Five ways to make an awesome Children's ministry lesson

     The second part in creating a Children's ministry lesson brings five ways that help make a lesson engaging and easy to learn. Anyone in education can tell you that presenting information to kids is no easy task and that goes double for the church. So how do we make sure our lesson will stick and have an impact? Check out the tips below for how to create a lesson that will really shine.


1. Pick a theme

     Themes help kids focus on a central idea or concept. It creates a base for children to learn on. It also helps with continuity. Even if you have to jump around some when it comes to the Biblical background (see previous post for why to avoid doing this), keeping a central theme allows children to relate different stories back to a central idea. Themes should last around 4-6 weeks, this gives kids enough time to focus on a single idea without becoming bored with it. Figure out one single point or main idea you want the children to learn and come up with similar lessons or verses that all explain an aspect of this idea. One theme I have used in the past is love, our memory verse was the great commission and we wanted to explain what it really meant to "love your neighbor". We started by explaining the different kinds of love (check our C.S. Lewis book "The Four Loves") and then ended with what actions we needed to take to be loving. Each kind of love was taught for one week with two weeks devoted to action steps. Before this we were learning about the different traits of Jesus, since being loving was one of his traits we were able to link the two themes together giving the children a base and then building on it.

2. Repetition works, repetition works, repetition works

     Repetition works, no really it does. This is very reminiscent of the way that kids learn in school. They go over a subject until they understand it. They also spent time reviewing or referring back to a previous lesson. When doing things like memorizing a verse or theme lesson, going over it multiple times with different representations helps a lot. Pick a memory verse for the month, give them a piece of paper to take home with the verse on it, open up your meeting time by reciting the verse, have them repeat the verse one on one at the end (a little candy goes a long way in this), come up with motions or a song to help them memorize the words. Make sure to stay within the 4-6 week time frame to keep children from becoming bored. Repetition is great but there is definitely a thing as too much repetition.

3. Pay attention to how children learn

     Children learn in many different ways. It's important to understand that not every kid can learn by sitting and listening. Children engage in learning by listening, seeing and being hands on. This is why having an engaging lesson and involving children are so important. Go beyond just passing out a piece of paper; cover the wall with your theme or memory verse, give them visual representations of what they are trying to learn, if they are learning about apologizing have them act it out. If you think back to your elementary days your favorite teachers were the ones who went beyond just reading a lesson, they engage you and taught in a way that made sense to you. Check out the links below for some more information about how children learn and how to teach in a manner that addresses these different styles.

Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic Learners

Different learning styles

4. Write it yourself/Use your voice

     One of the things I can't stress enough is the importance of writing the lesson yourself. So many churches hand volunteers a piece of paper to read and then wonder why there is no growth in their children's ministry. Do you learn more by listening to a presentation or by giving a presentation yourself? If you know you are going to be teaching a lesson go over it yourself first and add something to it. You don't have to write the entire thing yourself, but you have to add something personal to it. That way when you teach it, your not just reading from a piece of paper but sharing something from yourself to others. Just like every other relationship, you have to give something of yourself to grow the relationship and to find common ground.
     Your voice is absolutely the best tool you have at your disposal. What you are going to be doing the most of is talking, so its important to know how to use your voice to engage kids in learning. First, kids will mirror your energy. If you are starting out or need to get their attention, using a slightly louder faster paced voice with help. When you need to make a point, pause, then speak slowly in a deeper voice. This catches their attention and lets them know what you are saying is important. Your voice is unique and it will take personal experience to understand what works best for you. Check out this video below on getting some tips on how to use your voice.

How to speak so that people want to listen

   
5. Be a model

     No no, you don't need to do turns on the catwalk (please don't) but you should be living your life as an example. Children's ministry is the neediest ministry in the entire church when it comes to volunteers. The more leaders that are around the better. One thing that helps a lesson go smoothly is enough people around to meet the needs of the children. When you have extra leaders handy who can ask questions, take time to pray or go over a verse it makes learning so much easier and children are able to see a demonstration of the things they are learning. And not every kid relates to the same adult the same way. Some kids connect best with a male adult because they lack one in their lives, some kids relate best to the older women because they are kind and have candy! Having different kinds of leaders just make children's ministry that much richer and successful.
     The children are looking up to the adults to understand what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to act. If you look like you are bored in church, kids are going to see that and be bored too. If you are unenthusiastic reading a lesson line by line, they are going to copy that energy (or lack there of) and get distracted. Be excited about teaching and they will be excited about learning.


     Practice is of course the best teacher and the more times you get in front of a group of children the better you will feel about. The more time you spend with children the greater your relationship will be them. When their teacher is someone they recognize and trust, it goes a long way in helping them pay attention and take to heart what is being said
    It is also important that children's ministry extends to beyond just lessons and I'm not talking about mid week programs or church pick-nicks. Children need to see that you are passionate and dedicated to being in the church. Children also need to know that they are important to you outside of the Sunday school classroom. This is how your children's ministry grows. We need to take the time for everything, from writing a good lesson to showing our support outside of the church. In order for our children to grow, we must first prepare the way for them, showing them everyday what being a follower of Christ looks like.

Best of all we get to impact children s lives for God's glory and have fun doing it. 

What your Church's family ministry is missing

     The past few years I have spent a lot of time (no, really, A LOT) looking at churches. Working in ministry, there is time spent looking for jobs, searching for partner ministries, checking on comparable programs, and even a little curiosity to see exactly what that Methodist church across the road is up to.
     The one thing that every church really loves promoting is their "family ministry". The problem is, I don't think over the hundred, maybe even thousands of churches I have looked into I have seen one true example of family ministry.
     Alright, before you never read this blog again, let me explain. You see lots of churches do things for the family. They have some form of children's ministry, at the very least you see a nursery program. They probably have a cool youth group that maybe even has its own room. There is a parent support group or parent training's throughout the year. Then there is Sunday school, Wednesday night programs, and family picnics.
     Now that list seems nice, and I can admit that these programs are good. They are very beneficial and are important to reach out, train, and uplift children and families. But the point is that none of this is family ministry. Family ministry occurs when the family, as a unit, is learning, praying, and growing together.
     One time during a phone interview I remember asking the question "what does the church do for families"? They were very happy to list the many different programs including their crown jewel of Wednesday night or "family night". The only problem once, in all of the church there was not one single thing that was solely for families to do together. You can't call it family night if the family spends no time together. Would you call it "family night" at your house if everybody stayed in their own room and didn't talk to each other? 
      A family goes through life together. They struggle and succeed side by side. The church is becoming an crucial resource for families. This makes it all the more important to do our best to support and grow families in the church. So how can we ensure we are doing all we can?


1. Keep the family in the service. 

        Yes, younger children can go to the nursery, but anybody who complains about a child moving or making noise during a service REALLY needs to read Matthew 19. Elementary aged students need to be in the service so they can fully understand what being a church member means. There is a lot to be learned simply by being in a service. They get to witness worships, prayer, communion, tithing, and how to respond to teaching. Instead what happens is that children are told to sit at the "kids table" and go to children's church to be babysat during the service. Then when they are teenagers and are supposed to participate in the service they feel awkward and uncomfortable, so they do everything they can to get out it. They will sit up front with all their friends play on their phones the whole time stay up till 3 AM the night before so they don't have to go. Keeping young children out of the service ensures they will not attend the service when they grow up. Removing our kids from service contributes to removing them from church all together.

2. Family night must have some time dedicated to the entire family

    Wednesday night program are great. They often provide a great community outreach and can be very uplifting for busy families. However, there must be a portion of the time that involves the entire family. Have a meal before hand. Start out with everyone together and spend some family worship time before everyone goes to their own group. Have a community time at the end where the entire family gets together to eat cookies (and that unidentifiable red drink, punch maybe?) and talk about what they learned. Want to get even crazier (well why not)? How about having a home work time. What about having groceries or freezer meals ready for families to take home. Maybe even a family fitness event. Provide service opportunities the whole family can do together. 

3. Inter-generational ministry

     There are some incredible things that can happen when an entire family is dedicated to the same goal. Grand parents helping parents, parents helping children, teenagers helping preschoolers. When everybody is contained and there is no interaction between the generations so much wisdom is lost. This is why the whole family must have ministry time together. Those who have learned the lesson or have gone through the trial are able to uplift and encourage those who need it. It also creates a duality of responsibility and dependability. The older generation feels a responsibility to help those younger than them and the younger generation can count on someone in the church to help them. When those younger people grow up, they will help others just like they were helped (P.S. this also keep our young people in the church).

4. Everybody helps

     Service and responsibility in the church keeps people there. There are always service opportunities sure, but how many service opportunities are your children invited to? How many missions trips does the entire family go on? Children and teenagers especially need to know they are wanted and needed in the church. So, if we are creating opportunities in the church for the entire family to spend time together (point 2) then have families be responsible for running those nights. If you have a homework night, children will come, if you have a family in the church running homework night, then families will come together. 

5. Dealing with judgement

     The family is facing some seriously tough times. One issue that the church can demolish is mom-shaming (what Dad's don't get any shaming?). A simple picture on facebook or any other media can for some reason invite a litany of unhelpful-helpful comments regarding parenting. The church needs to be seen as a safe and encouraging place for all families. We all struggle. We all go through difficult times (this also applies to church staff and their families). The church needs to be a judgement AND GOSSIP free zone. When we as the church passionately desire to love and grow families as Christ did, we will accomplish so much more than any Wednesday night program ever has. 

     Most importantly the church must encourage the family to grow at home. No matter how good a church's program is it can not compare to the influence and teaching that happens in the home. Parents must demonstrate a Godly lifestyle. Children need to be taught the Bible and why their parents behave the way they do. Many families (especially millennials) are looking to the church to help them with raising spirit filled children. The youth that turned away from the church is getting marries, settling down, and having children. Now that there is a responsibility they are looking for spiritual guidance. Our church needs to meet these families where they are at and provide them with tools and resources to practice faith in their home. 

     No one thing is perfect. There isn't any all inclusive church program that solves all the families problems. We must continue to rely on God's grace and love in all things.