RBP Children’s Ministries

Visual or auditory distractions or teacher mannerisms may distract students from listening. Sometimes you can help students become better listeners simply by making some minor changes in the room environment or in your manner of speaking.
Answer the following questions to see if you are minimizing distractions:

Are my students facing away from the outside or doorway […]

Let’s face it: we can say a great deal without even opening our mouths. Use nonverbal skills to make your stories more interesting. Work on a new skill each week to improve your storytelling.
Whole Body
We’ve all seen stiff speakers and slouching speakers. We need to find a happy medium. Start by placing your feet firmly […]

Fall and football go together! Your juniors will enjoy the fun and food of a football get-together, even if some of them don’t understand the game. The following activities will give them a reason to cheer!
Pick a name
Each junior chooses a football player alias; e.g., Touchdown Tom, Quick-move Aaron, or Catch ‘em Carrie. Write the […]

Accept the child’s feelings. You do not need to cheer him up. Share briefly your own feelings of sadness over a loss you have experienced.
Realize the extent of the child’s pain. Even though the child is young, his feelings are deep. Do not try to gloss over the loss or humor the child into feeling […]

Being an effective discipler takes time and commitment that goes beyond the classroom. One way of doing that is helping your students see that the church and serving in the church should be a central part of their lives. Model service for them and with them as a natural outgrowth of love for Christ.
Therefore, provide […]

Try the activities described below to help students review and remember verses:

Verse Shuffle: Divide each review verse into four parts, and write each part on a 3 x 5 card. You will need one verse for each student participating. Shuffle the cards and deal four cards to each player. At the signal, each player […]

Encourage students to participate in class by:

Arranging the chairs in a circle or around a table. This seating arrangement encourages participation and discussion.
Offering an enjoyable, non-threatening activity for students to do as soon as they enter the classroom.
Planning for students’ participation in making bulletin boards. Enlist students’ help in displaying their learning activities and artwork […]

Stimulate students to expand their thinking by:

Posing questions that have more than one answer; e.g., What might have happened if Jonah had obeyed God right away?
Asking questions that have more than one-word replies; e.g., How did Queen Esther show that she trusted God? rather than, Did Queen Esther trust God?
Prodding students to expand their answers; […]

Pray for the children and parents regularly and by name. You will develop a closeness to them and an awareness of their needs.
Be hospitable. Greet the child and parents by name. When the children leave, give them a cheerful good-bye and tell them, “See you next week!” Thank the parents for bringing their children to […]

In an increasingly visually oriented society, we can help our students understand the Word of God by helping them become better listeners. When they are accountable for what they hear, they will listen more intently.
The following activities will encourage your students to listen closely:

Have students listen to the Bible story then make up newspaper headlines […]