or some other religious education class…
In fact, I think there was a thread about this before, but I can’t find it (last winter, perhaps?)
Was there anything that worked really well? Anything that you would strongly advise against? Fun activities? etc.?
The kids would be late elementary school age.
Thanks.
Yes, there was a thread. I also know some people offline who have taught Sunday School and directed Sunday School departments, but I haven’t done it myself, sorry.
Guilty as charged. I’ve taught Sunday School in Episcopal churches a few times over the years. Of course, the last time I did it, lead to me becoming friends with agentfroot and introducing her to Straight Dope, among other vices. I’m not good with little ones, so about the youngest I’ve taught is 4th graders, and even then, I aimed high.
My best advice? Don’t underestimate the kids. There were a couple of times when I had an idea for a lesson which I thought might be over their heads, and those turned out to be the most interesting discussions! Also, listen to them. At the age you’ll be working with, they have ideas, thoughts, and questions. They may be surprised at being taken seriously, but it’s worth it. Finally, do have hands-on stuff, but please remember everyone can’t draw. Vary things enough so that each kid gets something which applies to his or her strengths. Oh yes, remember the quiet ones. They have some marvelous things to say, but they can be too shy to say them.
I wasn’t a conventional Sunday School teacher anymore than I am a conventional anything else, but it was a neat, and rather educational experience for me, as well as for them, I hope.
Good luck!
CJ
What CJ said.
I’ve taught Sunday School for various age groups, including 3-4 yr olds, 6 and 7 yr olds, 11 yr olds, and 13 & 14 yr olds. Each group was a blast to teach, and of course I had to tailor my approach to each individual class.
With the younger kids, it was really important to give them “wriggle breaks,” as sitting still for that length of time left them really restless. I used to do some of my theatre warmups with them, and they totally loved them.
With the older kids, it worked to give them wriggle breaks as well, but I had to be more subtle about it. I would try to involve some type of movement within a learning activity that went along with the lesson.
You’re going to do a great job, and have a good time. Enjoy! They’re so alive and vibrant, and so eager to learn & teach.
I taught a Sunday school class. It was a discussion on events of the day, politics, science, etc, and how they relate to Christian beliefs and the direction of the modern church. Abortion, evolution, Mid-east unrest, postmodernism, and much more.
We used newspaper articles, science journals, and challenging books (“Twelve Christian Beliefs that Will Drive You Crazy”) to stimulate the discussion.
Of course, this was an adult class so not much help for the kiddies, I’m afraid.
Maybe play “Pin the Tail on Nebuchadnezzar”? (see Daniel 4:33)
me, too, but it probably doesn’t count, since it was Unitarian Universalist…
Do you not have a curriculum package? We worked from materials purchased by the church, complete with teacher’s guide. I had 8-12 yr olds. My favorite parts were the discussions… Be prepared for questions you never thought about, like, “if pantheists believe that a tree has ‘spirit’, do they also believe that a leaf or a bit of bark from the tree also has ‘spirit’? And would the spiritual value of the leaf once separated from the tree equal the value of the tree?” or, “why did bibilical author ‘p’ (priest group) care so much about the details of what was done at a certain event?” Great discussions if you ask open-ended questions and let them loose. We also enjoyed doing concrete things like measuring out how big Noah’s ark was (in approximated cubits), etc.
Back in high school, I taught CCD to fifth graders (my mom was the coordinator, and was strapped for volunteers). Everyone’s given good input here, but I thought I’d pop in with an activity that I remember most everyone really enjoying.
Split the class into two or three teams. Pull a desk to the front of the room for each team and place a bible on it. Each team sends forth a player, and then all three (or two) of the players “race” to locate a bible verse you give them. You can make it easy and give them the chapter etc., or challenge them a bit (especially if they’re older kids) and give them the quote, and maybe the book it’s from, and have them give you the chapter/verse.
Whovever finds it first reads it for the class, and earns a point for their team. Continue until bored, out of time, or a certain number of points are earned by one of the teams. Winners receive prize or privilege of your choosing.
Good Luck, amarinth!
bella
I did something similar with (LDS) seminary, where the teacher would give a clue, we would then find the relevant verse and have to run up to the blackboard or something. The problem with this is that running + early morning + me = crashing into the wall and hurting myself or other people.
–A ‘sharing time’ at the beginning, where they all get to tell their news. They’re just dying to tell you, and you get to know them better.
–The older kids, 7-8+, are really on top of things. You can have interesting discussions. With 3-yo’s, OTOH, it’s a good idea to ask questions to which the answer is “Jesus.” Unless it’s a non-Christian class, of course.
–Give them chances to help you individually.
One thing we had that they loved was the punchboard–a big piece of cardboard with holes in it. Tissue paper was taped over the holes. Then a second cardboard with matching holes and plastic bags is put behind, so that you can punch through the tissue and get something out of the bag. Questions or small items are fun.
I taught Sunday School for years, until the time constraints of my personal life made it impossible to continue. Now I just serve in the nursery.
I also had a “sharing time”, and I think it is a valuable thing for the kids to be able to talk about their lives. I did have one difficult experience with this, when one of the kids talked about a home life I considered at least marginally abusive. The boy shared his life cheerfully, and I managed NOT to break into tears…I discussed it with the Pastor, and he called the parents in for a discussion about discipline vs abuse…I think it was a GOOD thing that it happened, and that the parents learned from it how to be better parents…but still, be prepared for the possiblity of something like this happenening.
It’s been awhile, so maybe my experience isn’t valid anymore…but I found that the younger kids really liked visual aids, like “flannel boards” or something like that…Bible stories enacted visually make more sense to the younger ones. Or just pictures, maybe? How old are the kids you are going to be teaching?
I never taught the older kids, just the first-third graders.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.
Probably going to be teaching older kids, 5th or 6th grade - and we will have a curriculum, so I won’t have to come up with anything entirely on my own.
But sharing time and open discussion seem like incredibly good ideas for that age - I’ll tell you all how it goes.
Oooh, you’re a braaaave person…
IMO the younger kids are easier, since the older they get, the more likely they are to ask the really awkward questions, like, “Why do people have to die?”
True story: The Better Half was teaching a group of 5th and 6th graders, and as it happened they were all boys, and in the course of the lesson, a “eunuch” was mentioned (don’t remember what the Bible story was). Anyway, so they wanted to know what a “eunuch” was, and so Mr. Goose told them.
And they didn’t believe him. “Nawww, nobody would ever do that to himself…” Mr. Goose had a reputation as a great kidder.
Anyway, one big piece of advice I would give you is to try to avoid the “video” trap. This is where you say, “I don’t have a lesson planned, so we’ll just watch a video.” If you start doing that, you will have turned your Sunday School class into an entertainment period, rather into anything educational, and ever afterwards you’ll be hearing hopeful requests from the kids to “just watch a video”. Dunno about you, but I have a problem with kids who come to church hoping to watch videos.
Ditto the “candy” trap, which is where you hand out candy for things like memorizing Bible verses. Once you start, you’ll have to keep doing it, and heaven help you on the Sunday you realize you’re out of candy. Also, the fact that a kid got candy from her Sunday School teacher but her siblings didn’t get candy from their teachers can cause unpleasant family friction in the car on the way home. If you want to reward them for memorizing Bible verses, use something like Oriental Trading trinkets, or stickers (big fancy ones, for this age group).
Something I like to do is keep cheap (well, inexpensive–you know what I mean) Bibles in my cabinet, because you’re going to have kids who don’t own a Bible (yes, there are people who come to church who don’t own Bibles), and it makes a big impression on Kiddo Without A Bible for her teacher to pull one out and say, “Here, this is for you–I think it’s important for everyone to have a Bible, so I keep extras around, just in case.” And make sure you inscribe it suitably, “To Kiddo, From Teacher”, so the parents, and the kid, know that it’s not just a loaner, it’s a gift. If the parents come up to you in embarrassment and try to give it back, just say, “Oh, I just enjoy having Kiddo in my class so much, I just wanted to give her a present…”
And make it a real Bible, with the Old and New Testaments. I don’t think much of those pocket New Testaments, since they’re only half the Bible, right? Christian bookstores have inexpensive editions called “student Bibles”, and if you buy more than one and tell them you’re a teacher, they’ll almost certainly give you a discount.
This year I teach 10 and 11 year old girls (5th and 6th grade) although I have taught from 3 to adult.
I agree with the others on having a sharing time. However, I have found that it works better at the end of class. If thy get started on stories about the week, I remind them that we’ll have sharing time the last 5-10 minutes of class if everyone participates and we get through the planned material and activities.
I think it’s a good idea to start with an attention getter. An object lesson of sorts or an experiment. For example, today’s lesson was about being a true friend and what makes a good friend. The scripture story was about Jonathan and David from 1 Samuel. I made a little fishing pole from a dowel, yard and a paper clip and paper fish. They went fishing on the back of each fish were attributes of a good friend. I had thought perhaps they were too old, but it turned out to be a good activity. Another time I had stepping stones for them to walk across to get to the chairs to illustrate that stones (life challenges or trials) can be stumbling blocks or stepping stones. When the lesson was David and Goliath, I had them measure and cut a yarn to Goliath’s height and give their weight and figure out which combination of the girls weights was about the the same as the weight of Saul’s armor.
I occassionally let the girls take a turn teaching part of the lesson. When I am planning ahead I will ask them to teach the scripture story and then I follow up with the application. When they teach they can do it however they want and I try not to interefere. I have my turn to add whatever I need to when they are done. The girls have made puppets, acted out the story or just read it straight from scriptures. I think they like the opportunity now and then. There are some that realize how much time you invest in preparing after they’ve done a bit.
I agree with the others who’ve said the kids will surprise you with their depth of knowledge and the types of questions at times. When I don’t know the answer, I tell them, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” Then if appropriate I do and answer them the next week. Sometimes I just phone the parent and let them know what our lesson was about and explain that Lauren has more questions on the topic than we had time in class to answer in depth. This let’s the parents know what you’re teaching and it makes them feel good to hear that Lauren is asking insiteful questions.
I do take treats about twice a month and sometimes even as a reward for memory work. Often (like today) it’s something like a donut hole "earned"by participating, of course everyone gets one anyway, and the girls are highly amused when I do something out of the ordinary like throw food to them.
I have given scriptures to a child that didn’t have them, it went over really well once, and not so well once.
Another thing I do is make a little bookmark each week that reminds them of the scripture story and the application. I explain to them at the beginning of the year that I know their parents might ask them what sunday school was about and that this is their “cheat sheet”, so they’ll not forget what we discussed that day. Boys tend to make them into airplanes, girls save them.
Finally whatever visual aids, puzzle, game or activity I made, at the end of class I offer to the class for one of them to take it home and share with their family. (As we all know if you teach what you’ve learned you’ll remember it better.) Most the time this goes over really well, I can only remember a handful of times when no one wanted to bother.
Ah yes, CJ, the memories… “Oh no, the crazy lady is teaching my Sunday school class! …Wait a sec, she’s kinda cool!”
Anyway, as a former Sunday school attendee (I’m Wiccan, of course, and I almost always hated going to Sunday school), here’s my input. First of all, PLEASE don’t talk down to the kids, try to be “cool,” or assume they’re like stereotypical kids. Treat them as equals (kids HATE it when adults treat them “like babies”), try not to yell, and always provide a snack. Kids LOVE snacks. You can even incorporate food into the lesson. Say you’re talking about Jesus dividing bread and fish to the masses. Give them Goldfish (everyone likes them), and there you have bread AND fish! Something like that. Also, kids are more likely to pay attention to interesting and fun activities. Games, puzzles, and crafts are fun and educational. Give them a chance to give you their input, and have discussions where the kids can speak their minds.
So there’s my tuppence on the issue. Though I’m 19 and know next to nothing about teaching, I’m still a kid at heart and know what works. Happy teaching!
Boy is this a weird coincidence! I start teaching Sunday School again tomorrow morning, and I was the one who started the thread referenced earlier! I had a great year with the 2nd and 3rd graders, and will have several of them back again for this class. My best advice would be like several other posters here have said “Don’t talk down to them” Do keep them active, whatever their age, and give honest answers to questions. I haven’t taught late elementary, but kids that age can be sharp. If you don’t have a set curriculum do a google search on several Biblical names and you are sure to come up with something. This site has a wide selection of stories and activities based on various Bible stories/themes.
http://calvarychapel.com/children/site/curriculum_n.htm
Teaching Sunday School is different than other teaching/tutoring/coaching I found. this past summer I taught a “Kids n’ Cookies” class as part of a local independent school’s summer camp program. It was for 2nd and 3rd graders, and one of the kids enrolled was on of my SS students! Plus another will be. These kids were feisty, but with such a class, in a kitchen setting, I could be a little more firm on discipline. It truly was a safety issue. We still had fun.
**belladonna, ** I loved your Bible search game. I think I am going to try it, thanks!