Pick and mix
If you want to put your own programme together for an event, or to find a particular activity to supplement other material, there is a range of ready-to-use materials.
Stories
Stories are a very powerful way of teaching primary aged children. They have a strong desire to belong to family and community and experience belonging by knowing the stories. Stories for this age group need to be simply constructed with a beginning, a middle and an end. They need to be told in simple language and concentrate on people, objects and events rather than abstract ideas and concepts.
We recommend:
50 Five Minute Stories, by Lynda Neilands
50 Stories for Special Occasions, by Lynda Neilands
50 Life-Building Stories, by Lynda Neilands
Telling the Bible, by Bob Hartman
35 Stories to Make You Think, by Heather Butler
The Barnabas Childrens' Bible, by Rhona Davies
The Lion Storyteller Bible, by Bob Hartman
Visual aids are important when you are telling stories or talking to this age group. Use a variety of aids including pictures, objects, drama, puppets or crafts.
We recommend:
Object lessons (visually supported talks)
100 Instant Talks for Children, by Sue Relf
Instant Talks for All Ages, by Sue Relf
Illustrated talks
God's Love Storytelling Kit, by Andrew McDonough
Dramas
50 Bible Dramas for Children, by Lynda Neilands
Games
Games can be used to introduce a session, to check for understanding and to generally reinforce learning in an active way. Some games and activities will take place sitting down, whilst other games and activities can be much more active.
At five-years-old children still find it hard to lose and are only just beginning to work with others, so choose games and activities that involve everyone for most of the time, such as hunting objects that tell the story. By seven or eight children will enjoy working as a team, have a desire to win, and have the self-discipline to wait for their turn. Relay race games, team quizzes and charades will be popular.
We recommend:
100 Active Bible Games for Children, by Jenny Brown
100 Children’s Club Activities, by Jan Dyer
The Really Big Book of Bible Games
Art and craft
Craft or art activities can be used in a variety of ways. As children arrive they can join in an art or craft activity that is then used to introduce a session theme. Crafts that either the teacher or the children have made, can be used as interactive visual aids during the story time. Most simply, children can make happy/sad puppets, drawing faces on either side of a paper plate, that enable them to join in telling a story, identifying a character’s changing emotions.
Illustration is another good way to reinforce a story and check that the children have understood it. Always let children illustrate in their own way – the art or craft is part of their learning experience and the finished product is not generally important – and whilst they are working you can take the opportunity to talk to them one-on-one or in small groups. Beyond checking for understanding, crafts can be used to provide the children with ways of taking a lesson home with them – either as an aid to remember the story and retell it to family and friends, or as a reminder of the application.
We recommend:
100 Simple Bible Craft Ideas for Children, by Sue Price
Celebrations Make and Do, by Gillian Chapman
Fun Science, by Becker & Miller
Music and rhyme
Rhyme and rhythms are excellent ways of helping children learn. By the age of five most children will be able to sing reasonably in tune and will be beginning to be able to keep a rhythm going on a percussion instrument. There are lots of CDs and DVDs of children’s songs, some of which are specific to Bible passages or memory verses, and which often come with backing tracks so, if you don’t have musicians in your group, you can still sing along. And if you can’t find something that is already published, write a rhyme or new words to an existing tune yourself.
Children can have fun writing their own poems and even raps, which they may like to perform to each other or even a wider audience. They can also make percussion instruments – the home-made variety will often be quieter than the real thing, which may be seen as an added bonus! Working out a rhythm for a Bible verse can be a different way to help children learn the words.
We recommend:
Books
50 Musical Activities for Children, by Alison Hedger
100 Fun Ways to teach the Bible to Children, by Cathy Kyte
Songbooks
250 Songs for Children’s Praise and Worship
The Humungous Doug Horley Songbook
CDs
Doug Horley's Bumper Whumper Combo, 4 CD box set of Doug Horley songs
Ish-in-a-box, 4 CD box set of Ishmael songs
50 Songs and 50 Backing Tracks, 4 CD compilation of some of the best children's songs
DVDs
Duggie, Doug, Dug's Funky Action Songs vol 5, Doug Horley songs
BibleBop Workshop, CD & DVD from John Hardwick
Worship and prayer
Worship, including prayer, is a fairly abstract concept for children to understand. It encompasses all of the activities covered above, but for other ideas…
We recommend:
Multi-sensory Ideas for Worship, by Irene Smale
100 Worship Activities for children, by Chris Leach
100 Creative Prayer Ideas, by Jan Dyer
The Lord's Prayer Unplugged, by Lucy Moore
Famous Prayers Unpacked, by Brian Sears
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