Every Sunday parents all over the country walk out of church trying to make sure they didn’t forget their oldest kid’s jacket, the middle kid’s favorite stuffed animal they insisted on bringing (and it just wasn’t worth the fight to say no), and the baby’s pacifier. They spend 5 minutes making sure everyone is actually buckled and in the car, and then start the infamous “where are we going for lunch” conversation. Once that’s finally decided, the question is asked, “what did you learn in Sunday School today?”
However, without a curriculum that bridges the gap from Sunday School to home, parents are often lucky if they find out even what the general story or lesson was that their kids learned at church. Scripture is clear that our relationship with the Lord is not just a Sunday morning occasion, and that it should be talked about in our homes and to our children:
“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” – Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (NIV)
Incorporating your child’s Sunday School lesson at home doesn’t have to take hours of planning or prep work, it can be as simple as dedicating 10 minutes a day to focus on what the Lord is teaching your family.
Here are some of our favorite ways to spend those 10 minutes together:
Re-Read the Scripture Together
The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) which means your child can learn something from the Word just as much as you can.
One great way to read the Scripture together (especially with younger children) is to make it more dynamic by using different voices for different Biblical characters, or incorporating actions that your children can do as the Scripture is read.
You can also read from different versions of the Bible that may speak to different members of your family in different ways.
Watch a Video about the Lesson
It’s no secret that children love videos. Can I get an amen from the parent who fights the daily screen time battle?! Because of this, it’s a great idea to take this love of videos and turn it into a time that your family can focus on the lesson they learned Sunday!
Videos can take a Bible story or lesson and make it real. It turns something that may be a little harder to understand to something relatable. Plus, videos are memorable to children, meaning they will be thinking on the lesson far beyond Sunday morning.
Ask Discussion Questions
Asking questions is a great way to not only make sure children understand what they learn, but to engage with them and make them feel heard, loved, and valued.
Questions about the lesson don’t have to be complicated or in-depth (though they can be depending on the age of your child). Here are a few ideas of questions to ask:
- Ask which character was your child’s favorite and why
- Ask about the theme in age-appropriate ways
- Ask about an action your child can take that would make God happy
- Ask them to tell you the story in their own words
Do an Activity
What better way is there to help children solidify their knowledge of the lesson than to take an action that lives out the teaching? In the words of Mr. Rogers, “play is really the work of childhood.” Because of this, let the children play in ways that bring the lesson to life!
Here are a few ideas of how you can incorporate lesson play at home:
- Download coloring pages of your child’s favorite character or of the story
- Let your children play dress up to act out the story
- Download activity pages that may include things like crossword puzzles, find in the picture images, mazes, word finds, and more!
- Do a craft to create an item from the story
Pray Together
Did you know that it’s never too early to teach your children to pray? Even the simplest prayer from a babbling toddler brings glory to God.
Spend a few minutes reflecting on lesson and then thank the Lord for all He taught you and your family through it. You can also ask Him for opportunities to apply what you’ve learned.
Praying together will help your children learn how to communicate with God about His Word!
Here at Sharefaith Kids, we want to partner with you in ministry to help you take your child’s Sunday School lesson far beyond Sunday. We know that this sounds great in theory, but can be just another thing on your long to-do list, so we’ve worked hard to make it as easy as possible for you by creating online family devotions. Each one of these devotionals incorporates the above elements of taking the lesson home.
Your family matters, and our prayer is that these devotionals help you to grow closer as a family and ultimately, closer to the Lord.
If you want to take your Sunday School lessons a step further, check out our God of Wonders Family Devotional for Kids on YouVersion!