Bible Lessons For Kids
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Bible lessons for kids are available on line and in religious book stores with a variety of presentations that include lesson plans, teacher guides, activity pages, music, and coloring pages for the reinforcement of the lessons. One program even includes puppets to use in telling the Bible stories. Most of the children's Bible stories are designed for classes, and are available for ages preschool (2-4) through age 14. Some of the programs are on line in their entirety so that parents can print out lessons for home schooling children. Others are books to be ordered for classrooms after viewing the material on line. The lessons also include quizzes for testing the student's retention of the material.
As long as there is a way to learn while having fun, children enjoy learning about the Word of God. Children's Bible stories take them to a different time and place, which is central to any child's enjoyment of a story. Little ones love hearing Grandpa or Grandma tell them about "When I was a boy (girl), we used to .... ," and it's no different with a good story from the Word. The stories about Jesus are wonderful to a child. Music is usually an important part of Bible lessons for kids, and the more commonly used ones will be remembered for the rest of their lives. Do you know how many generations have sung "Jesus Loves Me?" Quite a few, to be sure.
Skits are an important part of a child's learning program, and older children enjoy making up their own to present to parents or to congregations. Christmas and Easter pageants are particularly popular with children because they tell the two most dramatic and inspiring stories in the Bible lessons for kids. Between those holy seasons are plenty of opportunities to cover a multitude of other stories from the Word, and to bring the lessons taught in those recounts into their own lives.
Children have formed views about life and have learned the principles that will guide them by age ten. Because of this, it is very important to expose the young to children's Bible stories at an early age. Books for preschoolers that have Biblical accounts are available at Christian book stores, and mothers can be reading them to their very young children. The songs children learn to sing to reinforce lessons are fun, and children will repeat these songs a lot once they learn the words.
Creation provides great teachings that kids can understand. A child's view of Genesis can boost a child's appreciation for the world around him or her. Young ones are so filled with wonder at the world naturally, that when introduced to the notion that all those things they like so much--trees, grass, bugs, birds, etc.--were created by God, love abounds. When young ones find out God made them as well, a special bond begins. Bible lessons for kids can leave permanent imprints on the minds of children, and that is the hope of any Sunday School teacher. Parents have the happy job of reinforcing those lessons at home.
Starting to train the young in appreciating the Word is important. There are devotions in which even small youngsters can participate. For really young children devotions need to be brief, to the point, and entertaining. When teaching in a preschool setting, often the pastor teaches children's Bible stories with a daily chapel time that will include a story, music, and some sort of participation from the children. In regular Sunday School classes, the teacher leads the activities and the curriculum will be much more abbreviated than the daily classes in a preschool or home school situation.
Neither parents nor teachers need be concerned with developing a curriculum for their children because there are a great many programs to choose from where that has already been done. In fact, there are so many to choose from that unless there is a particular publisher who publishes for the denomination, it may be a little difficult to choose. For a parent, it is probably a good idea to consult with the pastor for suggestions as to the program that will be most appropriate. Sunday School teachers may have the opportunity to choose the Bible lessons for kids they like with the other teachers at their church so there is consistency. In some churches, these selections are made by a church committee or education board.
Christian educators, whether they are parents or teachers, are living in a great era for finding good materials to present. Christian preschools are more numerous than ever before, and textbooks are more abundant than ever. One of the most popular times for entertaining children with a Biblical teaching is the summer Vacation Bible School. Nearly every church has one, and it is always the Pastor's hope that some of the youngsters who come to hear the children's Bible stories are the unchurched who are looking for more than the VBS experience. In our churches, as well as our society, the future lies in the hands of our children, so telling wonderful old Biblical tales is an important part of preparing them for the future. It isn't bad for the adults to be reminded of the beliefs they hold most dear either. It's good to remember that Jesus said "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)
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