Living with Drama
A young boy wakes up in a house full of corruption. His family's always fighting -- arguing and cursin'. He tries his best -- the problem to find. But the more he tries, the more he runs out of time...
Use Games to Reinforce Bible Facts
Whether it's "Hide-and-Seek," "Red Rover," or "Rock, Paper, Scissors," games can help children learn Bible verses and review Bible lessons. For a game of musical chairs, don't have the child leave the game for not finding the seat. Instead ask a question about the lesson. If the child can answer, he or she can stay in the game. Games like baseball, basketball, and football have long been Sunday School review games. Questions can be designated as base hits, 3-pointers, or 10-yard advances when children play as teams to review the lesson material. Make up your own rules and questions, so that the games are adapted to your students.
Tips for Creative Scripture Reading
1. Have students read scriptures dramatically.
2. After they have read it dramatically, allow them to act out the events, especially if the scripture lesson is a story. Assign roles to people, irrespective of gender. Sometimes, that makes room for a lighter atmosphere and calls for more creativity.
3. If students have a difficult time internalizing the series of events, encourage them to translate scripture into their own language.
Creating Learning Centers That Focus on Fun and Facts
Preschoolers learn through play. In their world of pretend, children imitate adults, play dress-up, and take adventures into learning that develop their sense of self-worth. Children can learn Bible information, life skills, and Christian values - all while playing.
That's why church educators use learning centers to start the Sunday School session or to focus attention during the lesson. Learning centers help individualize lessons and keep kids involved. But learning centers should really promote learning in a fun way, rather than providing fun that will get interrupted by learning! To make sure your centers keep learning on track, develop a variety of centers which address the weekly theme. A toy box makes a great learning center where children can play and pretend about the lesson theme, or engage with items mentioned in the lesson.
Centers can engage children in art or music to help younger learners express themselves and give feedback on their world and the Bible lesson. Each week you can create centers that are standard (like a book center) and add other areas that focus on different ways children learn about the same topic.