Thank you lifeshapers for your intentionality in teaching the children to know more about Jesus! God bless your hearts of service.
Bible stories can be told using a variety of methods. Your team can be as creative or as simple as your resources will allow. Remain true to the facts found in the Bible but help children connect to its meaning by using illustrations, drama, visual aids, object lesson, voice modulation, and student interaction.
Storytelling Strategies: You may choose to do any of the following:
Story Reading- The Big Group Leader/Small Kids Squad Leader reads the story from a regular-sized or gigantic Bible depending on how big the class is. It would be good to show some colored pictures that would represent the events of the story by showing the illustrations from a book or PowerPoint projected on screen. Instead of pictures, some actors or teachers may be asked to act out the story. There’s no script to memorize.
Shared Reading- The Big Group Leader and Squad Leaders take turns in reading the story from a regular-sized or gigantic Bible depending on how big the class is. It would be good to show some colored pictures that would represent the events of the story by showing the illustrations from a book or PowerPoint projected on screen. Instead of pictures, some actors or teachers may be asked to act out the story. There’s no script to memorize.
Choral Reading- More than one teacher will read the story. There’ll be parts when more than one teacher will read a part/s depending on the planning during practice.
Radio Play- The actors/ teachers will be asked to read a script. The voice projection and sound effects are crucial for this type of storytelling strategy.
Use of Puppets- The actors/ teachers will hide behind a puppet theater as they read and manipulate puppets for the storytelling. It is advised though that another actor/ teacher hold the puppets so the that voice talent can focus on the needed emotions in the script.
Dramatic Play- The actors/ teachers act out the script that they memorized. They spend time practicing on their acting and blocking. Another team takes care of sound, lighting, and costumes.
Interactive Storytelling- This may be applied in any of the storytelling strategies except for #s 4, 5, and 8. You may ask some of the children to take minor roles that wouldn’t require them to memorize lines. The squad leader/ actors will assist the children so they’d know what to do.
Video Showing- The tech team plays a video of the featured story.
(For bigger kids) Tell them about the many versions of the Bible – the NIV, the ESV, the NLT, the KJV, The Message, and more.
Show them the bones. Teaching kids about the basic “bones” of the Bible will help them get around on their own. Show them how the Bible is broken into 2 sections (Old and New Testament) and 66 books. There are 39 books of the Old Testament, and 27 books of the New Testament.
When you ask kids to look up a Bible verse, clearly say the reference and put only the reference (not the verse itself) it up on a projection screen if you have one. If you do not have a projection screen, then write the reference on a board or poster. There are other times to show entire verses on a screen, but if your goal is to help them navigate the Bible, do not put the whole verse on the screen. The reason is obvious. They will figure, “Why do I have to look it up if I can just read it on the screen?” If you just give the reference, they will have to look it up to read it.
Teach them about the Table of Contents. Some kids are Bible whizzes. They can recite the 66 books in order and flip to them like lightning. For the rest of the kids, though, the Table of Contents can be a valuable tool. Point your kids to the Table of Contents and show them how to find a book quickly.
Big Number, Little Number. Explain to the kids that John 3:16 means ....
The Book of John.
Big number 3 (the chapter).
Little number 16 (the verse, which is sometimes a tiny number).
Let them see you do it. Flip through your own Bible as you explain. Make use of references (i.e. the lesson's memory verse). Let the kids see you navigate the Bible as you illustrate each step.
Don’t be a Bible hog. Instead of just reading to the kids, challenge them to look up the verses for themselves. It will take more time for the kids to find it, but it’s worth the investment.
Give space, give hints, give answers. When you give the kids a verse to look up, first give them space to find it on their own. After a moment, give them hints on where to find it. “It’s in the Old Testament. It’s close to the middle of the Bible. Look for the big number 28.” Finally, when enough time has passed, help the kids who are struggling. If there are kids who are new to the Bible or continually struggle, spend some extra time with them afterward.
May make everyone wait for everyone else. That means the kids who find the verse first need to learn a little patience and wait for their friends. In fact, this is a good opportunity for the kids to help one another. The ones who already found their place in the Bible can help the ones who are still searching.
References:
What is the bible? (NXTGEN special lesson)
How to navigate the Bible? (encourage to use a hard-copy, not the an app)
Some Activities :
Sword Drills - the leader will give a bible verse, the kids will race to locate the verse, the first to locate will stand-up and raise his/her bible (like a sword), then read the verse out loud. Repeat.
Books of the Bible songs :
Order! Order! - give 1 card to each kid (written in it is one name of a book in the bible). the kids will arrange themselves according to the sequence of the books of the bible. They may open the bible as they go along. To make the activity more challenging, they may also be set into several groups (i.e. by 4s or 5s).