It's not an easy task to teach kids. Especially today's kids who have an attention span of milliseconds and constantly need to be moving and jumping from one thing to another.
How should you teach?
What elements should you have in your lessons?
How can you keep their attention?
How can you know if you are being effective?
Let's take a look at 10 things you should be doing when teaching kids. Master these 10 things and you will become a teacher who is able to engage kids and get the truth to stick with them.
#1 - Repetition
If you want your teaching to be deposited in kids' brains for the rest of their life, then you need to use repetition. Did you know if a child hears something once a month that they will only retain about 10% of it. But if a child hears something 6 times in a month, their retention will go up to 90%.
Look what God's Word says about this.
Repeat them again and again to your children. Deuteronomy 6:7.Repeat your main point over and over and over.
#2 - Games
Kids love to play games. Use games in your teaching. Play review games. Games are a great thing when it comes to helping kids engage with your lesson.
#3 - Noisy Classroom
A noisy classroom is a good thing. Create activities where kids can talk and interact with the lesson. Don't use the "ssssshhhhhhhh" card. Instead channel the noise into the lesson to get kids involved with what you are teaching.
#4 - Visual Elements
Today's kids hear with their eyes. When you bring visual elements into a lesson it greatly increases kids' engagement. Use videos. Use key verses on a screen. Use object lessons.
#5 - Review
Take some time at the end of your lesson to do a review element. Review games. Review challenges. Review activities. Put it to the test and see how much of your lesson the kids can retain.
#6 - Hands on, Interactive Activities
Hands on activities will cause kids' retention rate to skyrocket. Stop lecturing so much and involve the kids in activities that reinforce the lesson. This can include art work, crafts, building things, music, and more.
#7 - Vary Your Voice
Don't sound like Charlie Brown's teacher when you are teaching. Don't be monotone. Vary the excitement in your voice based on what emotions you are trying to convey. An example would be bringing your voice up when talking about David fighting Goliath and bringing your voice down when quoting a verse.
#8 - Broadway...put them on the stage
Get kids to act out the Bible story you are telling. Here's an example. You're teaching about Moses leading the children of Israel through the Red Sea. You get a big, blue tarp and hold it up like it's the Red Sea. Then have the kids walk through it. Squirt a water mist on them as they are walking through and have water sounds playing.
When kids act out a Bible story they will remember the Bible story.
#9 - Tell stories.
Did you know that Jesus told stories every single time He taught? Look what it says in Matthew 13.
"Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people; he always used stories to teach them. This is as the prophet said: 'I will speak using stories;
I will tell things that have been secret since the world was made.'”
If you want to teach like Jesus, then tell stories like Jesus did.
Stories are a great way to grab kids' attention and draw them into what you are teaching.
#10 - Prayer.
Pray with the kids. Pray for the kids. Pray during your time with them. Remember this...
Nothing of eternal value happens without prayer.
Implement these 10 things into your teaching and you will see God work in kids' lives.
