Most Sunday School teachers are volunteers. They give of their time because they feel led to teach children. Here are some tips to keep teaching fun and alive.
Whether you have a large Sunday School class or a small one, or something in-between, you want to know that your class is understanding and taking the weekly lessons to heart. You get between 45 minutes to 1 hour each week to teach your students the most meaningful lessons they will ever use throughout their lives, and if they are bored, it does not matter what your are teaching...they are not listening. Below are some tips to help bring enthusiasm to your classroom and encourage regular participation.
Develop a Shares Stores incentive.
This is a simple idea that is becoming very popular in many Children's Ministry programs. The idea is to have play money that students can earn for different reasons (see sample below). For example, you can give a share to students who bring their Bibles to class or students who learn the memory verse from the previous week and can recite it the following week. You can place different "monetary" amounts on the shares; for instance, maybe 1 share for bringing a Bible to class, but 5 shares for reciting the 10 Commandments. That part is very flexible. The good part comes when you offer a Shares Store once a month, where kids can spend their shares on items set up like a store. You can find all kinds of nifty items on sale around town and Christian Book Distributors has lots of drastically marked down items, too. Remember that it is not about the sales you can find on the items in your Share Store...it is about the enthusiasm you are creating in your students to learn more about Jesus.
Incorporate Games
Students at any age learn best when they get to participate in hands-on activities. While playing games is fun, be careful not to let it become the focal point of your time with the kids. They are basically used to reinforce lessons. When a game is played at the end of class, kids will look forward to it and listen to the lesson so they will have the answers for the game. Games do not necessarily have to be get up and move around types either. Develop word games where students have to fill in blanks as you are teaching a lesson, or games where they have to match a memory verse with a picture that goes along with the lesson. Be creative. You can add games to any lesson, even if it does not call for it. Great places to find games are MSSS Crafts and Resources for Bible Stories and Kid's Sunday School Place.
Props
Using props is an almost full-proof way to get kids attention. If it is time to sit and listen to a Bible story, have a big Bible (that you can make from cardboard and decorate). Stand it beside where you teach. Or, if you tell the kids to put on their listening ears, have a huge pair of ears that you can wiggle around. Another great prop that works from toddlers to 3rd grade is to have flannelgraphs. You can purchase Bible sets or make your own. You can find instructions at wikiHow.
Visit Preschool Sunday School Central for more informative articles on teaching Sunday School.
