No matter what size your church may be or how many kids visit your Children’s Ministry each week, there are several must-haves for any Sunday school lesson. You want your lesson to be engaging and fun, but you also want it to leave a lasting impact on the kids who hear it.
What makes these lessons so important is that you’re connecting a real God to the hearts of children. Statistics have proven that people who connect with God at a young age have a much greater chance to walk with God for the rest of their lives. It sets a solid foundation. So, if you want to have Sunday school lessons that stick and help with the transformation of the kids in your ministry, consider these 7 must-haves for any Sunday school lesson.
The Number One Must-Have: Prayer
We can’t do anything without prayer! This is a super important lesson for kids to learn early. Always create a prayerful opportunity in each lesson. Prayer is our way to connect and talk with God and it cannot be taught too early.
Important Note: Not only do you want to make sure that your lessons have a prayer moment, but you also want to pray, prepare, and pray some more for each lesson!
Don't Forget a Scripture or a Bible story
A Sunday school lesson is not a good Sunday school lesson without the scripture! Every lesson should include a scripture or Bible story. Without the Bible as the centerpiece, you are just teaching a nice lesson. The Scripture is what makes the lesson go from a teaching opportunity to a transformational opportunity. If the goal of the lesson is to connect kids with a real, living God then you certainly can’t have a lesson without the Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT), “For the word of God is alive and powerful.” When you teach the children the Word of God, it can get into their hearts at a young age and transform their lives. Never underestimate this moment! This is why the Word of God is the #1 must-have for any Sunday School lesson!
Follow Up With Discussion Questions
Having time for discussion (whether it is in a small group or a larger group) is really key to making the message stick. When you take time to discuss the lesson with the kids, you get the opportunity to see how they’re understanding things and answer their questions. Let’s face it, sometimes the Bible leaves us with questions. This is a great opportunity for you, as the teacher, to make the lesson more effective.
Be Sure to Include a Fun Element
Fun, fun, and more fun! Kids love to have fun! They may not always remember every detail of your lesson, but if you make it fun, they won’t forget it. Some fun elements you could consider including are:
- Games: Kids love games. Make it fun. Make it high energy. This is a great time to get them up and moving even to help work out their energy. Kids can’t always sit perfectly still for an entire Sunday School lesson, so now is the best time to get their wiggles out!
- Crafts: Another way to add an element of fun is to do a craft. It can be something that connects back to the lesson or something simple and fun.
- Stories: In your lesson, you can incorporate a funny story to help them remember. It could be a story from when you were a kid or a silly story that fits the message for the day.
- Object Lessons or Props: This is a fun way to make the lesson more memorable. When you use an object lesson, kids may not remember the exact scripture or story, but they may remember this. It could be a science experiment or a prop to help them connect with the story for the day.
Remember: Worship Is a Must-Have, Too!
You’re never too young for worship. You can have a live worship team who play in your service. Additionally, there are many amazing worship videos available on Worship House Kids!
Ultimately, this is a must-have for any Sunday School lesson, because worship is a must-have in our Christian walk.
Give It an Application That Sticks!
You can teach an amazing lesson to your kids, but if you don’t make it sticky and applicable to their lives, it won’t matter. Take time in your Sunday School lesson to have a time of application. This can take place during the lesson by providing helpful examples to compare that day’s lesson to their everyday lives. The most effective method; however, would be small groups or discussion groups. You can split them up into smaller groups to talk about the lesson. You want them to share a way they will apply it to their lives that week. As a bonus, your small group leaders can ask them about it the next week to see how well the lesson stuck!
Last But Not Least: You Must Have a Call to Action
Never teach a lesson without a call to action. You want them to have ONE very specific takeaway, challenge, or task to try throughout their week.
Here are some examples:
- If you’re teaching about sharing Jesus with your friends, the call to action can be to share Jesus with ONE friend this week!
- If you’re teaching about forgiveness, a call to action could be for them to make a list of people they need to forgive.
- For a lesson about love or kindness, challenge them to show kindness to someone new this week. This could be a kid at school who is sitting alone at recess or maybe they need to practice love and kindness towards their sibling.
Whatever you do, always provide a call to action. Always give them something to do when they leave. This helps things stick and makes it much easier for them to learn how to apply the lessons!
BONUS: KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Whatever you do, do not overcomplicate things. Kids don’t need to learn about the theological significance of the blood from a sacrifice in the Old Testament and its connection to the blood of Jesus. Keep things simple. Teach them what they need to know today to grow into the best Christ-followers they can be at their age and life stage.
Give Your Kids the Best Sunday School Lesson Every Week
Sunday School lessons are vital to the church! Sunday School is an opportunity to train, teach, and develop the next generation of Christ-followers. When putting a lesson together, do not get overwhelmed. Using this simple list of must-haves for any Sunday School lesson, you can be sure to have the best lesson for your kids week after week.
If you’re looking for any additional resources, please check out Children’s Ministry Deals. There you will find many ready-made lessons to use in your Sunday School this week.
