Sunday School Guidelines (Part 2) - Effective teaching Methods for Sunday School from Kindergarten to Senior Classes

SUNDAY SCHOOL GUIDELINES - PART 2

EFFECTIVE TEACHING METHODS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL FROM KINDER TO SENIOR CLASSES

Click this link to get Sunday School Guidelines (Part - 1) - Division of Sunday School Classes

Click this link to learn how to help kids memorize Bible Verses

Teaching Very Young Classes (4 years to 7 years)

The children of this age range are still in the early stages of language learning. Hence, most of the conceptual words in the lessons may be difficult for them to understand. Hence visual aids, creative activities and models should be used a lot for the children of this age range. However, teachers should make sure that the classes don't become disorganized or chaotic when play methods are used in teaching. Play methods are effective and beneficial in learning only when they are done in a structured and controlled way with specific teaching and learning objective in mind.

Teaching Intermediate Classes (8 years to 11 years)

The children in this age group are increasingly becoming social making friends in various settings like their home neighbourhood, playgrounds, school and Church. So importance should be given to teaching practical life lessons like love, unity, kindness, friendship, patience, forgiveness etc through the Bible stories. These children are also active, adventerous, curious and interested in exploring. Hence, interactive and creative activities and models could be used to help the children better engage in the Sunday School lessons. However, activities involving too much of colour and moving around should not cause distraction, disturbance or sensory overload for other children. Teachers should maintain a healthy balance between using creative materials and actual teaching of the concepts from the lessons. 

Teaching Senior Classes (12 years to 15 years)

This is the entry stage when children begin their transition into teenhood physically, emotionally and mentally. Hence, it is very important to motivate the children to develop a personal relationship with God, and to create a thirst for the Word of God, which would provide strong spiritual foundation for their entire life. Unlike young children who need a lot of visual aids to help them understand the stories, for senior children the use of visual aids like pictures and videos are used to provide additional explanation for the subject and evidence for the lessons only. 

Asking thought-provoking questions related to the lesson taught should be encouraged. Irrelevant, unrelated or sarcastic questions that sidetrack or disturb the class should be discouraged through negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcements like appreciation encourage the behaviour, while negative reinforcement like neglecting the unwanted question discourage the behaviour. Clearing doubts, finding cross-references from the Bible wherever applicable should be given preference while teaching senior Sunday School classes. All the Senior children should be introduced to Basic Christian apologetics.

The relevance of the Holy Bible to the modern life should be insisted upon. The teachers should help the children understand how each of the events mentioned in the Holy Bible played a role in God's eternal salvation plan. Children also should be taught to view the current world happenings, political ideologies and environmental situations in the light of God's word and prophecies. Rote-learning and memorising of charts, specific details etc. should be completely avoided and children should not be forced to learn the lessons with the aim of passing the exam like a secular school setting. All the children who have eagerly attended the Sunday school classes and engaged in the Sunday School lessons should be equally appreciated and motivated.

Basic Qualifications for Sunday School Teachers

Teachers with exemplary spiritual life, who are comfortable, cheerful and playful in the company of children, with a quest for learning the word of God and who can dedicate adequate time for preparation of lessons should be involved in teaching Sunday school. Sunday school teachers especially those who are teaching senior children should be able to follow world events and able to interpret and translate it to the understanding level of the children and help them to view it with a Christian perspective. All these qualities will be embodied in an individual who is called by God and equipped for Sunday school ministry. 

Examples of Visual Aids & Multi-sensory Activities 

As insisted in this article, visual aids and multi-sensory activities are more relevant for younger children. Dramas, Role plays and videos could be used as additional teaching material for senior children. But they should never be a substitute for solid scriptural teaching.

Using Picture Cards / Flash cards 

Using Bible story Sequencing Activities

Using Children's Bible/  Picture Books / Interactive Books

Using Bible Quiet Books / Felt Books

Using Flannelgraph / Flannel Boards

Modelling the Story with Objects

Using Fun Snacks

Colouring Activities

Crafting the Bible Stories

Object Lessons

Dressing up

Dramas/ Skits

Fun Bible Games

Lego Blocks

Bible Quiz / Worksheets

Activity Sheets

Puppet Shows

Actions / Action Songs

Videos 

Use of Multi-sensory / Multi-modality teaching in Sunday School

It is common knowledge that any class without colourful visual prompts or interesting activities is boring for children. Hence, use of multi-sensory, multi-modality is very much advocated in modern secular schools. Multi-modality teaching like visual aids, videos, drama and enactment help the children to understand many concepts in an easier way in a secular school setting. Unlike secular schools, in a Sunday-school we are teaching spiritual concepts with the aim of leading the children towards salvation and transformation. We use stories and themes from the Bible towards that end. 

Recently jargons like postmodern children, child-friendly worship etc are very often used in the pretence of reforming Sunday schools and Church services. Church leaders and Sunday school teachers should be thoroughly aware and well-equipped to handle the pressure these concepts bring. The concept of modernity exists only in the physical world and not in the spiritual world. The evils we see in the spiritual world have their origin in the Garden of Eden. The spiritual disciplines, needs and spiritual desires that God gave man during creation have not evolved or changed. Since Sunday school works on the spiritual life of children, it should be conducted in a disciplined and organized manner. 

Immodest dressing, indecent dancing, singing secular songs, exaggerated dramas and skits displayed on stage in the pretext of keeping postmodern children engaged should not be permitted. Keeping the Sunday School lessons and activities true to the Holy Bible and its doctrines is very important. Use of traditional or modern materials and activities have limited role to play in the influence or transformation of the child. Sunday school teachers should have unwavering faith in the transformative power of God's word through the work of the Holy Spirit. When a child's spiritual life is touched and transformed by God's word taught in Sunday School, it will help the child to overcome the ill-influence the modern or the post-modern world brings. 

Visual aids like colouring, crafts and skits can help the younger children to understand Bible stories like Moses parts the Red Sea or David defeats Goliath but not the spiritual lessons from these stories like faith, obedience, courage etc which have to be learned in a real-life setting. Hence there should be a careful balance between teaching and fun activities while using these materials. Overuse of colourful, loud or running around activities can distract the children of other classes and can cause sensory overload to some children. 

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is an engaged learning process whereby students “learn by doing”. In Sunday School experiential learning is beneficial to teach younger children to help them understand the Bible stories. We can only make the children experience the Bible stories and their characters but not the actual spiritual concepts they are teaching, which must be learned in a real-life setup. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, spiritual concepts like faith, love, hope, obedience, salvation etc. are abstract concepts that are quite difficult to "learn by doing" in Sunday School. Hence experiential learning has limited application in Sunday School, especially for teaching older children. The scriptural instructions and teachings we give in the Sunday School are intended to help the child overcome the trials and difficulties they face in their real life. Hence solid scriptural teaching without much distraction is very much needed for all children, especially senior children. Since, unlike secular lessons, God’s word is a living seed which has life in it. It is planted inside a child’s heart through teaching and when the right conditions come, it will sprout, grow and bear fruit in the child's life. 

Jacob's Ladder Sunday School Lessons

The Jacob's Ladder Scripture lessons incorporate important incidents and spiritual concepts from the Holy Bible. These structured lessons have been designed to help the children grow in Biblical knowledge and provide spiritual nourishment. Each of these lessons are explained in such a way that, they could be easily understood by children of each of these age groups. The Bible Portion from which these stories are taken is mentioned for the teacher’s reference. Book references and citations are also given wherever applicable. The memory verses are also given at the end of each lesson. Although, parts of Bible verses are given as memory verse, teachers can encourage children to by heart the entire verse depending on the ability of the child. Colouring and fun activities have also been added for each lesson for junior classes. Activities to motivate the children to search and read the Holy Bible are given for senior classes. Each lesson is meant for one session. You are also encouraged to incorporate creative ideas and activities to ensure maximum participation of every child, so that the incorruptible seed of God's word is planted in the heart of each child.