
provision for extra children who may join the class.
Before the
start of the lesson, encourage the children to take a bathroom
break. This will minimize interruptions in the class during the
lesson.
In every
class, before you start the lesson, go over the class rules with
the children. Letting the children know what you expect of them
will make for a smooth flow in your teaching. Also, this will
ensure that you do not waste valuable teaching time going over
the rules.
Have a
specific method of getting the children’s attention back to the
lesson when they are getting restless or making noise. A good
method is counting down with the children from 5 to 1 and making
the sign of zipping the lips at the end of the count down.
Another method is to have a phase which you will start and the
children will complete, for example, the teacher says “Children
of God keep…” and the children respond “...quiet.” Also, you can
divide the class into teams and award points for the most
attentive team. Whatever method you choose to use make sure the
children know what it is meant to do.
For the
memorization of the memory verse, divide the class into teams
(usually a gender based team generate more enthusiasm especially
if evenly divided). Let the teams compete against each other in
reciting the memory verse. Also, incorporate actions along with
the recitation. For example, you may want the children to jump,
or clap, or simply close their eyes while reciting the memory
verse.
Have a key
phrase for the lesson which may be all or part of the truth of
God’s Word. Before the start of the lesson, tell the children
that anytime you mention the key phrase, the first one to put up
his/her hand will be thrown a candy (which they are not allowed
to eat until after the class), or given a sticker, or awarded a
point, etc. To effectively execute the reward program, you need
an assistant to monitor it so that you do not get distracted or
side tracked. Alternatively, just ask the children to raise
their hands or wave anytime they hear the key phrase without any
reward attached to it. The idea with the key phrase is to ensure
that the children remember the truth of God’s Word for a long
time. In addition, using the key phrase is guaranteed to make
them pay more attention.
For prayer
time, it helps to have a method to get the children to focus.
Using the P-R-A-Y method, encourage the children to spell the
word along with you while incorporation the following positions.
P the children stand at attention or sit with their arms
by their side.
R the children raise both arms 90 degrees sideways or
forward.
A the children clap their hands together in the praying
position.
Y the children bow their heads and close their eyes.
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