Learning Strategies for Children (Grades 1-6)
Elementary-age children have slightly longer attention spans than younger children do. They are rapidly mastering the abilities of reading and writing; they can work together as a group; they are able to follow and remember the sequence of actions and characters in a story; and they are capable of cause-and-effect reasoning about the consequences of various courses of action. Still, they share many characteristics of younger children.
Children in grades 1 through 6 are capable of learning through listening, reading, observing, interacting, asking questions, experimenting, and any combination of approaches. However, as their verbal skills increase, they gradually become skillful at giving the "right" answers. Effective teaching helps nudge children to seriously consider the claims of Jesus Christ in their lives.
Teaching and Learning Strategies for Children
Using the following grading system, rate your present and planned teaching efforts for children by writing the appropriate letter in front of the numeral for each statement. Write additional ideas in the spaces provided.
E= Excellent
S= Satisfactorily Doing Now
I= Improvement Needed
N= Need to Start
Set Meaningful Learning Objectives
- Our curriculum resources effectively aid teachers in planning and leading clearly focused sessions that help children understand biblical truth and apply it in daily living. The content of the sessions is appropriate for elementary children’s comprehension levels.
- Session objectives are stated so that teachers can evaluate whether or not the children accomplish the desired learning. Thus, objectives describe what children will do or say to demonstrate what they have learned, rather than the objectives describing what teachers win do.
- All components (activities, music, Bible story, memory verse) of each session are planned to contribute to the accomplishment of the learning aim.
Make Effective Use of Time
- Teachers involve children productively as soon as they arrive. For example, provide a choice of two or more active teaming experiences in which children may participate.
- Teachers follow a schedule that provides the security of familiar patterns while allowing flexibility and variety. The sequence of learning experiences builds from areas of children’s interest to exploring, understanding, and applying Bible truth. A sample schedule follows:
- Teachers provide a balanced pattern of teaming experiences: some quiet and some active, some familiar and some new, some done in large groups, some in small groups, and some done individually.
- All groups for elementary-age children follow a similar session plan, providing familiarity for children, allowing teachers in different groups to benefit from sharing common experiences, and aiding leaders in efficiently training and guiding teachers.
Welcome and Introduce Topic Bible Story and Review Application Activities, Worship, and Relationship Building |
10-15 minutes plus presession 15-20 minutes 25-40 minutes |
TOTAL |
60-75 minutes |
Transition to Next Hour |
15 minutes |
Provide Positive Guidance
1. Leaders and teachers of children are carefully chosen through a clearly defined system of screening in which the safety of each child is the first priority.
_Background check: Leaders must request background information and check references on anyone who is allowed to work with children. Questions must be asked and satisfactorily answered about a person’s fitness to be with children
_Personal knowledge: Leaders must personally know anyone who would work with children. Leaders may personally know an individual before his or her service with children, or they may spend time getting to know the individual and observing him or her with children.
_Instruction: The church must provide training for all who interact with children both in effective teaching procedures and in appropriate means of guiding behavior, which includes defining limits on verbal and physical contacts with children.
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2. Leaders and teachers demonstrate qualities of positive Christian living so that they may serve as examples to children of the values the church promotes.
_Church attendance: Consistent participation in the life of the congregation is important both for its contribution to the life of the individual as well as for the opportunities it affords for additional positive contacts with children and parents.
_Personal devotion: A regular pattern of personal prayer and Bible study is a positive indicator of a person who desires to grow.
_Family stability: Persons who work with children should have a daily living environment that provides emotional and spiritual support. Persons who are undergoing stress at home and/or at work may working with children is a positive outlet, but they should be provided with ongoing encouragement and assistance.
_Integrity: The personal and business life of anyone who works with children must be marked by honesty and openness. Children do not need perfect people as their teachers and leaders, but they do need people who will admit their mistakes and learn from them.
_Acceptance of guidance: A person who expects children to follow his or her leadership must be willing to follow the leadership of those the church has appointed as supervisors.
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3. Leaders and teachers should be chosen to reflect the diversity of people involved in the life of the church. Children benefit greatly from interaction with both men and women, older and younger adults, teens, couples and singles, and people from varied ethnic backgrounds.
4. For the protection of both children and workers, at least two responsible persons should be present with any group at all times. Supervisors should be present regularly for observation and support.
5.
Plan Valid Learning Procedures
- Appropriate learning activities for children lend themselves to easy connections to the Bible learning and life application emphasis of the session.
_Art: Children need opportunities for creative art experiences that allow them to express thoughts and feelings about what they are learning. Children’s art often reveals insights and understanding (or misunderstandings) that verbal interaction alone would miss. Because children’s judgment of art often surpasses their ability to produce it, care must be taken not to stress artistic skill.
_Games/puzzles: Games are usually welcomed with enthusiasm and are valuable means of reviewing content, practicing Bible verses, encouraging relationships, and stimulating thought about issues reflected in the game. The use of games must be tempered with awareness that competition in games sometimes undermines the positive values being taught. Keep the emphasis on cooperation, not winning and losing.
_Research: As children’s reading skills advance, they become increasingly capable of using a variety of resources to discover information.
A Bible dictionary, atlas, and concordance are very useful learning tools, so are teaching pictures, cassette tapes, charts, and interviews with knowledgeable people.
_Service projects: Children thrive when given meaningful opportunities to do good for others. Whether fixing a snack for another age group, preparing a mural to display for the rest of the congregation, picking up trash, or making puzzles, children enjoy discovering how blessed it is to give.
_Drama: Children enjoy participating in simple skits, role plays, pantomimes, script reading, and other drama activities. While drama activities may elicit some silliness, they can also be effective means of presenting or reviewing Bible story information or of stimulating thought about how Bible truth applies to life situations.
_Music/rhythm: A wide variety of music and rhythm activities is valuable for building positive feelings, helping children to participate with others, and aiding in learning and remembering key ideas and Bible verses. Grade schoolers are as influenced by music today as teenagers were a generation ago.
_Bible stories/verses: A child’s attitude and understanding is significantly influenced through learning stories and verses dealing with situations similar to those the child has faced.
_Video/puppets/media: While children are attracted to presentations on a TV screen, puppet stage, or some other form of media, teachers must be careful to present to children concepts and examples that support learning goals.
_Relationship building: While alert teachers should use all learning activities to build their own relationships with children and children’s relationships with one another, some activities may be provided that focus specifically on encouraging friendships to grow. Snacks, recognition of birthdays and visitors, and giving of awards can help children enjoy getting to know one another better. At the same time, teachers must be cautious about embarrassing a child who does not want group recognition.
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- Teachers engage children in conversation about the session’s learning objective before, during, and after they participate in an activity.
_Explanations: Teachers consistently state the point of an activity. When introducing children to a learning activity, a teacher might say, "We’re putting the words of this Bible verse together to help us learn two important things God wants us to do."
_Questions: Teachers frequently ask questions planned to stimulate thought about the activity and the intended learning. For example, "If you had been a friend of King Saul, what advice would you have given him?" Or, "Why do you think trusting in the Lord is better than leaning on out own understanding?"
_Songs: Teachers regularly use lesson-related songs to reinforce key ideas the child should remember. Songs are selected because of their value in supporting the lesson focus.
_Bible verse/story: Teachers look for ways to link the children’s activity to the Bible verse or story. For example, "Some of you wrote down some good examples of times when it is hard to do right. Our story today is about a woman who had a very hard thing to do. Let’s find out what made the difference for her in either doing or not doing the right thing."
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- Teachers express content in ways appropriate to the natural thought patterns of children, limiting or avoiding vocabulary and ideas that they might misunderstand.
a. Because children think literally, they need careful explanations of symbolic language. Whenever possible, use concepts that can be communicated simply and concretely.
b. Link new ideas to familiar experiences of the child. Show how the truth being studied connects to the child’s own life and to the experiences of others known to the child.
c. Focus on one major concept at a time, not confusing children by presenting a variety of ideas.
d. Seek to engage each child physically and verbally, allowing the child to provide feedback for ideas that have been presented. Limit one-way presentations, and when used, offer time for children to practice and talk about what they have seen and heard.
e.
- Teachers provide adequate space and equipment to encourage children in active learning.
© 2003 Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, MO. Permission to duplicate for local church use only.
