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Sunday School & Bible Skills Goals
2015-2016
Sunday School Goals:
1. Bible Knowledge (Scripture memory, Bible skills, theology, Biblical Story)
2. Spiritual Formation (spiritual disciplines: prayer, stewardship, silence, service; discipleship, sharing testimony and life)
3. Fellowship and support (fostering friendship, accountability and encouragement; helping to children to know and be
known)
**Parents: for a good books of the Bible song, try “Bible Books” by the Bigsby Show on Youtube*
Children in the Preschool (3s and 4s) and the Pre-Kindergarten class will learn that the Bible is the book of the church. They will
be encouraged to touch, hold, care for and “read” it. They will learn “Christ is the light of the world – Jesus is always with us.”
They will experience the stories of the Bible through Godly Play, focusing on 12 key stories throughout the year.
Children in the Kindergarten and First Grade class will learn that there are two parts of the Bible – the Old Testament, which is
the story of the Hebrew people, and the New Testament, which is the story of Jesus and the church. They will experience the
stories of the Bible through Godly Play on a two year curriculum rotation. They will listen, wonder and the respond to the story
each week.
2nd graders will learn the 66 books of the Bible, with emphasis on the Old Testament in the fall and New Testament in the spring.
They will have the opportunity to memorize two Bible verses each semester. Please encourage your child to bring his/her own
Bible to Sunday School. They will also learn and memorize The Lord’s Prayer.
3rd and 4th graders will learn the narrative framework and classifications of literature in the Bible. They will work on finding
verses and passages in the Bible. They are challenged and encouraged to memorize one Bible verse a month from the lessons they
have studied. Please encourage your child to bring his/her own Bible to Sunday School. Students will learn and memorize the
books of the Old and New Testament.
For the main passage in each Sunday’s lesson, students will learn to ask these questions:
What section of the OT or NT is it from? (i.e., law, history, wisdom, prophecy, gospels, letters, etc.)
Where is it in my Bible? What is before and after it?
Is this passage a story? An idea or teaching about God? A prayer? An instruction to follow?
All 2nd through 4th graders will gather together in song and then hear the Biblical Story as told through Godly Play. They will
respond to the story through art, journaling, reading or retelling the story and then they return to the circle for a time of community
we call “the feast” where they share prayer requests and listen to each other. The 2nd through 4th grade class uses a 3 year
curriculum rotation with Godly Play that includes more complex stories from the Bible as well as Christian Saints. Children are
challenged to synthesize the many stories they have learned over the years and see the over-arching theme of a God who never
stops loving God’s people and the gift of Jesus, His Son, The Good Shepherd.
5th and 6th graders will work at developing community and support for each other. Each Sunday they will be given a scripture
reference for the next week’s lesson. They will be encouraged to look it up at home in preparation for the following week. Using
the Feasting on the Word curriculum, each lesson follows the Revised Common Lectionary. This enables families to prepare for
worship together each week and share in conversation after worship each Sunday. Children will take home a verse to commit to
memory during the week. Please encourage your child to bring his/her own Bible to class. In class they will review books of the
Old and New Testament and memorize and study the Apostle’s Creed.
For the main passage in each Sunday’s lesson, students will learn to ask the above questions, plus:
What section of the OT or NT is it from? (i.e., law, history, wisdom, prophecy, gospels, letters, etc.)
Where is it in my Bible? What is before and after it?
Is this passage a story? An idea or teaching about God? A prayer? An instruction to follow?
What is the context of the passage? What familiar story or character is it associated with? Who wrote it (if known)? Where
does it fit in the overall story of Hebrew/Christian history?
Parenting and Spiritual Formation Resources
Families Starting Out:
Good Families Don’t Just Happen, What we learned by raising our 10 sons and how it can
work for you by Catherine Musco Garcia-Prats and Joseph A Garcia-Prats MD
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Using Jewish teaching to raise self-reliant children by
Wendy Mogel, PhD.
To Dance With God, Family ritual and community celebration by Gertrude Mueller Nelson
Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland
When children join you in worship:
*Parenting in the Pew (available in the church office) Guiding your children into the joy of
worship by Robbie Castleman
Spiritual formation of children through the family:
Family The Forming Center, A vision of the role of family in spiritual formation by Marjorie
Thompson
Habits of a Child’s Heart , Raising your kids with the spiritual disciplines by Valerie Hess
and Marti Garlett
*To Dance with God, Family ritual and community celebration by Gertrude Mueller Nelson
*Living in God’s Time, A parent’s guide to nurturing children throughout the Christian year
by Margaret McMillan Persky
*The Christian Family Toolbox, 52 Benedictine activities for the home by David Robinson
*The Busy Family’s Guide to Spirituality, Practical lessons for modern living from the
monastic tradition by David Robinson
Sabbath In the Suburbs, A family’s experiment with holy time by MaryAnn McKibben Dana
Others
*My Monastery is a Minivan, Where the daily is divine and the routine becomes prayer by
Denise Roy
*In the Midst of Chaos, Caring for children as spiritual practice by Bonnie J MillerMcLemore
Family Celebrations, Meeting Christ I your holidays and special occasions by Ann Hibbard
* Email Tiffani if you would like to study one of these books in a book club
(tiffani@ourdayspring.org)*