Curriculum help, please

[lilredmom]

It seems that all of the curriculum that I find is based on games, videos, activities, etc. rather than the content of the Bible itself. I truly feel that our church's children aren't really learning anything about what the Bible really, truly says and teaches. Are there any curriculum or ideas for programs out there that really get down to the basics of the Bible while still keeping the kids engaged? We are a very small church and have basically no budget, so those high priced internet-based programs are out of reach for us. I really feel God pulling me to do something about our lack of focus on the children at our church.

Beth

 

[Wolvrin704]

Here is a place I've bought a few things from.

Kids Power Company - Home

All topics are Bible based with lots of scripture, etc. They layout everything you can do or you can pick and choose. My church also has a small budget, whatever I can afford out of my own pocket at this time. Most of their material is in the $30 range, especially if you get the DVD. Since we use a projector and laptop this works well for us. Also all their stuff is generally series ranging from 3 weeks up to I think 8 weeks so you get your money's worth. So far we did the Explore eries and I'm just starting the Fear Factor series this week.

I used to write up my own services/messages but it was way too time consuming. Having a full time job outside of ministry I had to look for an alternative so curriculum is perfect for us.

Another place I get ideas, etc is this one but the sermons are very short so I use them to fill in ideas I have or as object lessons. These are totally free so great value, but you have to put more effort into them.

Children's Sermons from Sermons 4 Kids | Object Lessons & Children's Sermons

Hope these places are helpful to you. God bless your ministry!

 

[MatthewJesse]

As a part-time Children's Pastor I can relate to your frustration concerning existing curriculum available. May I suggest you teach the Bible chronologically story-by-story. Building on the previous weeks stories you give kids the bigger picture of God's interaction/redemption of man as well as teaching the Word. While this approach requires some preparation, the resources needed are a chronological Bible, Bible Commentary and some creativity. Besides worship and rules/announcements, we have review, followed by a lesson (read/share the text) with an impromptu skit. During the skit, have the kids tell you what is said and done in the story. Note, you can choose which stories are appropriate for your audience. I have been at this for over six months and have had some great results in capturing the attention of kids and adults. I have three boys and selfishly started with the premise that what I want them to learn, is what I will teach. I hope to make full circle of this approach in roughly two years. Teaching kids between the ages 5-11 I look forward to seeing my kids learn God's Word and have it cemented in their minds before they are teens. Have fun and pray!

 

[lilredmom]

I thank you both for your input. Do either of you have any experience in reward systems/acknowledgments for memorizing verses?

 

[MatthewJesse]

With regard to reward systems I walked into an existing system that had a counter space stuffed with little trinkets/toys (found in any dollar store) that are redeemed with tickets. While not my favorite part of children's ministry (has a slight Chucky Cheese feel to it). I prefer this over giving kids candy. I give away tickets during the review time concerning previous lessons/stories we have covered. Note that the review time is as valuable as the current weeks lesson (each week builds on the previous week). This helps reinforce what has been taught and sets-up the current Bible lesson to be taught. Every other week the counter is open near the end of service. I am currently trying to think of a way to better encourage scripture memorization myself, as a verse is chosen from the Biblical lesson taught. I will be looking forward to what responses follow in this 'forum/thread'.

 

[lilredmom]

I was thinking more along the line of "badges" or something.

 

[ksweetness]

There is a children's church site (you can Google it ~ I think it's childrens-church-ministry or something) that has a lot of good free ideas for small churches, and they have a pretty good curriculum in the form of an eBook.

 

[dmacschmidt]

We are a Baptist congregation, and have ended up going with "Growing in Christ" which is a Lutheran curriculum. I chose it because it really helps the kids to learn and interact with the Bible stories (far more than any other curriculum I have seen), and it includes a short puppet play which helps the kids to apply the Bible story to their own lives. The main theological difference we have is Baptism, so we just skip over that part. Their teachers guides are $12.49/quarter, and you could probably put together a decent Sunday School program with just that. They also have student packets with additional Bible-based activities for $7.49/child/quarter (I love these, but they're not essential). Other resources are also available, but you can tailor your program according to your needs and budget.

 

[Wanda Lee]

Take a look at Sunday Plus curriculum - it takes the kids through the Bible. It is geared to get all the adults involved in the discipleship of the children. to take a look just type Sunday Plus into Google. It also has tools to equip mom and dad to do discipleship of their own children.

It also has a Bucks and Banking tool to help the kids develop a Biblical Worldview of resources. It also serves as a incentive tool.

 

[NCDavis]

Beth,
I totally understand the frustration. I am an Early Childhood educator who is now the Children's Ministry coordinator at my church. We were using a curriculum for many years that I felt was really good, but because it was mass produced for a large audience with different denominational influences, I felt that it wasn'tmeaty enough and taught more in themes than in context, so I began to write our own curriculum. My personal philosophy on CM is that we, the body, are lampstands and our singular purpose to shine the love and grace of Jesus. I just couldn't find curriculum that did that well enough. I am using the Jesus Storybook Bible as my reference because "every story whispers His name", but I feel that we are finally getting a curriculum that is indicative of our body and who we are. Good luck with this, as it is very difficult, but if you know what the distinctives of your church are, then you can find curriculum that reflects that.

 

[kingdom4kids]

Teaching kids the Word is not about them learning the verses of the Bible only. Think about how Jesus taught for the most part. He used symbolism, parables etc. If you take a biblical concept and bring it to a child on a level they can relate to and apply; they have learned the Word on a whole new level. That is what we do with our kids and you are welcome to check out our curriculum on our website.

Richest Blessings,

Pat Davis
Kidsministers.com