The Weekly Lesson

When it comes time to read the scripture lesson I always do the reading - for several reasons. I really want the kids to be engaged and interested in the story so I'm very animated and read in a strong voice. Sometimes I intentionally read the wrong word just to see if they are listening. They always are! The kids follow along in the Bibles we provide for them. (Nobody brings their own Bible to church anymore!)

Try to bring the stories to life using as many of the 5 senses as possible.

I like to bring crackers and other food that goes along with the Bible story. So lately I've been reading along in the Bible and add a sentence such as "Abraham asked Lot which land he wanted as they sat and ate crackers." Then we pass crackers around. Now the kids are watching and waiting for when the food will come into the story.

Sometimes I will draw names and ask questions after reading the story. Other times I will call up kids to act out the story. I keep a bag of costumes and props handy which they LOVE! Swords and crowns are very popular. The props don't need to be fancy. I collect stuff from the thrift store or just long pieces of fabric.

Quite often we go outside to read and act out the story. We all enjoy getting out of the building but be sure to make this the last thing to do in class because it is almost impossible to get the kids back and quiet again.

Some of the most fun is to conjure up guest actors from the church to burst into the room and add excitement to the story. We've had messengers announce the calamities to Job, Cain and Abel came into the room fighting eachother, the woman who lost a coin came in and asked for our help to find it. One of the best ones was when soldiers came and zip tied all the poor children of Israel in our class and paraded them throughout the church foyer.

When you team up with the Lord to do His work, the Holy Spirit sends you endless ideas.