8 Ways to Keep Sunday School Amazing

Have you ever watched a group of children discover a treasure trove of activities that both captivate their imaginations and embed lifelong values? That's exactly what a well-prepared Sunday school class can achieve! It's more than creating a program; it's like setting up an elaborate surprise party where every moment brings joy and revelation. Imagine the excitement and engagement when kids dive into a lesson that speaks directly to their hearts while wrapping them in fun, hands-on activities. They leave not just entertained but fundamentally enriched, carrying with them the fresh knowledge and spiritual foundation you’ve helped build—without ever feeling like they were, you know, in school! Sometimes, the regular school environment may not feel very welcoming, and that's where your warmth and dedication make all the difference!

Cultivating a love for the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is essential in shaping children into adults who will positively impact their homes and communities. However, many parents may struggle with teaching their children about God in a passionate and creative way. That’s exactly where YOU step in, ready to inspire and guide these young hearts!

Right? Another question for you, though...

Have you ever found yourself in the position of hastily putting together Sunday school lessons or even a full curriculum? If you're like me, you've probably resorted to grabbing something off the internet because it was convenient. And now, with children eagerly awaiting your teaching, the pressure is on! Perhaps someone handed you a book, crafts, or a curriculum, but it's not exactly straightforward to follow, especially when you're in a time crunch.

We've all struggled with creating Sunday school lessons from scratch at some point. It's all too easy to rely on online resources because they're readily available. Maybe you've been fortunate enough to receive an old manual from a bygone era or some crafts picked up at a local store. Whether it's a book, crafts, or curriculum, trying to pull everything together can be overwhelming, particularly when you're pressed for time. So, what do you do next?

It's easy to feel frantic as you dig through endless online resources, looking for something that fits. That's likely why you're here, right? ;-) The sheer volume of information available today—whether about cooking, biblical facts, or even strange science experiments—can be utterly overwhelming.

After discovering how to effortlessly craft your own curriculum, you'll be eager to adopt this Christ-centered approach (as if there should be any other kind!). This method creates an engaging and positive learning environment that will challenge and excite your children. You'll witness their enthusiasm and eagerness to develop a deeper relationship with the Lord. They might even be inspired to STUDY their Bibles ... perhaps even at HOME! gasp

Imagine this: your hard work pays off as children become better Bible students, eagerly arriving on Sunday with completed 'assignments,' thrilled by their learning journey. You'll be pleasantly surprised by their achievements!

So, don't panic or worry. Remember, no excessive effort is required. The goal of the The Scripture Scout's Sleuth for the Truth Sunday School curriculum is to make YOU feel better equipped to teach with ease and simplicity. It provides an overarching view of how your children's attitudes toward the Lord's church and spiritual matters can genuinely transform.

And it's so much fun! So. Are ya ready? Here we go...

My favourite verse as translated by The Message is now the flagship message of the Supercharged Sunday School connections at The Scripture Scout:

RELY ON THE WORD OF GOD

The Bible is your best resource as a teacher's guide to awesome lessons. You can't go wrong with the Word of God, and it should be at the center of all teaching in schools or churches on Sundays. Commercial materials are excellent for supplementing deep study into scripture but you must never rely too much on them when they're not always trustworthy sources themselves!

The centrepiece of the appeal of the Word of God in the church, in Sunday school, in the HOME, and all Bible studies and discipling must be a clear 'advertisement' of Christ crucified and resurrected -- and as the only Saviour for every generation. The use of human-centered techniques will never produce a genuine transformation of the human heart and, therefore, will never provide real revitalization.

It is important to gather all the materials one can, but never forget that God's Word provides us with everything we need. If you are an avid Bible reader and have memorized many passages, then it will not be difficult for you to teach a lesson from memory without too much preparation - just make sure you are relying on the right thing.

In short, overlook workbooks. and TRUST THE WORD.

INVESTIGATE THE SCRIPTURE

As someone who has been teaching since before they could drive (not a lie), when I enter classrooms as either a student’s teacher or that of parents - one thing remains always true: you want your child to be taught to love Jesus so much that if was up to them, that's all they would do in life!

As a parent and a teacher, when I step into a setting with students, whether that be in a home-school setting, traditional school, or Sunday school setting, I want to see children interested and ENGAGED in their learning. And in any Bible school, the most connected and excited students are the ones whose teachers are manipulating provided materials and investigating the truth in the Bible through the world around them.

Variety is desperately needed and setting your kids' goals based on an in-depth study of the Word will assist you in finding original and creative lessons. May the beauty and grace that you've experienced in Christ inspire and compel you to continue to guide your children toward an investigation of scripture. This is one of the reasons it is so important to get out your scout's magnifying glass and make it a BLAST to search for Jesus ... even in Genesis! That being said ...

YOUR CREATIVITY  IN BIBLE LESSONS IS INSPIRED

The idea of being creative is something that both frightens and excites us. We never know what to expect, but we can't help but want more from life than just living by someone else's rules all the time. God challenges our creativity not only in one way, either; your ideas are better on their own because you have a unique perspective! So when it comes down to having human creativity? What does knowing about Christianity change for how you answer this call?

For example, look at what this awesome nutty dude does with BAND-AIDS!!! Talk about glorifying God with art and imagination!

When you embrace your God-given creativity, you start to see the beauty in creating something uniquely yours. You realize that your contributions matter and have a special place in the world. Whether you're crafting a lesson plan, thinking up lesson-related activities, or painting a mural, infusing your faith into your creative endeavors brings a deeper sense of purpose and joy. It's not just about following guidelines but about allowing the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide your work. Trust in your ability to innovate and make a difference in your own special way, knowing that your creativity can touch hearts and bring glory to God in ways that pre-made plans never could.

OFFER EXCITEMENT & ENTHUSIASM ABOUT LEARNING GOD'S WORD!

If you have kids of your own, you already know that they can 'read' everything, including your attitude and motivation. (That can be creepy, right?) It's good for you that they can keep that in check, huh?

But as a teacher ... well, you know as well as I do that if the teachers are excited, they will lead by example and get their students to be just as engaged. It's important for young people that want a career in education or teaching not only know how to teach but also enjoy what it teaches them! Teachers have an incredible impact on children: if you're enthusiastic about your job then kids can sense this and become more interested themselves.

I don't just want to save you time and make you sound brilliant here. I want to help you make young disciples. Don't forget to craft a discussion-based question. That'll help a LOT! What are some of the best discussions you've ever had? What was your favorite conversation that led to something new and thought provoking? Do that again!

Need help with this? Let me give you this little freebie on generating or inspring questions to help you get started. I hope it also inspires you to craft your own questions!

KEEP A STRONG CONTINUITY OF YOUR BIBLE LESSONS

Set a GOAL that you and your class (or your family!) are all working toward together. Reign your focus on where the kids can see a plan, not only in what you are doing for them but also in God’s Word. You can implement anything you feel necessary to reinforce the teaching.

Time for some Bible sleuthing! Tell the kids they can now impress their friends with all of the knowledge they've learned from Sunday school. Get ready to EXPLORE the Bible in your lessons! You can look below to see an example from a step-by-step standard lesson plan of Sleuth for the Truth which covers 52-weeks in 4 quarters. In Sleuth for the Truth, you get to go on an adventure with your teacher! Together we will search through every page of Scripture and learn how each story points us toward Jesus.

You will have so much fun spending time together exploring a new passage from God's word and then dive deeper into it as part of our prayerful study group discussion.

SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR YOUR BIBLE STUDENTS

Many parents believe that high expectations are not good for children. I disagree with this as it has been proven over the years to be wrong! High expectations challenge our children and brings beautiful results. I firmly believe this as it has been proven over and over again! High expectations, especially when there is a lot of praise in tandem, give our kids an opportunity to experience responsibility and learn how important they really are in God's kingdom.

There are some free printables for you below and these methods cover many ages from Sunday school lessons for preschoolers through middle school. We believe in this do-it-yourself style curriculum, but the methodology is even more important! Does managing all of this sound impossible? Well, I’m not lying, it IS NOT. ;-) But check it out for yourself and decide: Learning Bible Books & Scripture Memory Activities

OFFER REWARDS FOR YOUR CHILD'S PROGRESS

I know there are many opinions on giving prizes, but even in Sunday school, it is true that if our children feel well rewarded, they will work for it! You can also see THIS ARTICLE for much more about implementing Sunday school incentive and prizes and the benefits of rewarding students in Sunday school. A fun points system has always worked well for us!

Through appropriate student rewards, teachers can focus on lesson content and interactive projects to pamper students with learning as opposed to concentrating on just teaching a lesson. They will also really be looking forward to the next one!

ENCOURAGE DAILY CHRISTIAN HABITS 

(amoung students AND teacher/parent, of course!)…

Serving Others: You know well this discipline is so important and it is first of this list for a reason. Train kids to serve others by modelling it yourself. The best way to start showing your young Bible students the blessing of helping others is to participate yourself! Children learn by example, and the most significant way to stimulate their interest is by being committed to some level of community service. (Hint: seeing you enjoy it is an even more prominent example! *wink*)

Daily Bible Reading

You already know the beauty of getting into God's Word, but friendly competition between classes and adults can ignite their time with the Bible. One Christian school chapel in Atlanta involving a Bible verse memorization race was so energizing that students still talk about it today!

Prayer Time to encourage and enhance their relationships with Jesus. In order to maintain a close relationship with Jesus, it is important for young believers to develop good habits like reading the Bible and praying. Foster their faith by encouraging development of healthy Christian behaviours such as prayer and scripture study on a daily basis; this way those kids can be confident that when life throws them curveballs, there will always be someone who understands what's going through our minds at all times: Christ himself!

Note Taking - The importance of note-taking cannot be understated, as it serves many purposes important for today’s youth. First, by paying attention while listening to someone speak - whether through sermon or lecture - students may better absorb information presented; second, written words tend to stick with them longer than spoken ones do (i'm sure you know this one firsthand).

Taking notes during sermons can be the mortar that ties everything they are learning in class together; show them a simple and appropriate way to do it -- make it fun!

Bring their Bibles -- I've always found it very rewarding to students to remember to actually bring a Bible to Sunday school. They love looking at the different passages and studying them in detail, especially when they're written out in their favorite translations. I can't count how many times that a reading has been inspirational for them or comforted them during hard times because they already had the practice!

Develop Strong Memorization: A strong memory work program can help you to strengthen their memory, creativity and self-confidence. There are many different ways of doing this type of work - such as retelling a Bible story they already know from start to finish or memorizing all the judges or prophets - but one tactic that is often overlooked, even by some psychologists, is Linking Memories Together.

This method involves stringing together events after they happen WITH a memory verse so if something new happens later it will be easier to navigate because their memories have been connected before hand and there's less chance of forgetting when the time comes around again! Here are some easy, exciting and fun ones to achieve! They were mentioned in #6, but here they are again: Learning Bible Books, Scripture Memory Activities

Saving money is always another decisive factor and a "soapbox item" for me as every time it has been implemented it cut our curriculum budget in half. If you need this for your children's ministry, I can guarantee your church's bookkeepers and accountants will love that!

Sunday school is NOT "dead" as some experts say. And I believe that we may be giving it new life in our own homes.

NOW if you ever find yourself trying to snap together your own one-off Sunday school curriculum by quickly swiping something off of the world wide web, you will have some tools in your belt with The Scripture Scout's Sleuth for the Truth from our site store or you can find many resources our The Sunday School Store as well..

Soon you will be saying, "Sure, no problem!" when you're back with your church and someone pops that question about whether or not you're teaching Sunday school this week. It will become a no-brainer because there are lessons and activities you can use whenever you need them! It includes varying age ranges and Sunday school discussion topics, not to mention a lot of free printables to enhance the classroom-now-homeschool experience.

I believe these simple ways to 'make Sunday school amazing' work. Even better, I believe this because I have witnessed several generations of young, committed Christians who KNOW what THEY believe and are committed to making the religion they were taught into the “pure, undefiled" stuff of which the Bible speaks.

Employing these eight simple things will be a boon to your Bible school. And if we do them while following the WORD, we prayerfully won’t have to watch our children leave home and leave the church. We WILL see them with their heads-on-straight about the distinctiveness of the church, about what worship is, and any other thing that may confront them, for they will know HOW to study the Word and not just accept what anyone tries to teach them.

You get that, right? I thought so.

Need more? Check out our alphabet post,

26 Ways to Reinvigorate Your Sunday School Class!