Engaging each child in life transforming Bible study is the goal and challenge of every Sunday School teacher. Teachers want children to actively participate and enjoy learning about God and His Word. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to offer appropriate learning choices each week. Here are some reasons why.
- The ability to make right choices is a vital life skill. As children have the opportunity to make choices in Sunday School, this skill is allowed to develop. If the teacher does all the choosing, the children are denied this skill.
- Offering choices increases the child’s interest. He is much more likely to connect with an activity if he is allowed to select it himself. Children learn in different ways. Offering a variety of Bible learning activities from which he can choose enables each child to learn in a way that is meaningful to him.
- Discipline problems will decrease and cooperation will increase. Children are much less likely to become distracted and disruptive when they are actively involved with something they have chosen. The child’s enjoyment of Sunday School will increase.
Children like to make choices. This has not changed over my many years of teaching. One question I like to ask is, “What do you like best about Sunday School?” This conversation usually takes place away from the church as I visit with one or two children. Inevitably, the child thinks for a moment and then answers, “the activities!” We teach the Bible story first, and then the children choose between several Bible learning activities. On the very rare occasions when no choices are offered, the children are quick to voice their desire for something different and the struggle begins.
