How to Teach Children

• Opening Activity Idea:

  • Create the outline of a “perfect teacher” on a marker board

  • Ask volunteers to describe attributes of a teacher that made a positive impact on them as a child.

  • As they describe each aspect, write these words around the “perfect teacher”

• Preparation for video content or lead your volunteers in reviewing the four-step lesson approach (see handout)

  • Hook: Prepare children to learn from the Bible

  • Book: Teaching the Bible story

  • Look: Dig into scripture

  • Took: Applying scripture to our lives

  • Suggestions:

    • Provide copies of the curricular materials used by your children’s ministry.
    • Assist volunteers in identifying how the materials label each of these four steps.

  • Note: If your children’s ministry uses a large group/small group model, describe which steps you desire to be covered in large group and which should be covered in small group.

• Practice together:

  • Choose a Bible story (example: Jesus calming the storm)

  • Divide into small groups

    • Each group come up with 1-2 ideas for each of the four-step lesson approach

  • Share their ideas with the rest of the group

• Discussion:

  • Which step of the four-step approach comes easily to you?

  • Which step of the four-step approach is a bit more difficult for you?

• Concluding Activity:

  • Share with your volunteers any additional resources you have to assist them in lesson preparation.

  • Identify the various gifts and talents of each volunteer in the room and affirm how God is using them to teach children the Word of God.

(Handout)

• Introduction:

• 4-step pattern: Hook, Book, Look, Took

• HOOK: Prepare children to learn from the Bible

  • Key concepts:

    • Grab their attention

    • Surfaces a need

• BOOK: Teaching the Bible story

  • Key questions:

    • What does this story/text teach us about God?

    • What is the main point of this story?

  • Be sure to emphasize what the story teaches about God!

• LOOK: Dig into the scripture

  • Key questions:

    • What did the scripture mean 2000+ year ago?

    • What does it mean for us today?

• TOOK: Apply scripture in our lives.

  • Key concept:

    • Discover together concrete actions to help us look more like Jesus

Review the curricular materials your children’s ministry uses and identify the elements of Hook, Book, Look, and Took.