For years, curriculum has been the standard in teaching Sunday School. I believe it is very important to have a structure for each class or children’s church setting, but it is also important to avoid using curriculum as a “crutch”. It is very easy to misunderstand the purpose of lesson plans which can hinder the effectiveness of your teaching. Here some dangers to look out for when planning your next lesson:
1. Mistaking the curriculum for the ten commandments.
It is important to remember that curriculum is not written in stone! Look at your lessons as a guideline and not as a mandatory to-do list. You’re the potter, mold the ideas you’ve been given into something of your own creation. Allow God to speak through you instead of just following the given outline. Let your personal teaching style and gifting shine through each Sunday.
2. Treating your lesson like a project due the next morning.
I’m sure we all have memories of tests or projects in high school. We know the project is due in 3 months, and somehow that time slips through our fingers and there we are Sunday night, trying to make a solar system out of hangers and styrofoam. I’m sure none of us children’s ministers do this (wink, wink), but it can be extremely tempting to treat our Sunday School class the same way. We finish one lesson and we know we have a whole seven days until the next one. So, what do we do? We wait the entire week thinking we have plenty of time and before you know it, we’re in the Wal-mart craft aisle at 10 pm on Saturday. But here’s the real problem: we get away with it. We teach the lesson the next day and it’s good enough, or so we think. What would happen if we put real effort and time into our lessons? How much more would our students remember?
Take 10 minutes on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning to look over your next lesson. You don’t have to start your preparation just yet, but this will allow your mind to think of ideas and solutions throughout the week. Then when you do sit down to prepare, you won’t feel like you’re back in 10th grade studying for your next biology test.
3. Choosing the wrong curriculum.
There is no one curriculum that is better than all the others, but there are definitely ones that are worse than others. It can be very tempting to just get by with lesson plans that are cheap in price and therefore, cheap in quality. When it comes to choosing a curriculum for your children’s ministry, you really do get what you pay for. Of course, there are great ideas and free lessons available online, but full year quality material will cost something, but it is well worth it. When choosing a curriculum, remember you are looking for a plethora of ideas and resources. How many methods of teaching does each lesson offer? A well-rounded curriculum will offer object lessons, musical ideas, in-depth stories, and memory verse activities that all teach Biblically-supported messages. Look to see not only what messages are being represented but what various avenues of teaching the messages are also offered. Anyone involved in education is aware of the various learning styles (kinesthetic, linguistic, musical, etc.). How many of these styles does the curriculum implement? Is there something that includes the visual kids in your class? How about those who learn through songs and rhythmical methods?
Curriculum is a great tool, but it is important to remember that’s all that it is, a tool. The real effectivness comes from the teacher. You make or break your lesson. No matter what curriculum you use, always have a sensitivity and desire for God’s Spirit to direct you. When you do this, you can’t go wrong.
