1) BE ENTHUSIASTIC.
Children are great at reading people. If you are not happy about teaching then they will pick up on that and are less likely to be attentive. If you are bubbly, energetic and appear to really enjoy teaching and really believe in the content of your lesson then children will feed off that.
2) BE PREPARED.
Children are good at knowing if you threw the lesson together at the last minute or if you truly took time to prepare the lesson. If you want to truly be affective, it takes some time and research. Do your homework.
3) ALWAYS INCORPORATE VISUALS.
We all learn differently. Some learn by hearing while others retain information by seeing something. To make sure you are reaching both of these types of learners use a visual to illustrate your message. It could be a picture or an object.
4) PROMOTE ACTION AND MOVEMENT.
Another type of learning is through action. Find a way for children to DO something that pertains to the lesson. Have them act out a part of the lesson or complete a task. When talking about obedience, play “Simon Says”. When demonstrating sin as “missing the mark”, have children throw darts at a bull’s eye.
5) USE ANALOGIES.
Children will be successful at learning a difficult concept if you use an analogy of something they can comprehend. Jesus used analogies in his teachings (types of soil, faith like a mustard seed, fishers of men, kingdom of God is…). Explain to children that the Holy Spirit is like the wind. We can’t see Him but we can see the effects of His movement. Jesus being sacrificed for our sins would be like your sibling taking a punishment for you.
6) GET FEEDBACK FROM CHILDREN.
Give children the opportunity to respond to the lesson. Get their thoughts and feelings about what you have shared. Ask questions like, “How would you feel if…”, “What would you do if…?” Hearing another child explain the concept may be more logical to some children than the way the teacher presented the information.
7) USE VARIETY.
Especially in today’s world of technology where children are bombarded with fast changing, brightly colored images from television and video games, we need to keep the class time moving and alternate activities. Having the children sit and listen to a lecture or an oral presentation for too long is going to bore them. Change things up; talk a little, role play, make a craft, play a game, brainstorm with students, read a book, etc. They can learn during all these activities without having to sit and listen to a lecture-style lesson.
8) PRAISE, REWARD AND COMPLIMENT.
Take this opportunity to encourage children. Not all children are getting much praise and one minor compliment can go a long way. Find ways to compliment their actions, words, or attentiveness. Reward them for a job well done. We often are only attentive to negative behavior. We all love to be praised for what we are doing well.
9) USE OBJECT LESSONS.
Again, children will retain information better if they can visualize something. Object lessons are great tools for teaching concepts to children. There are books and web sites that are specifically tailored to teaching truths to children. When explaining how we are sinners in need of forgiveness and how the death of Jesus is the only way for our sins to be forgiven, illustrate with a perfectly white t-shirt and a stained and dirty one. No matter how many times we wash the shirt, it won’t get clean (sin). When we accept the death of Jesus His blood cleans our shirts (takes away our sin) and makes them white again.
10) APPLICATION, APPLICATION, APPLICATION.
Be sure to find ways for children to apply the lesson to their lives and in their world. How can they use this information in their home, school, sports, or peer groups? Give them suggestions on how to put the lesson into practice. Get feedback from the students on how they think they could apply the content in their world.
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