How to teach 5 to 6 year old's:
“I am first.” “WHY? HOW? WHERE?” These are just
some of the words, phrases, and questions that come out of a 5- to 6-year-old's
mouth. At this age, they are inquisitive and adventurous; they want to know and
understand things, so they will ask, “WHY? WHERE? HOW?” Just to name a few,
they will ask because they are that age. At this point, it is important for
them to prove themselves to their peers and those around them, so being first
and being on the winning team is a verrrrry very big deal. They are at this
level, learning how to relate to those around them. How do we teach this
inquisitive, adventurous, and zealous age group?
Spiritual messages to teach them:
- Sharing: God's love, toys, etc..
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Learning Objectives:
They must learn to share, and that sharing includes caring, sharing toys with
friends and siblings, and sharing the love of God through their actions.
- Obedience and Disobedience:
Adam and
Eve.
Cain and Able.
Jacob and
Esau.
Joseph
and his brothers.
10
commandments.
(Just to
name a few, there are mannnny more in the Bible.).
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Learning Objectives:
They must learn the difference between being obedient good and being
disobedient bad. They must understand that since they are children of God, they
must seeeeek to be obedient in every way they can, and being good is more
beneficial than being bad.
- Promises of God:
I did the 7 promises of God with my kids in
2021, and they loved it. Each promise can be done for like two weeks, just so
that they understand the concept. We acted most of them out; we had a speaker,
and I found sounds of the animals if the lesson had animals in it. It was an
experience.
I am your
strength – Samson.
I will never
leave you – Daniel in the den of lions.
I hear
your prayers – Hannah, or Abraham and Sarah.
I will
fight for you – Fall of Jericho.
I will
always love you - Prodigal Son.
I will
provide for you – Abraham and Isaac.
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Learning Objectives: Here they will learn that God keeps allll
the promises he makes. They must understand that these promises are for all
God’s children, and God’s children are those who obey him, so their reward is
that they just need to trust in the Lord, and he sorts everything out for us.
Something I need to keep reminding myself of ever so often.
- Jesus
is my friend—the call of the disciples.
Ø
Learning Objectives: This should encourage them to have a close
relationship with Jesus and to follow him as the disciples did.
In the classroom:
Teacher, please, please, please BE ON TIME! Your
learners’ must always find you in the classroom so that you can welcome them
each by name and give them a big bear hug. The classroom must BE CLEAN and
ready, all worksheets, crafts, and stationery must be ready; you can’t start
looking for them just before they are about to colour in or work on a craft.
Any additional materials, like visual aids, must be ready as well. This is just
to make your job easier.
Opening Prayer by You:
I make my kids exercise their smiles because,
when they walk in, some of them are grumpy and some of them are annoyed that
they are in Sunday school. We make funny faces and funny sounds; this gets them
laughing and smiling.
We sing just to get them excited for class.
"Behold, I am standing at the
door." is our
absolute favourite song right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rtv1SXy9c8
“If you are happy, you know it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6LoRZsHMSs
“Stand up and shout it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLuvJCu7WDk
I have pasted all these videos or links so that
you can get the tune of the song.
Lesson time: Jesus is my friend—call of the disciples.
I recently did this lesson with the 3 to
4-year-olds, and they had a field day. I was fortunate enough to have big
basins or tubs at church, so I used only two; one boat was for Peter and
Andrew, and the other was for James and John.
I printed out, cut, and coloured in as many fish
as I could. I tried making a makeshift net, and right after working on it, I
was asked what it was. I easily chucked it and used the red Netlon mesh that
retailers use to pack citrus fruit or vegetables. We normally keep those at
home. I had nets, and I was fortunate again to have flexible plastic straws—you
know, the kind that bend at the top. When you put a string of wool through it,
bend it, and at the front end hook a money pin, it looks like a fishing rod.
I told the story and had visual aids in hand. As
I told the story, I sang “Fishing for Jesus.” Man, were they excited. I then
asked for volunteers; I needed Peter and Andrew in one boat and handed them
their nets, and the same with James and John.
I had a speaker in the back round playing an
aquarium sound, so it sounded like we were on the beach fishing. I scattered
the fish I had coloured in on the floor, and the boys fished. As they fished, I
explained how nets worked, how they fished back in the day, and why they
fished. I wish you could have seen their faces. They sang the song Fishers of
Men throughout the Sunday school session; some played with the nets and fish.
Worksheets & Crafts:
https://za.pinterest.com/pin/413064597066450922/
I have given only one worksheet here, but it is
very important to have at least three worksheets. If you have nothing else to
do with them, they can be coloured in again. Also, if you have those kids who
will colour everything red and say, "Done, teacher," you can give him
or her another to work on.
https://za.pinterest.com/pin/68328119338423907/
If possible, each can make a fishing rod as
explained above and hook it onto the fish.
Songs to
sing:
For this lesson, the only song I sang with them
was “Fishers of Men.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT-fry-aRos
Activities to play:
You can hide a fish—just one. Have each of them
look for it around the class.
Keeping up with this age group can be
challenging; they have a lot of energy stored up in their bones. The idea isn’t
about keeping up; it is about enjoying Sunday school with them, having fun
first, and then they will follow suit. I remember having problems with
discipline with this particular age group. I stumbled upon a puppet, brought it
with me to class, introduced it to the class, and asked that they name him. I
used this puppet when I needed them to settle down; they listened to the puppet
more than me.
Puppets work for all age groups except 11 to 12.
For toddlers, you can get finger puppets. Any ideas or opinions they come up
with for the good of the class, listen and acknowledge if they are great ideas. Instill them. Another thing is, at this age, since they are so inquisitive,
reason with them and communicate with them. Explain why you say “no” and
"yes." Explain and discuss with them. Discussing things gives them a
better way of understanding “why?” and teaches them to reason and communicate
as well. Enjoy teaching you 5 to 6 year old's'.
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