11 Guidelines for Children’s Teachers
and their helpers
Guidelines
1.
Make use of these Paul-Timothy children’s
studies.
2.
Choose activities within a study that fit
your children’s needs.
3.
Let children prepare during children’s
meetings to present things to the adults during worship
4.
Let children sing songs written to tunes
that they know.
5.
Let smaller children employ hand motions
or bodily movements.
6.
Let older children help teach and make
disciples of the younger ones.
7.
Let children worship together with the
adults.
8.
Have tiny adult groups listen to the
children, and help them grow in Christ.
9.
Find how you can help the children by
talking to them in the tiny groups.
10.
Have the children act out Bible stories.
11.
Prepare objects or pictures that
illustrate what you teach.
Teacher’s prayer: “Dear God, help me to prepare well for my meetings with
the children whom you love so much.”
1.
Make use of these Paul-Timothy children’s studies.
·
Paul-Timothy studies come in sets that contain a study
for Shepherds and another study on the same topic for children.
Children’s studies have the word ‘Children’ at the top.
·
Children learn about the same topic as the adults.
·
P-T studies also enable children to prepare ahead of time
a Bible story related to the topic that the adults will learn. The
children can act out the Bible story for the adults during worship time.
Jesus always received and blessed little children.
2.
Choose activities within a study that fit your children’s
needs.
·
Children’s studies contain several activities. These are options.
Use those that fit current needs, and for which you have time, and
disregard the rest.
3.
Let children prepare during children’s meetings to
present things to the adults during worship.
·
For smaller children, let several of them stand up
together and speak—or sing—as a chorus, all together.
·
This can apply to memory verses, short dramas, poems,
songs or brief readings.
·
Some children are quiet and shy. To join others and do
things together enables them also to take part.
4.
Let children sing songs written to tunes that they know.
·
Add simple songs to the lessons, with tunes that children
enjoy.
·
You can let older children compose a simple poem about
the topic of the week that fits the music.
5.
Let smaller children employ hand motions or bodily
movements.
While telling a story or singing, little children enjoy
moving their fingers, arms or legs. For example, let them participate
in telling the story of David killing the giant Goliath.
·
When Goliath defies the army of Israel, children shake
their fists in the air.
·
When David slings the rock, children move their arms as
though using a sling.
·
When Goliath falls, the children groan and fall. Etc.
Smaller children enjoy repetition and sounds. Examples:
·
If you—or they—are telling the story of the Good
Samaritan, let children repeat the sound of the donkey’s hooves,
walking to the inn, “Clop! Clop! Clop!”
·
When telling about Adam and Eve, when the serpent is
mentioned let the children hiss loudly several times.
6.
Let older children help teach and make disciples of the
younger ones.
·
Explain to older children what they will do.
·
Keep it simple. Ask them to do things one step at a time.
7.
Let children worship together with the adults.
·
Create a feeling of 'family' during worship time by
including the children as much as possible.
·
The Children's studies include things to prepare to
present during the worship time with the adults.
·
Prepare them well and present them first in the
children’s meeting.
8.
Have tiny adult groups listen to the children, and help
them grow in Christ.
·
PTLT studies provide for a time during the main worship
to form tiny groups of three to five, so people can talk and pray with
each other. Some of these groups will include children.
·
Prepare some adults to talk and pray with the children in
these groups.
·
Do this after the Bible study, so you can ask questions
or make comments about it.
·
The New Testament requires us to teach and serve one
another in many ways when we gather. This includes children. The Holy
Spirit works powerfully when we do this.
9.
Find how you can help the children by talking to them in
the tiny groups.
·
Ask such things as, “What person in the story do you like
best?” “Why?”
·
“Do you want to be like that person?” “What will you have
to do?”
·
“Do you have problems at home, at school or with
neighbors that we can pray for?”
·
“Who can you help or show kindness to next week?” “What
will you do?”
·
“Can you tell me one thing you will do to please your
mother and father?”
·
“What one thing will you do next week to please your
brothers or sisters?”
10.
Have the children act out Bible stories.
·
Children's studies include brief dramas. They can
practice them first in children’s meetings, and then do them again,
with adults’ help, during the main worship.
·
Children love to act out Bible stories. They remember the
spiritual truths better after doing so. They do not rehearse for their
own children's teaching time, because the rehearsal is the teaching
activity. These dramas work better when kept very short and simple,
without asking children to memorize many sentences.
·
For example, during a children’s meeting when teaching
about Joshua fighting the Canaanite idolaters, the teacher might say to
some children, "You be Joshua’s soldiers" and to others, "You be the
Canaanite soldiers."
·
The teacher can tell them the words they are to say and
let them repeat them, but must let the children supply the actions.
They may run around noisily for a moment, finding things to use as
swords and shields, and then act out the story. It may take a while to
calm them down afterwards to do anything else, but they learn far more
this way and they love it.
·
Arrange each week with the leader of the main
congregational worship, for the children to present the drama.
·
If you do not have enough children for all the parts, ask
neighbors' children to help. This helps them also to discover Christ.
·
Older children normally do better if they do not memorize
each word of the dialogue, but rather the general idea of what to say.
At first this may be hard to do, but in time the children will prefer
using their imaginations, and the dramas will be more convincing. Some
children will always prefer to memorize the words. Let them do it
either way.
11.
Prepare objects or pictures that illustrate what you
teach.
·
Objects. Example: when teaching about Jesus being the
light of the world, children hold a lit candle high while they say a
Bible verse or poem.
·
Signs. Example: Children hold signs they have drawn while
they talk. While telling about Jesus healing the blind man they might
hold a sign saying “God Is Love.” If you prefer, three children might
each hold a sign, one with the word “God,” another “Is” and the other
“Love.”
·
Dance. Examples: When telling about the children of
Israel passing through the Red Sea on dry ground, let children
celebrate by dancing while someone reads what Moses and the people sang
afterwards in Exodus 15. They can also form a serpent to illustrate
Satan tempting Eve, by forming in a line with taller children in front,
each child holding onto the person in front of them, and winding around
the room, hissing.
Make use of whatever common objects you have available.
Use your imagination. Simple things illustrate biblical truths best.
Use things that children see every day. This helps them remember God
when they see these things. Let them hold the objects and talk about
them.
Examples include:
¨
Grass—Jesus’ parable of the farmer who sowed grain.
¨
Rocks with faces drawn on them—frowning face for bad
people, smiling face for good people
¨
Green leaves—Good people are like well-watered trees
(Psalm 1).
¨
Withered leaves—Jesus cursed the fruitless fig tree (Mark
11:12-24).
¨
A broom—the Holy Spirit sweeping away the sins in our
lives.
¨
A bar of soap—Christ’s blood is the only soap that washes
away our sins.
¨
A glass of water—Jesus promised the Samaritan woman the
water of life.
¨
Two sticks joined together—the cross.
¨
A simple fish cut out of paper—Peter fishing.
¨
A pencil—our names are written in the Book of Life.
¨
A dish of fruit—the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians
5:22-23).
¨
A dish of rice—our great wedding banquet with Christ
(Revelation 19:6-10).
¨
A long stick sharpened on one end—the soldier pierces
Jesus’ side on the cross.
¨
A hammer or saw—Noah and his workers spent many years
building the ark.
¨
A flower—God's beautiful creation (Genesis 1), or God's
provision (Luke 12:22-32).
¨
A thistle or thorny branch—God's curse when men first
sinned (Genesis 3:17-19).
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