The following publishers provide a variety of age-appropriate curricula for use in churches:
Hands-On Bible Curriculum®
Hands-On Bible Curriculum uses everyday objects to help teach as Jesus taught. It’s multi-sensory teaching tools and leader resources make preparation easier so teachers can focus on what really matters–the children. It was voted number one in a poll of children’s education directors and Sunday school teachers for being: easiest to use, keeping children’s attention, easiest to recruit, and most age-appropriate. Hands-On Bible Curriculum provides Teacher Guides and Learning Labs® for Toddlers – 2s through Grades 5 – 6 each quarter. They offer a free Hands-On Bible Sampler Kit that includes six lessons (toddlers – 6th grade); fun gizmos; six interactive teaching tools; a CD with eight songs and more. Their goal is to offer easy-to-use, impossible-to-forget lessons that last a lifetime.
FaithWeaver®
Meaningful conversations on the way home from church – and throughout the week — about Bible stories and lessons for life can happen for the whole family through the FaithWeaver curriculum. Through an age-graded format, each family member focuses on the same weekly Bible truth, bringing families together as they talk about their faith. FaithWeaver gives your church families opportunities to talk about, live out, and grow from the same Bible passage they each just experienced in Sunday school. Each lesson includes introductory activities, Bible exploration, and life application. And leaders, pastors, and parents get more ideas to reinforce the week’s Bible Point at FaithWeaver.com. The FREE FaithWeaver Sampler Kit includes samples from all age levels-infant through adult.
Kerygma
Although Kerygma resources are written with adult learners in mind, several of the resources in the Kerygma family have been successfully used with older teens.
Raybun Gap Nacoochee School in northeast Georgia uses “Discovering the Bible” as part of the curriculum. This introductory level full Bible study uses language that is easily understood by older teens and assumes no prior familiarity with Scripture. Suggestions for reflection allow thoughtful processing of the biblical story regardless of age. Discovering the Bible, 30 sessions 60-90 minutes in length. Participant’s Resource Book/ Leader’s Guide
Another Kerygma possibility is “Your Bible: The Study Begins,” an introduction to the Bible that can be easily used with confirmation-aged groups and new members classes. Participants learn how the Bible is organized, how it came to be and how best to do Bible study. Seven sessions, 60 minutes in length. Participant’s Resource Book/ Leader’s Guide
“History of the Bible in English” is a 34-minute audiovisual resource that is recommended for everyone in your church. Discover how the Bible moved from its original languages of Hebrew and Greek into Latin, Anglo Saxon, and Middle English, and finally into today’s contemporary language editions. Learn about the explosion of Bible translations in the time of the Reformation and the impact of new discoveries in the 21st century. Use the enclosed learning activity sheets for a full program. Available in DVD or VHS.
Presbyterian Congregational Ministries Publishing
We Believe Children’s Curriculum
“We Believe: God’s Word for God’s People” is the official curriculum of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is the only one available that can claim to be written by Presbyterians for Presbyterians. This is an important consideration for Presbyterian educators who seek to teach children about their Reformed identity. As they study God’s witness and learn the Bible stories which form the foundation of their faith, students are made aware of important Presbyterian thought also found in such works as, “Belonging to God: A First Catechism, The Book of Order, and the Book of Confessions.” The editors, writers, and designers of “We Believe” use language and images that are gender and culturally inclusive, and provide lessons and activities that encourage learning in different ways. “We Believe” is teacher-friendly with precise lesson plans and directions to make preparation easier.
We Believe Workshop (Children)
“We Believe” Workshop, written by Presbyterians for Presbyterians, is Workshop Rotation Model TM (a trademark of www.rotation.org) curriculum based on the tenets of the Reformed faith. Units include: a Leader-to-Leader section that provides biblical background, theological connections, educational emphases, and ways to welcome all children; and these workshops: Art, Audiovisual, Computer, Drama/ Storytelling, Games and Puzzles, and Music and Worship. A seventh bonus workshop varies in type according to the theme of the unit and the strengths of the writers. Workshop plans begin with a page (or more) of details: Main Idea, Something to Remember, Objectives of the Workshop, Things to Prepare, and a list of things You Will Need organized by the section of the workshop in which they are used. The “We Believe” A, B, C, D, E format provides structure and helps leaders manage the flow of activities to meet workshop objectives.
We Believe Younger Youth
Designed for use with students in grades 5–9, the “We Believe” survey courses are a way to engage youth in a broad study of the Bible and Reformed identity as Presbyterian Christians. Each course contains enough material for a complete church school year with special sessions for Christmas and Easter. The Bible–The Story of God’s Faithfulness: A Survey of the Old Testament, With All Boldness and Freedom: A Survey of the New Testament, and So Great a Cloud of Witnesses: A Survey of Church History consist of a book for the teacher, which is a permanent resource, and separate books for the students to use and keep. I Know My Bible comes with 10 sets of bookmarks that contain a brief synopsis of each of the seven units. Professing Our Faith: A Confirmation Curriculum was introduced in 2005 and offers both eight and thirty-five session Student Notebooks.
We Believe Older Youth
Lesson plans and directions for “We Believe” Older Youth (grades 9–12) are contained in a single teacher’s book, which is produced quarterly and follows the same sequence as “We Believe” elementary curriculum. Each session contains Background for Teachers to help ease lesson preparation and give teachers added insights. Lesson plans provide a bridge between biblical teaching and the world of adolescence in Making Connections. Bible study provides step-by-step instructions and learning activities for leading youth through the story from a Presbyterian-Reformed perspective. The concepts of multiple intelligences and cooperative learning are emphasized, and many sessions include a variety of activity options to allow teachers to tailor the lesson to their group’s specific needs.
