Use Your Plans As a Springboard, Part I

Each week you’re given several activities to use in your small group time. You can approach these activities in two ways:

1. as a checklist of things to get done or
2. as a springboard for engaging your kids in the learning process.

Aside from kids feeling loved and cared for, our goals for small group time are to:

• give kids an opportunity to see how amazing God is through the stories and truths in His Word,
• to provide opportunities for kids to discover how those truths apply to their lives in practical ways
• to learn how to talk to their Heavenly Father, and
• to encourage kids to engage in Bible memory activities so God’s Word can seep into the very fiber of their being and have a life-long impact on them

As you read over the plans each week, think about how your kids learn best. What are their likes? What are their dislikes? Which activities will bring the Bible stories and truths come life? Which ones will bore them? Are there ways you can “tweak” the plans to make them more interested and memorable to the kids in your group? Some kids LOVE to draw; other kids really NEED physical activity. Some kids learn by talking; other kids learn by doing.

Don’t approach the plans as if they are a checklist you have to get through. Instead, look at them as a springboard for ways you can engage kids in the Bible story, help kids discover how the bottom line applies to their lives, help kids memorize foundational verses, and teach kids how to talk to God in personal ways. I encourage you to accomplish these goals in ways that are meaningful and memorable to your kids. When you do that, everyone has fun and everyone learns and that’s what we’re striving for.

Thanks for helping kids see God!