Curriculum for children

These curriculum options for children’s ministries can be used in various church settings:  Sunday School, Bible School, Kids Clubs, etc.  When considering a curriculum that is not Anabaptist, use this checklist to help you evaluate it.

     The 2020 curriculum for Vacation Bible School is Great Big Beautiful World, an interactive curriculum where children explore, celebrate and care for God’s good creation! The five Bible stories in this VBS lead children on an awesome adventure through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
Through worship and drama, Bible study, nature-themed art projects and snacks, active games and fun science explorations, children will discover God’s love for all creation.
The starter kit from Shine comes with everything you need to implement an engaging, Bible-based, creation-focused VBS program no matter your setting. Materials have been developed with urban churches in mind.
​     The starter kit includes: Two copies of Director Guide; Worship & Drama guide; guide for active games, Bible activities, art and science activities, and the early childhood leader guides. One copy of Early Childhood (Pre-K) student booklet and Elementary ages (K-5) student booklet, Music and Resource USB Drive, Invitation poster and invitation postcard, decorative posters for each activity area, VBS participation certificate.

     Shine Sunday School curriculum was created by three Anabaptist denominations for children Pre K through grade 8. Find all the information you need to preview or order at shinecurriculum.com.  Watch the Introductory video.
Listen to the Shine podcast.  It is called Give Light, and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.
Here is advice from Shine on nurturing faith in children for both parents and Sunday School teachers.
Find great ideas on Shine’s Pinterest page and keep up with news on the Facebook page.

     Teachers love Wee Wonder!
​Wee Wonder: Sharing God’s Love With Twos, by Chrissie Walls and Lori Steiner Jans introduces your youngest Sunday School children to God through song, action rhymes, Bible stories and responsive play. This age-appropriate curriculum has 12 modules and a total of 52 sessions such as We Come To Church, God Made The World, Jesus Is Born and God Is With Us. The sessions, which can be used interchangeably or consecutively throughout the year, include Bible stories, pictures and take-home activity pages; the curriculum also includes a leader’s guide, music CD, Bible stories, pictures, and take-home activity pages. You can buy extra take-home pages, the complete boxed set, or just the Leader’s Guide.

Detectives 13 is a children’s curriculum for grades 1-5. Based on the song “Detectives of Divinity,” by Bryan Moyer Suderman, the 13 sessions guide children as they investigate Old and New Testament stories, discovering clues of God’s presence in the scriptures and in themselves. Loaded with crafts, games, reproducible pages, artwork, activities, and memory verses, Detectives 13 is perfect for midweek classes, children’s clubs, and other faith formation settings. See the session outline and download for $30 at springsforth.com.

     The Kids Can Club is a series of all-in-one, flexible resources for children’s clubs, midweek, Sunday night, camp or other settings. Each session includes:

• Kids Cluster – a time for gathering, singing, and Bible memory review
• Kids Talk – a Bible story, reflection, and conversation starters
• Kids Create – hands-on crafts and response activities
• Kids Move – games that relate to the theme.

Also included are suggestions for opening and closing time, snacks, and more. It is geared to children in grades one to five, but suitable for a variety of settings and easily adapted to kindergarten or junior youth.  There are ten titles; each title includes ten sessions.

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     Mennonite Mission Network produces packets of stories that help connect our children to children around the world.  The stories and activities in the packets can be used in many settings.  Order mission banks and materials here.

​     Here are the Bible memory verses from the Shine curriculum for Early Childhood through Junior Youth.

My Bible Reading Chart. Designed for early readers, this free download lists 100 favorite Bible verses selected for young children. Fun tips and challenges get kids excited about Bible reading, and a chart provides an easy way to track their Bible reading progress. Purchase one per child ages 6-9.
Dig into the Bible: A Reading Chart. Fun facts and tips guide reading and motivate older kids to learn even more about the Bible while they chart their progress on an easy-to-follow grid. Includes a list of suggested Bible memory passages. Ages 10-13.