How to teach youth class?

 

How to teach youth class?

How to teach youth class? At this age, children are at an adolescent stage, a time of risky behaviour. According to the “fuzzy trace theory,” adolescence is a time of risky behaviour simply because the frontal cortex of a child or teenager is not yet mature. As youth teachers or youth ministers, we must consider that this stage, like any other, comes with a series of crises: identity vs. confusion, confusion over who or what one is. How to teach the youth class? How do we guide them through this stage? Bring them to a level of understanding of who God is. And why do they NEED God in every aspect of their lives?

Spiritual messages to teach them:

At this point, as youth ministers or youth teachers, we must understand that they have issues they face on a personal level. Each of them faces different issues and has a different way of understanding facts or information.

 

According to the fuzzy trace theory, an adolescent reasons, judges, and then makes a decision. I believe it works that way with all of us. We must teach them to look to the word of God so that when they reason, they may reason according to the word, judge according to the word, and make decisions that are in alignment with God’s word.

 

In youth class, children are equipped with the knowledge of how to face life in a Godly way and how it is beneficial for them to be in the Lord and live according to God’s word. Introduce them to God and his word, make them understand the importance of God, and make them fall in love with them both. We have 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. Start anywhere; the word is your canvas.

In the classroom:

Of course, if you are a youth teacher, you MUST be on time for class and prepared for the lessons, games, or activities for the day. For this particular age group, you need to have boundaries and rules and ensure that you are disciplined in how you follow your class rules. When you are disciplined, trust me, they will be too. Amanda, what do you mean by boundaries? They must understand that you are here or there for them, but you are not their buddy, and you are not their friend. Never cross that line. Discipline is an issue a lot of them have at this stage; help them maintain it. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.

If you work as a team of teachers, you must discuss and have a set of rules before hand, and a lot of the time, it is better if they or the kids’ come up with class rules and you make sure they are maintained.

Pray, pray, pray, pray for them. Always pray together as a team, ask for strength from God, and ensure you have a co-teacher or co-teachers. Because this group can be a handful, it is wise to have a male and female teacher. A male teacher can relate well to the young boys, and a female teacher can relate well to the young girls. Be open-minded; be ready for any question or concern.

Songs we sing:

“If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands.” Unfortunately, this one does not fly in youth class. This is the time when they get to learn new choruses from your chorus book or new hymns from the hymn book. Ask them what they want to sing and give them a say; this makes them feel heard, understood, and wanted in the classroom environment.

Lesson time:

When teaching this particular group, it is much better if you sit in a circle on the floor or on chairs and maintain eye contact with them. If you stand over them, they’ll definitely feel intimidated by you, just like the younger groups. Sitting in a circle at eye level gives a warm, inviting, comforting feel. I'm sure we all want our youth to feel that way in youth class.

Ask them questions that make them think; ask them questions that ignite their curiosity; ask them questions that ignite discussion, because that is how they learn. Allow them to ask you questions too; you will be surprised at how much you can learn from them. If you do not know the answer to the question, be honest; you do not know the answer. Do research and come back with the answer the following week.

Always have recaps, just to have them remember what they learned about the previous week. If possible, have them read from the text we are learning from; each child can read a verse from the text. This encourages them to bring their bibles to church, and if they do not have any, speak to brethren in the church who can assist with bibles.

Activities or games:

• Musical chairs: an all-time classic. The point of the game is that the kids have a chair to sit on; they’ll go around the chairs as the music plays, and when the music or sound stops, they must be on a chair. The trick is that there is one less chair. Those without a chair are out.
• Tick-tack-toe: We all know how to play this game. The difference here is that each team will use cups, and their cups will be differentiated by colour. Before the player places their cup, they must flip a bottle of water, and at each flip, it must stand straight up. Only then can a player make a move. You must flip before you move.
• Place a cup: Each team will have different coloured cups, e.g., the red team will have red cups and the blue team will have blue cups. A member of each team will be chosen to represent each team. 10 or 20 cups will be stacked for each player, with one white cup at the bottom. The object of the game is for each player to ensure they get the white cup at the top of all the cups. The quickest player wins.
• Bouncing Pongs: Each team must choose at least two players from their team: one to throw balls and one to catch. Both players must stand at least 2 metres apart. The object of the game is to ensure that the player catching ping pong balls catches all the balls their team member throws. The quickest team wins. The contesting teams will play simultaneously.

 

I have been assisting my husband with the youth class for almost two years now. It has been such a delight for us to work with this age group; getting to see and understand the world through their eyes and guide them has been an honour for us. We have been blessed with a good group of kids, and it is our prayer that they may grow to become good grownups in the world and even in the kingdom of God. How do you teach a youth class? It can be daunting and stressful at first, but if we allow God to use us, bearing in mind that all we do is for the glory of God and his kingdom, How do you teach a youth class? Nobody really knows; only God does. Ask him, let your hair down, become a vessel, and have fun, fun, fun, fun. I wish you a fruitful youth class.