Sunday School

http://cvconline.org/

Has a great children's ministry. Denise Petek runs it. SHe is the most helpful person around.

I have been a Sunday school teacher for many years for almost every age group and was a secretary in the presidency that ran a program for over 100 children.

For the 3-4 age group, one mother each week is drafted to help with the class, and during the sermon time. We have a rotation schedule and we just go remind the parent. We also have a snack rotation schedule, we give it to the parent and a little written reminder the Sunday before. We have some snacks there as well in case someone forgets, but it helps people become involved and add to the pantry.

That should give you 3 people for 6 kids, you can take turns catching portions of the sermon if you wish every other Sunday.

During the sermon, you can do snacks, coloring books, have some quiet board books, bubbles, then the Sunday School.

Children need structure here, so it's best if you have a system. For example, ours is 2 hours, it goes in this order and the amount of time is based on the activity. but we try and keep everything balanced:

play time and welcoming activity (duck duck goose, ring around the rosy)
then music time (primary songs and some action songs to get wiggles out like wheels on the bus, head shoulders knees and toes..),
then snack time,
then lesson time,
then a small craft
blow bubbles while we wait for parents to pick up children.

For the 20 minutes in actual Sunday School, that is a good time for about a 10 minute lesson and a 10 minute craft that goes with the lesson.

Now, our religious beliefs may be different in some ways, but here is a link to our Sunday School manual for this age group, as well as ideas you can use for crafts/songs/activities, and teaching and caring discipline techniques. You can use some you like if you wish:

(for 18 month to 3)
http://tinyurl.com/28pknxg

(for 3-4)
http://tinyurl.com/25ezxg7

teaching help:
http://lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,5727-1,00.html

There are lots of Bible lessons manuals you can order too for the David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, Noah's Ark... type stories, that Mother's Day out and Bible School programs use, try looking on amazon.com, they should have lots of activies to go with the lesson and color pages and such.

I would suggest googling bible lessons for preschoolers. Most of the lessons will just include a bible lesson and a craft to enforce the lesson. You could probably ask the pastor for an allowance to purchase craft supplies and I say a box of cheerios or goldfish for a snack. Just know that it may take a couple weeks for them to slip into a routine but just be patient and consistant and it will work out.

I just started teached sunday school for 4-5 year olds on a regular basis and so far I love it! The kids are great and I love to see them eager about learning the bible. Good for you and your friend for volunteering for this and I'm sure you will soon start to see the blessings of your service.

Mom, awesome that you are doing this for the chldren. I teach at a Christian preschool as a teacher. Check out the web-site called Danielles Place, it is Christian based and has come great ideas for teaching young children bible stories and has coordinating crafts too. It is wonderful. I think there may be a nominal fee for some of it but it would be worth it for sure. THere is another web-site I think it is DTLK.com that has great bible themed curriculum for young children with song ideas, crafts, color pages. There are some great things on the internet if you just Google " Sunday School " Hope this helps Mom, Good luck with this.

http://www.childrendesiringgod.org/curriculum/
This is the curriculum my church developed and uses. It is very Bible based with a focus on God through all the stories.

I have taught Sunday School for severla years, with various age groups. Since you have them for a short time, I would pick 1 Bible story per month and work with that. Read the story about the theme, for example Noahs Ark. Do a craft 1 week, game 1 week, act out the story another week, and something else hands on for the 4th week. I would do a snack and drink each week, or perhaps have the kids make a snack that goes with the theme for the final week. If there is a 5th week in the month, have the kids stay upstairs for that time, perhaps it could be a family Sunday or whatever your chucrh agrees to. Have the kids help decorate the room or area you have. One thing I have done several years is to get a large roll of butcher paper or newsprint and trace the kids bodies when they lay down on the paper. Over the course of a few weeks, add details to the body, this could be a great beginning theme, God made Us Special. You were given lots of great websites here, www.dltk-kids.com is great for simple crafts on so many themes, the other great theme you could do over the course of a year or even 2 years is vegie tales. Our kids have loved them, there are a ton of movies. Movies could also be used for the occasional Sunday. Good luck, if you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
S.

I teach Sunday School to 6 year olds. My church has a program that is easy for the teachers to follow, but without a curriculum program, I would suggest you invest in some nice big pictures of Bible scenes for the kids to look at. Do you have a piano or a dvd players where you can teach the kids little songs to sing? If it is only 20 minutes long, I would have a predictable routine that is very hands on for the kids, like singing time, story time, coloring time (pictures from the story), and have the kids take turns saying prayers. The 3-4 year olds could start with songs that are fun and involve their bodies, like "I'm a little teapot" and "The Wheels on the Bus" mixed with some kiddie religious songs. For the lessons, playdough or coloring afterwards often works, and giving the kids assignments to pass out the crayons, hold up the pictures, pass out the paper. . .

I taught kindergarten Sunday School. My favorite thing was that we had each kid ask God a question. I collected them and then typed them up and gave them to the parents at the end of the year. Most were how did God invent teeth and dinosaurs but sometimes you got GREAT questions about heaven and forgiveness. We had a priest(not saying mass) on the last day answer some of the questions, that could be answered. I phrased it at the beginning about each time we met writing down a question you would want to ask God when you got to heaven. It got them thinking and talking and the parents loved the list at the end of the year.

I've been teacing a 3 year old MOPPETS class (childcare/preschool program for kids while moms are in MOPS meeting) for a few years. Love it! I love the fact that the lessons are all laid out. We use Toddlerific and Wiggle Worms books. They are lesson plans all laid out with craft, story, lesson, physical activity, etc -- just like school lesson plans are laid out in lesson books. The co-ordinator just makes up the schedule and tells us which ones to do each time (we meet twice a month). I'm sure there are other lesson plan books out there - try a teacher supply store or Christian book store.

Looks as if you have some good advice. I only want to say: GOOD FOR YOU for taking on this job! You'll be a great influence on the lives of many children and their families. Praying for you. :^)

Do you have access to a Christian bookstore? Like Family Bookstores? If not, you can even go online and find stuff. If all you have is 20 minutes I would suggest a book that has both a brief lesson and a corresponding craft. There are tons of those books at the bookstore for all age groups. In fact, I've used one for years (don't have it with me or I would give you the title) that is specifically for 3-6 year olds. It has a story, written in their language to read and then an activity/craft. Good luck. Definitely at that age they are ready for some instruction on their level. And if there is a plan it is much easier to get volunteers.

Ok, first off, get some fun things to do for the kids where they need to sit down.........at least for a bit.......make up nice flash cards for them..........put pictures on them......it can be anything as long as they can understand what it is and you teach them..........give them little presents, or snacks for the correct answers..........like dollar store things........

You have to have a plan before you begin or you will fail.........you can do games too, but make sure they get some exercise as well, just in a good manner.......

For the flash cards, you can make them out of file folders or even card stock, then laminate them or use clear contact paper........

Good Luck and take care.

I would sit in on a few other churches programs to get ideas.

First thing I would do is to get a TODDLERS BIBLE. The stories are short and straight to the point. I used this when I taught preschool (at a Christian school) and use it when teaching the 3's at my church.

There are TONS and TONS of crafts - simple, of course, as well as songs to teach them....."I will make you fishers of men", "Zachaeus", "Oh, be careful little eyes..", "The B-I-B-L-E", and MANY MANY MORE!

You can find coloring books for that age that are Biblical "stories", so they could do coloring pages, too. We do something called HEART TUGS that are take home papers that tell a story, have some interactive "work" and some things to discuss at home.

Let me know if you need any more help or info.