How to Teach Sunday School to Fourth and Fifth Graders

Teaching Sunday school is a great experience. Patience and creativity are all you really need. Older kids require a more serious lesson than younger kids but still require just as much creativity. This age group enjoys a challenging lesson but easily gets bored if the teacher reads straight from the Bible. Interaction throughout the lesson will keep their attention.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Teaching materials
• Rewards
• Art supplies
• Lesson plan

1. Greet the children as they walk through the door. Talk to the kids while you are waiting for everyone to show up. Ask about what is going on in school and anything else that they are eager to talk about. Be sure to get the quieter kids involved by finding out what kind of interests they have.
2. Open the session with a popular worship song with body motions or a quick game. This will help break the ice and get any extra energy out of their systems. If it's a new group, a name game is a good choice.
3. Read through the Bible lesson. Have the kids take turns reading. Every couple of verses, have the kids explain what the verse is trying to say. Getting the kids involved in the discussion is key in keeping their interest.
4. Retell the lesson in your own words. Try to use humor to make the story more interesting. Discuss with the kids ways they can apply the lesson to their lives.
5. Organize an active game for the kids. Bible tag is a great outdoor activity. Divide the kids into two groups, Egyptians versus Israelites, and let the fun begin! Another great outdoor game is Bible relays. Divide the kids into groups and they will race from one end to the other. When arriving at the opposite end, the kids will need to answer a Bible question to advance and tag their partner.
6. Reward children for attendance, particpation and verse memorization.
7. Ask one of the kids to close the lesson with a prayer. Remind them about any memorization assignment due next time. Challenge them to bring a friend to the next class.

Tips & Warnings

• Provide low-sugar, healthy snacks.
• Never compromise the integrity of the Bible story in an effort to capture their attention. You don't need to change the story, just present it to the kids in a way they will understand and remember.
• Don't be afraid to get the parent if the kid is out of control.