Teaching Sunday School - Help for Sunday School Teachers

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Whether you have been a Sunday School teacher for years or have just found yourself teaching Sunday School, you can benefit from new ideas, games, and advice. Why?

Kids today are wound up in a fast paced world with fast paced gadgets and need to be taught in a way that keeps their attention. When we were younger, the Sunday School teacher could stand up front, read from the bible, tell the bible story in her own words, then ask questions that all the kids knew the answers to. Not today!

Teaching Sunday School
No matter what age class you teach (with adults being the exception), you'll need to keep their attention or the kids will not learn anything. The whole point of Sunday School is to learn about the Bible, God, Jesus dying on the cross, how to get to heaven, and how we can live like Jesus. Of course, this is a brief description of what kids learn. There are many other things they need to know and that is where we as Sunday School teachers come into play.



Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher!

Games are a great way to help them learn the Bible story and their Bible verse. No matter how old a child is or whether they can even talk yet, I can't stress how important it is for them to learn Bible verses. Bible verses give children a foundation to build their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Active role playing can help children as well. Planning your story ahead with costumes can bring new learning into the Sunday School room. If you have a large class of children, have group 1 children play different characters in the story while group 2 kids watch, then let them switch. By going through the story more than once, you'll be helping them gain a better understanding of the meaning of the story and they will remember it to tell their parents when class is over.


Sunday School Games

One Sunday School game that can be played at any age and with any number of students is 'Chair Bounce'. To begin, set up one chair for each child in a square, a circle, or a rectangle. The teacher can play too as the kids seem to love it! If you have parents in the room, get them involved too.

To play 'Chair Bounce', each child and adult will sit in a chair. Be sure the kids can see each other. It makes the game funner. Next, ask a question about the story or about stories you have already told. Let the children yell out the answers. By letting them yell out the answers, they will try to compete to answer the questions while the children who don't know the answers will learn them.

When a child gets the answer right, call out, 'Chair Bounce' or 'change seats'. Everyone will move to the right (or left - your choice) and sit down in the next seat. Continue asking questions and chair bouncing until you come back around to the seat you started in. The kids love to move fast, answer fast, and get back around to their seat fast.

The faster the questions are asked and answered the better they like it. It can get a little crazy, but they will listen and learn. You can also change it up a bit by sitting the seats a little further a part and making them hop to the next seat, duck walk to the next seat, or even tip toe. Don't forget to ask the Bible verse during the game!

Other Resources for Sunday School Teachers and Parents

Read Allowed Bible Stories

Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids

The Games Bible - Over 300 Games

Links That May Be Useful

Sunday School Game – Launching Words of Kindness : Sunday ...
http://www.christianitycove.com/sunday-school-game-launching-words-of-kindness-0406/1206/2/13/12
Warning: This is one of our water games and is great for hot days! LAUNCHING WORDS OF KINDNESS GAME Materials needed: Water balloons, two bed sheets, Sunday school table or a couple of chairs, container for your filled water ...

Runabout Games for Sunday School Kids « The Vicar's Wife
thevicarswife.wordpress.com2/28/12
Runabout Games for Sunday School Kids. 28 February, 2012 by thevicarswife. We normally have about ten kids in our Junior church. Their ages range from 4 to 12, so we have readers and non-readers. We often have some very wriggly ...

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Memorial Day: What Do We Do?

Monday, February 27, 2012

That's a silly question. We take memorial flowers to the cemetery and often see family we haven't seen in a while. It can be a happy time to reflect on the lives of our family members who lived before us or a sad time where we morn the loss.

Thankfully, for those who died knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, we can rejoice in the fact that they are no longer suffering and are waiting up yonder for us to join them.

This year, if you are planning on taking a Memorial Day flower arrangement to the grave site, think about making it yourself. It isn't hard and it can be more personal and cheaper too!

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The Gift of God

Friday, May 6, 2011

Romans 6:23 KJV
          For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When we are born, we are born with sin into a sinful world. We are not born perfect (although many new mothers will beg to differ). After Eve ate the fruit in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3), everyone born was born with sin. Thankfully, through Jesus Christ we can be washed as white as snow. What does this mean?

When we are washed as white as snow, we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. When God looks down from Heaven he sees white in us and not the black sin we once had. This does not mean we will never sin again. It just means that our sins have been paid for by Jesus Christ who died on the cross and we are now forgiven. No sin is too big or too little in the eyes of God. He will forgive any sin as long as we are truly sorry and ask for his forgiveness.

God has given us the gift of eternal life. All we need to do is ask for that gift and accept Jesus as our Savior. For those who choose not to have Jesus in their lives...the wages of sin is death.

KJV Pocket Bible, Designer Series

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Crucifixion of Jesus & How to Be Saved

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

When Jesus was brought before Pilot, Pilot did not want Jesus' blood on his hands. Instead, he washed his hands in water to signify he was not responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. When he washed his hands, did he really wash away his part in what was to become the worst death in history? No.

Pilot knew Jesus was an innocent man, but instead of standing up to the people and letting Jesus go he turned Jesus over to the crowd to let them do with him as they would. In the end (or should I say beginning), he was crucified on the cross to bear the sins of the world including yours and mine.

Don't think that Jesus could not have saved himself from this terrible death. In an instant, he could have called down a thousand angels to take him away. He chose to die for us and because of his death on the cross we can live with Him forever in Heaven.

Let us not forget that he did not stay dead. He arose on the third day and lives today in Heaven where one day we will be with Him. That is, for those who have asked Him to forgive their sins and to come into their hearts to live forever. And believe me, it will be one decision that you will not want to take back.

You can read about the crucifixion in Luke 23 KJV

If you have not ask Jesus to save you, remember...all have come short of the glory of God. Everyone is a sinner not just the murderers, drunks, the abusers, and so on. Everyone.

   All you need to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Which means, if you truly believe he died for your sins and that he is the Son of God and ask Him to save you, He will.

 

Holy Bible King James Version Study Bible (Burgundy)

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Salvation is the Road Leading to Heaven

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Bible states plainly, For WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED. Romans 10:13 KJV.

Eternal life awaits those who are saved.

Salvation is the renewing of the spirit. It is a rescue from sin and from death. Without salvation and being cleansed of all sin Heaven cannot be entered into. Salvation cleanses one of all sin. Sin is human nature but, through Jesus Christ all sins are washed away.

The Birth of Jesus Christ is the First Christmas Story

Most everyone has heard the Christmas story. Long ago, Jesus came to earth as a baby being born in a stable. He was surrounded by the animals that lived in the stable. He did not have a warm blanket or a soft bed. Mary, his mother, wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. Sounds like an extraordinary beginning doesn't it?

Did you know swaddling clothes were actually torn cloth that was used to wipe the animals and a manger was what the animals food was dumped into for them to eat. Imagine the horrible smell of the animals that surrounded this wonderful blessing from above. Why would Jesus choose to leave a perfect Heaven and come to a sinful earth? Simple. For human salvation.

With the exception of a few passages not much is told of Jesus as a child. Not until Jesus was thirty years old did the Bible begin to record his ministry. Jesus traveled from town to town teaching and healing for three years then, made his way to an upper room where the Last Supper took place. Here Jesus foretold of one disciple's betrayal. Judas, one of the twelve disciples, sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Such a small price for Jesus' life.

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

 
It wasn't a surprise to Jesus when the Roman soldiers came to take him away. He knew his crucifixion was at hand. From the beginning of time, a sacrifice had to be given for forgiveness of sin. Now, Jesus would become the last sacrifice. Hanging on the cross he took all sin upon himself, paying the price for all the sin in the world then and now. Yes, he died. But, thank the Lord the story did not end there.

Jesus' body was taken down, wrapped in white linen and placed inside a tomb. A rock was rolled over the opening of the tomb. Three days later when the women come to pour spices on his body, they found something amazing had occurred. The stone had been rolled away and his body wasn't there. Although Jesus in his resurrected body stayed on earth for forty days, he did ascend to Heaven where he now abides until he comes again to rapture those who are saved from this sinful world.

Salvation Leads Straight to Heaven

 

Getting to Heaven cannot be done by good works alone as many think. Actually, it is much simpler than that.

The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.

By believing on Jesus Christ, asking forgiveness of sin, and asking him to come live in your heart thou shalt be saved.

In the Bible Jesus says in John 3:16

For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish

but have eternal life.

By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and asking for salvation and forgiveness of sin he will give eternal life in Heaven with him and those saved who have gone on before us. Living a life with Jesus will be a rewarding and adventurous one.
Source: King James Bible

Bible picture by:Billy Alexander

credit link: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1206351

Bethlehem Star picture by:Ben Earwicker

http://www.garrisonphoto.org/

credit link: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/695142

Heaven picture by: Robert Michie

credit link:http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1264231

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