(Part 4 of Children’s Ministry Philosophy) While entire college courses are devoted to studying the most effective methods to use when teaching children, I’ll limit my discussion here to five suggestions:
1. First, you must know something about your students! The teaching methods you choose will depend on their ages and development, their cultural backgrounds, and their spiritual maturity levels. Missionaries study the culture and languages of the people they plan to reach with the gospel—and as Christian teachers, we need to do the same. Knowing the typical stages children go through will guide you in your selection of materials, and the methods you use. Additionally, you’ll want to learn about your students’ individual interests, abilities, talents, and hobbies—as well as the needs and challenges that are common to their age group.
2. Become familiar with the “language” of your students. How do they talk and relate to each other? One way to do this is to observe the age group you’ll be teaching. Listen to them. Notice the way they communicate both verbally and non verbally. We don’t need to talk down to children, but we do need to communicate the best we can at their level of understanding. We can bring them to greater knowledge of Scripture and the Christian life by building on what they know, and taking them to the next level. The method you choose for each lesson should be a tool that communicates and helps illuminate the truths of Scripture to a child’s mind and heart. This means you will need a variety of methods in your teaching tool box!
3. Choose methods that will capture the interest of your students. In her classic book, Motivation, Madeline Hunter discusses the variables that affect a child’s learning. One of them is a child’s interest. The principle here is, “interest precedes learning”. Very simple, yet we can easily overlook this point. Sometimes our best plans will fail because we have lost the interest of the children. As any children’s teacher can tell you, their attention span is limited—and they will let you know when it’s used up! Some ways to not only capture—but keep their attention are discussed in my article, “How Children Learn Best” on the free download resource page and in my book, First Steps for Effective Teaching, available on this website.
4.Let children participate in some way. Children learn more when their senses are involved and when they have opportunities to participate in the learning process. Storytelling, teaching and worship videos, object lessons, puppets, flash cards, drama and role play, interest centers, and games are all effective teaching tools when used appropriately and can involve children. Remember though, that it’s good to plan for a balance of active learning and listening times—because both are important. Children are participating while they’re listening—if they are thinking, and are motivated and inspired.
5. Above all, seek the Lord’s guidance when planning your lesson and teaching methods. Jesus, the Master Teacher, knows all about children and the best teaching method to use for each occasion. He knows who will be in your class that day and what methods will be most effective in speaking to a child’s heart and mind. I encourage you to consider using a variety of methods and to expand your teaching tool box. All of us have our favorite method, and it may be our most effective method! God has gifted us in different ways. But be open to stretching a little and trying something different. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy it and how the children respond! Jesus described the growing teacher in Matthew 13:52 when he compared them to householders who brought out of their storehouses, “the fresh as well as the familiar” (The Amplified Bible). We want our students to look forward to coming each week…so let’s give them our best. And then trust the Master to do His work in each of their hearts!
God Bless You Today!
Verda Rubottom
