Welcome to Faith Sprouts! I am launching this blog by giving you my lesson plan outline for the next two months. These are the lessons that my team of teachers and I will be teaching in our church. Each week I will post lesson ideas for you to use following this outline. My lessons are geared towards children ages three and four, but they can easily be expanded or simplified to accommodate older or younger children. My postings will also include ideas for parents to use in teaching and reinforcing lessons with your children at home.
Each of the lessons are related to a theme, which in this case is "Following Jesus". From now until Easter we will be following the life of Jesus from the "Cradle to the Cross". You will also notice that there is also a memory verse. We will be repeating the same verse with actions, games, and/or songs throughout the lessons in this theme.
The dates refer to Sunday and Wednesday services. In my class we teach the same lesson in each service for the week. Teachers each present the lesson in their own way with a different craft or coloring activity, but the theme or story is the same. The repetition and review is an essential part of early childhood learning.
The Bible Truth is the main idea that we want the children to know by the end of the service. In teacher talk we call this the "lesson objective". The Bible Story expounds a bit on the parts of the lesson or story that we are teaching. The Bible Study references the passages of scripture where the lesson content is found. I always emphasize that it is important for teachers to actually read these scriptures in preparation for your lesson. Often times we remember a story a certain way, or even see it presented in a Children's Bible or movie a certain way that is not actually accurate according to the Bible. As teachers of God's Word, we must hold our responsibility with high regard, and be sure to "rightly divide the word of truth "(II Timothy 2:15). I also find that inspiration often strikes when I am reading the scriptures, even if I've read them a hundred times before. You won't teach every part of the scriptures that you study , but it's good to have the right context and a deeper understanding.
Comment below to let me know you found this blog! I would love to know who you are and where you are teaching! Stay tuned for ideas about teaching the first lesson on the outline in the next day or so. Here's a tip... you may want to start collecting empty water bottles for a craft suggestion I have for you!
Lesson Plan Theme 1.docx
