The holidays are over and we are into the cold, often humdrum months of winter that keep us indoors and susceptible to cabin fever. Life has slowed down (slightly) so it’s a good time to catch up and get organized. Getting your Sunday School class organized now will make it easier on you when life returns to full speed in the Spring. Not at the top of your list of things to do? Adjust your attitude with a mug of hot cocoa, rockin’ music, or warm fleece throw. See below:
Sit down by the fire with a mug of hot cocoa, pen and paper and reflect….
Evaluate your class needs and your teaching – make a list of the good points and areas that need improvement.
- Arrivals- Do I greet arrivals with a smile? Do I call their parents by name? Am I ready to teach when they arrive?
- Centers- Are my centers well organized and inviting? Do I have an activity to appeal to all learning types? Do the centers reinforce the lesson for Sunday?
- Group Time- Do I use the Bible? Do I know the story? Can I tell it without reading it? Do I use a variety of activities – music, pictures, games?
- Overall- Am I punctual? Am I prepared? Am I prayed up? Am I in control of the classroom? Do I enjoy watching children grow and learn about God?
Bring a snack, wear comfortable clothing and put on some rockin’ contemporary gospel music for the next few suggestions. You may want to invite other teachers to join you.
Reorganize and Replenish
- Reorganize your supply cabinet. Organize so that you know where everything is when you need it.
- Replenish-throw away those dried-up markers and glue sticks. Throw out the play doh that has been manipulated into a beautiful color of murky mud and has absorbed germs for the past 5 months.
- Restock your room with puzzles, manipulatives, games, etc that are new to your class. You may want to swap home living play sets with another teacher of about the same age level.
- Redo your bulletin board or walls with new Bible pictures and photos of your class. Create a student art wall for children to display their own creations from class or home.
Gather up scissors, hole-punch, glue, quart & gallon size ziploc bags, pen, your teacher’s guide and your resource kit. Now plant yourself in bed or a comfy chair with a warm throw and plenty of pillows. Comfy? Turn on the classic movie station as your chill out and prepare…
Prepare for the weeks ahead
- Go through your resource kit and teacher’s guide. What items need to be sorted, precut, hole-punched, etc. (place in Ziploc bags for easy access).
- Scan your teacher’s guide, highlight important points, make lesson outlines, list items that need to be purchased, copied or prepared ahead of time.
- When all finished, take a well-deserved nap.
Do something fun and unexpected to beat the winter blahs – wrap yourself up in tinfoil, paint your face green and make first contact……
Make contact, do something unexpected for your class (You don’t really have to dress up like an alien)
- Mail -When kids receive something in the mail it is always unexpected and certainly brightens a winter day. Whether it is a card, a post card, or something totally unexpected for an absentee class member like a box of crayons labeled attached “Color me missing you in Sunday School”
- Email or text – Send a preschooler a note or card by email.
- Phone – Give a preschooler a call on the phone.
- Visit – Drop off a “Just Because Jesus Loves You” gift sack filled with Hot chocolate mix, cookies and books or puzzles left over from previous lessons or a “Bible and Me” page with a Cherry Berry coupon attached.
- Make a short visit – Play a game, visit their room, read a book together.
(Make sure to contact the parent when calling, emailing or visiting.)
Turn off the electronics and listen to the snow…..
White Out – New year, new snow, fresh time with God.
- Study – List the Bible passages for the next 2 months lessons. Use these for a daily Bible reading. Dig deep and see what God wants to teach you during these quiet winter months.
- Pray – Be specific, visualize and pray for each child in your class. Ask God to show you what their needs are. Pray for their families.
- Worship – Sing songs of praise. Write letters to God. Love on your heavenly Father, repent and let Him wash you white as snow.
