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Dear Mr. Mark,

             In our preschool Sunday School, we have different centers for the children. Can you use centers for older children? The grades I teach are 1st – 3rd. Do you have any ideas that I can use?

Absolutely!question

Why not use centers with older kids.  Everyone knows preschool classrooms are set up with learning centers that attract different learning styles and provide variety.  We can offer options for older kids that will provide variety and interest too.

I remember back in the olden days when children arrived and had three activities to choose from.  These choices allowed the child to be engaged with something he wanted to do instead of waiting or being stuck with one early arriver activity.

The way we organized the class was to have three tables and a teacher at each table with a prepared activity.  There were choices like games, crafts, and puzzles.  The child enjoyed his choice until time for large group.  I feel like we had a better flow and better participation.  I can’t say that kids arrived earlier since they are at the mercy of their transportation but I can say teachers were more engaged with the kids from the moment they arrived.  These table teachers were also the care group leaders providing outreach and ministry to smaller groups of kids in the class.

What if you only have two teachers?  Can we make it with only two activities?  Two activities are better than only one but consider more choices if it is the beginning of class or after large group time.  Some activities like Bible skill games can be self-guided without a teacher’s assistance.

If you are looking for more ideas or options to use in the classroom, please check our post at Mr. Mark’s Classroom every Monday for three options you can use next Sunday.  There is always a Bible skill game and you can repeat favorite games, so keep these in a tub or container in your room for repeated use.  The important thing to remember for any of your activity choices is to always tie the activity back to the biblical truth we are learning that day.

What ideas would you offer ?

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