Visual aids for Sunday school lessons

Published from the book: “Visual aids for Sunday school lessons” - series “Manuals for Sunday school teachers. Issue 4.”, Kazan, Parish of Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, 2002 (2nd edition, 2006)

The Sunday school teacher has many teaching aids and methods at his disposal to help people learn. They detail the importance of storytelling and facilitating discussions. But the teacher also has other effective teaching techniques. The purpose of this booklet is to review the use of visual aids to teach students of all age groups. Some attention will also be paid to the role of visual aids in the learning process.

We know how important it is to pass on the Word of God to children. But can everyone tell a good story?

Approximately

5% of people have a talent for telling stories;

5% will never achieve this;

90% will learn out of necessity, through practice and enthusiasm.

1. The first category of people are born storytellers. They will be able to interest both young and old with their stories. When you listen to them, events appear right before your eyes. These people have talent and they are responsible for making the best use of it.

2. Another category is people who will never learn to tell. They don't even want to say anything. But doesn't this allow them to work with children? Of course not! Oral presentation is only part of the time spent with children. There are many other tasks: warmly greeting children, memorizing poems, singing, playing instruments, doing various crafts and drawings, etc.

3. Most people, however, can learn to speak interestingly and clearly to an audience. Practical exercises will help them with this. However, remember, this must be approached prayerfully. Visual aids are of great help to such teachers. You should know that children remember only a small part of what they are told about.

20% of what is heard;

50% of what they hear and see;

80% of what they hear is what they see and do.

Therefore, children remember something from a story more if it is accompanied by an illustration. Such visual aids are used not only because they are “beautiful”, but because they are indispensable.

For they are:

1) awaken the interest of children and attract their attention.

At the sound of such a story, the child is enchanted, and the adult “returns from mental wanderings.”

2) help speed up the learning process.

Someone said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

3) attract and maintain children’s attention throughout the lesson.

Today's children are familiar with television and video. As a rule, it is difficult for him to just listen. His attention should be focused on something interesting, visual.

4) emphasize important points of the lesson.

To do this, visual aids are prepared to help explain the central truth: key words and phrases are written out on separate sheets.

5) promote memorization.

A sermon or lesson can be brought to mind by a wonderful illustration. Pictures and objects remain in the mind when abstract expressions go away.

6) bring closer the culture of ancient times, help to better understand the material presented.

Children see clothes, houses from biblical times. They will find out what the tomb looked like, what a vessel with oil is, what the Ark of the Covenant was...

7) help to understand difficult abstract biblical concepts.

8) bring history to life, make learning interesting and enjoyable, and force students to think.

There are a variety of ways to make a lesson visual and interesting. This is the use of picture books, slides and films, geographical maps and flannelographs, holding games and competitions, learning songs and the basics of fine art, working together, and much, much more. All their diversity cannot be described, but still we must remember that all of these are only means, methods, aids. The most important thing is the Gospel Message.

VISUALITY IN BIBLE HISTORY

Visual teaching methods are as old as time. The whole world, as the psalmist says, “preaches the glory of God” (Ps. 18:2), and as St. Apostle Paul: “For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead, have been visible from the creation of the world by looking at what has been made” (Rom. 1:20).

And after the creation of man, we see that God Himself used visualization to clarify truths from the Creator. Thus, at the end of the flood, God showed a rainbow in the sky as a reminder to Noah and subsequent generations of His covenant of peace with them (Gen. 9:13-17).

Patriarch Jacob showed a vision of a ladder to Heaven to show His presence with him in any place, and not just in his father’s house (Gen. 28:10-17). He appeared to Moses and spoke to him from a burning thorn bush (Ex. 3:2-6). God announced His judgment on Babylon with a writing on the wall (Dan. 5:5). And these are just some examples.

A study of the lives of the saints shows that they often used visual teaching methods. The prophet Jeremiah used a clay jar to represent the coming destruction of Jerusalem (Jer. 19:1-12). The prophet Ezekiel built a working model of the city of Jerusalem, depicting its destruction at the hands of the Babylonians (Ezek. 4:1-3). The New Testament prophet Agabus tied himself up to show St. ap. Paul's future imprisonment (Acts 21:10-11).

There are many examples where saints effectively used not only verbal images and parables, but also visual examples. They did not hesitate to use these concepts if it served God's purpose. And we shouldn't, especially when working with children.

Visibility was an important part of the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us briefly recall just a few examples. The Lord chose the lily to illustrate the truth (Matt. 6:28-32). He showed the coin to teach the tempters a lesson (Matthew 22:17-21). With two mites he taught the widow how to sacrifice correctly (Mark 12:41-44). He took a child and taught him true greatness by example (Matthew 18:1-4). To teach humility, the Lord used the example of washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:4-5). If Jesus Christ, the greatest Teacher of all time, used visualization, then, of course, we can use it usefully today.

The teacher has a wide choice in conducting visual lessons specifically designed for specific age groups. For example, visual lessons for preschoolers should primarily appeal to the senses. Students of other ages, in turn, are able to complete written and oral tasks that are inaccessible to children.

PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Visual lessons for preschoolers are usually divided into 6 categories:

Homework

Books and puzzles

Music and singing

Communication with nature

art

Games with constructors and cubes.

Any one of them can contribute to achieving the intended teaching goals.

Homework. Visual lessons in this category can be used during the introductory part of the lesson. They help children understand and apply the Christian concept they are learning to a specific situation. The equipment necessary for this can be purchased or made independently.

Books and puzzles may be useful for telling Bible stories or memorizing Bible concepts. Each Sunday, use only those books and puzzles that contribute to the specific lesson goal.

Music can be included in any part of the lesson. Rhythmic instrumental music and singing are extremely useful in teaching preschoolers. Playing recordings can also be useful. It is not necessary to use only spiritual content. Much can be learned from ordinary children's songs. For example, you can start a conversation from a phrase you hear in a song. Children also love singing, accompanied by demonstrations of movements that illustrate the words of the song. The story is told with musical accompaniment. But next time the children come into action, performing various movements to the music (singing, rain, whittling, etc.).

Communication with nature consists of introducing children to plants and animals, walks in the park, forest or zoo, using books about nature, as well as slides and pictures depicting nature.

Art. These object lessons include brush painting, finger painting, stenciling, play dough and clay, appliqué, coloring and simple crafts.

Games with cubes or construction sets provide opportunities for children to understand and reinforce the biblical concepts they are learning, as do chores. The teacher, coming up with questions and leading entertaining conversations, invites the children to build objects related to biblical stories from cubes, make mosaics or puzzles.

CHILDREN OF JUNIOR CLASSES

Visual lessons for primary school children can be divided into 7 categories:

art

Dramatizations

Oral communication tasks

Games

Music and singing

Research.

Visual activities includes creating drawings, making tables, dioramas, maps, movable crafts, slides, posters and time tables. They can be used to introduce Bible facts or to apply Bible truths learned.

Diorama- a ribbon-shaped painting curved in a semicircle in plan with a foreground subject (structures, real and fake objects). The simplest example of a diorama is a Christmas nativity scene with a hand-drawn background.

Dramatizations allow children to better understand the material and take an active part in current events. These may include imaginary conversations with Bible characters, writing monologues from the perspective of Bible characters, dramatizing stories from Scripture and Tradition, using puppet shows, and role-playing (for older children).

Written communication tasks used to write and communicate information, describe feelings, and express ideas. An example would be an excerpt from the diary of a biblical character, a letter to or from him, newspaper articles reporting events described in the Bible, poems, stories with practical application of biblical truths, and games with words (acrostics, crosswords, etc. .)

Oral communication tasks include a series of questions and answers, dialogues between teacher and student or students among themselves.

Games is an effective way to review or memorize Bible material. Invent them yourself, use cards, crosswords, tasks in which you need to insert missing words, arrange information in a certain order, choose the correct answer, etc. Don't neglect sports games either.

Music Can be used to teach, reinforce, or practice Bible truths. Here, students choose, maybe even compose a song that explains a particular concept or form of its application. A song on the topic being studied can be acted out, depicted, illustrated and then listened to.

Research includes extracurricular activities, searching for answers to questions in the text and writing essays.

TEENAGERS AND ADULTS

Lectures are generally considered a one-way type of communication. However, you can get students involved by providing them with an outline to complete during the lesson, and by using films, interviews, workshops, discussions, etc.

Written communication tasks useful for repetition of material or its practical application. These may include writing letters to or on behalf of a biblical character, writing in a personal reading journal about the impression of a particular truth, promising to put it into practice, creating parables, television scripts, or newspaper articles about events described in the Bible. , presentations, crosswords.

Dramatizations include the production of plays, skits, pantomimes (especially when working with the deaf), as well as role-playing games.

Visual activities involves a pictorial or graphic representation of biblical truths and their practical application. Examples include making cards, moving crafts, posters, emblems or badges.

Musical tasks include selecting theme songs, retelling their content, creating a musical program, singing and composing spiritual cants and psalms.

Research activities consists of writing reviews of books, films and television shows, compiling abstracts, chronologies, organizing pilgrimages and hikes, finding answers to questions about biblical passages.

There is a huge variety of visual aids available. Therefore, a teacher who does not use them has nothing to justify himself. You can use flannel, pictures, white board, black board, object lessons, sticky notes, cards, word strips, projector slides, magnetic board and much, much more. Let's try to consider some of the most famous of them.

FLANELGRAPH

The best teaching aid for Sunday schools are flannelographs. They are used in a variety of ways. There are many flannelographic aids on Bible stories and other topics related to the Bible.

Its device uses a board-stand with a stand-leg, which makes it somewhat inclined. It is better to cover the stand with a soft cloth (flannel or flannel) of blue or light green color. In addition, it is good to have removable pieces of material of different colors; they are used depending on the content of the story. For example, a bluish-gray tone or light green - for action that takes place during the day, summer, spring; blue, pink - for actions taking place in the morning, in winter; dark blue - in the evening, at night. You can also add scraps of flannel to represent the landscape, such as roads, trees, mountains, clouds or waves. And by adding columns, stairs, doors, windows, you get the look of a palace, nativity scene or temple.

The base is usually cut out of fiberboard or cardboard (from packaging of electrical equipment). It doesn't have to be done on a stand. You can make it foldable or simply lean it against the wall. Sometimes they simply cover a chalkboard with flannel, using magnets for metal boards or pins for cork boards.

The shape of the base, depending on the topic, may be different. Thus, there are the shapes of a star (at Christmas), an egg (at Easter), a temple, a heart, etc.

According to the size of the flannelgraph, flat figures are made, the reverse side covered with baize, flannel or velvet paper. Thanks to the coating on the back, the pieces stay on the board and are easy to remove. This helps to act out the flow of the story in front of the children. You can move the figures around the screen, make movements with them, add inscriptions - change the picture, making it dynamic, which cannot be done with a simple book illustration. By attaching words or symbols, it can be used to memorize Bible verses, song lyrics, charts, and more.

Due to the great interest in flannelgraphs, many foreign publishing houses are publishing sets of biblical figures on flannel or velvet paper. Unfortunately, Russian manufacturers have not yet reached this point. We can only find collections with descriptions of lessons.

The most common are flannelographs from the American company "Betty Lukens". They are sold in sets, differing from each other only in size. In the large set - figures up to 30 cm in size, backgrounds in size 80x120 cm, in small - figures up to 16 cm, backgrounds - 40x60 cm. The small set is intended for teaching in groups of less than 12 people.

The sets contain 600 figures depicting biblical characters, as well as various objects (buildings, trees, pyramids, boats and much more), and a set of backgrounds with overlays that allow you to depict the sea, peninsulas, islands, field, desert, cave, dungeon, room, palace, city street or night sky. Using all these figures, you can create over 400 scenes from the Bible.

The kits come with a teacher's guide containing 182 lessons.

Flannelographs from other companies are not widely used in Russia, because do not have such a wide range of components, contain fewer figures and backgrounds and can only be used when reviewing individual topics.

Note:

Many people contact us asking for help in purchasing flannelographs. We would like to inform you that some time ago we purchased several sets of flannelographs from the Betty Lukens company and distributed them in our diocese. But then, due to “headaches” due to customs, we refused these intermediary services and are not doing this now (unfortunately:((((() - Amendment from 09/27/06: Still, we ordered several flannelographs. Those interested can contact by phone. +7-843-269-87-58 (Gordeeva Elena Gennadievna)

As far as we know, flannelographs in Russia can now only be purchased at the OED mission.

Flannelograph book for kids

Creation of the company "Betty Lukens".

Cute books for dads and moms. But they can be used when working in small groups.

Flannelograph with paper figures

We make the background ourselves from cardboard and cover it with flannel. We print the figures on a color printer or draw them ourselves. We glue velvet paper onto the back of the figures.

Album with ready-made figures

OED is distributed, the figures are simply cut out and used for their intended purpose. There is no need to stick velvet paper, because... the album itself is printed on such paper.

BLACKBOARD

The board can be used to write out individual Bible verses, discussion questions, acrostics, and other simple diagrams and drawings. The board can also be useful when memorizing and repeating verses, for example, by writing a verse on the board and repeating it, gradually erasing individual words.

For all their advantages (cheapness, no preliminary preparation of materials, no auxiliary equipment required), blackboards require certain artistic skills from the teacher, and there is also some inconvenience due to the need to constantly erase and write again.

The developers of modern boards have completely abandoned the usual black color, choosing white as the main color. Drawings made on such boards look the same as drawings on regular paper. Moreover, felt-tip pens are used for writing. Some whiteboards have a magnetic surface, which allows you to use pre-prepared materials (illustrations, maps). Boards can vary in size and number of sashes. Hinged doors increase the working surface. Experienced teachers successfully use this property, effectively opening prepared materials at the right time.

The person using the board requires certain artistic abilities, good handwriting, and the ability to beautifully arrange information on the board.

The main difficulty that a whiteboard speaker has to face is losing the audience's attention while writing something on the board. If you turn your back to the children, your attention will be lost.

CHARTS AND TABLES

This method makes it possible, using drawings, lines, rectangles, circles and arrows, to actually depict, for example, the origin, development, consequences, comparison, contrast, etc. Thus, in the form of a diagram, you can depict the history of the Church, visually depict a book of the Bible or its Part.

Schemes and tables must be prepared in advance. They are useful because they provide complete information graphically, after which words are no longer required.

GEOGRAPHIC MAPS

Used when working with older children. With the help of maps, students get an idea of ​​the geographical location of ancient states and can compare it with modern geography. Finding on the map the places where the Lord Jesus Christ visited; tracing the missionary journeys of St. Apostle Paul; searching for places where Old Testament events took place - all this helps children realize that your stories are not fantasy, but real events. Maps can be made on paper or cardboard. When preparing homemade maps, you need to be aware of the dangers of cluttering this visual aid. The fear of missing something important can lead to the fact that due to the abundance of inscriptions, symbols, geographical relief indicators and other side information, you will unwittingly interfere with the easy reading of the map and distract children’s attention. The main disadvantage of maps is that they try to tell everything at once.

Card issued by the Ministry of Education for educational institutions

Excellent for Church history classes, but unfortunately the lands of the Bible and the ancient world are poorly represented.

Ukrainian map

The most successful card, only the essentials and nothing superfluous. But, unfortunately, it is very difficult to get.

Card issued by RBO

At the moment, it is easiest to get it in stores or order online. The most accurate and verified based on images from space, etc. But it has one significant drawback - it is very, very overloaded with unnecessary details, which is why it is very difficult to “read”, especially at a distance.

Pre-revolutionary map

A few years ago it was available in many stores. It's a little more difficult to find now, but still possible. A very good card.

DRAWINGS AND CUT-OUTS AND POSTERS

Cut out the illustrations you want from magazines, calendars, greeting cards, catalogs and other printed publications. It would be a good idea to keep a box or folder for such manuals and use them as needed. Glue them onto cardboard or thick paper. Black and white images will look better with a colored frame.

Add an element of anticipation to all illustrations.

Try to have a clear understanding of the subject you intend to teach. Study the lesson first, and then look for illustrations for it.

Don't take too long to show your illustration.

If you use large paintings or photographs, paste the texts of poems and definitions on the back so as not to forget their content.

Don't use too many illustrations. Two illustrations given to explain one point may interfere with each other.

PICTURE BOOKS

(albums, signal and handout cards, flash cards)

Large books with illustrations and paintings that help reveal the biblical story are used in open spaces when flannelgraphs cannot be used due to strong winds. Gather children around them and tell a story while showing pictures. They can be used to illustrate a story, scene by scene. The image of an object or character will serve as the basis for conversation when consolidating the material.

Bible verses and songs are conveniently placed on the cards. If you reference a Scripture verse on one side of the card, write the beginning of that verse on the other side.

Flash cards

(issued by OED)

Album on topics from the Book of Genesis.

Album based on the Book of the Prophet Daniel.

Keep albums in front of you or to the side so children can see them clearly.

Practice turning pages:

• know when to turn the page;

  turn the page so that children do not see what follows.

Hold the albums so as not to cover important parts of the illustration with your hand.

During the explanation, look not at the drawings in the album, but at the children and address them directly.

ILLUSTRATED SONG COLLECTIONS

Similar collections can be made not only for songs, but also for golden poems.

The children’s attention is directed either to the teacher or to the poster with the words of the song and thereby:

1. The threat of misunderstanding words is eliminated.

2. Illustrations help explain the meaning of words.

3. Illustrations complement the words, for example: a song about creation, illustrated with beautiful pictures of the works of God.

The text is printed directly on paper in the old “old-fashioned” way using a stencil or printed on a regular printer and then pasted on.

In the last picture, the text was printed directly on A3 colored paper (density 160-200), so the appearance was more accurate.

SUBJECT LESSONS

Everyday objects can be used as visual aids in lessons. Spiritual truths can be taught using the attributes and purposes of well-known things. The purpose of these lessons is to explain difficult, abstract Bible concepts.

Example:

Illustrate the topic of enduring temptation using the example of a stick and a nail. Give the child a stick and let him break it. Then submit the nail. It won't be possible to break it. Invite your child to connect the stick and nail together, tying it with thread. Now let him try to break the stick again. This time the wand won't break. Show with this example the importance of our being with Christ for enduring trials - a person (a stick) is easy to break if he is not connected with the Lord through prayer and the Sacraments.

However, remember that the pictures and objects you use do not dominate the Gospel Message and do not distract the children’s attention. Objects can be so interesting in themselves that the main message remains in the shadows. Children will remember everything they saw and heard, but will not understand why it all happened.

-----

A few more examples from the book "Worldly Wisdom: Unforgettable Experiences as an Inheritance for the Future Generation":

The word is not a sparrow...

Action. Invite the children to squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube - all of it, without any residue! To increase the excitement, you can press it, for example, on the table - and smear it, smear it... ;))) Let them try their best and squeeze out every last drop . And after they, therefore, relax a little, offer them, for some gift (naturally!), to put the paste back. Also! - all without a trace!! Let them try ;))

Morality. The situation is exactly the same with our language. Once a word leaves your mouth, there is no way to get it back. We need to be very careful with our words, because we may later greatly regret what we said.

“I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment.”(Matt. 12:36)

Notes 1. If several children are participating, it is better to use multi-colored pastes. 2. To prevent children from giving up because of the complexity of the task, try to use plastic tubes rather than iron ones. 3. If you value the work of your assistants, then we recommend putting a piece of cellophane tablecloth or at least a piece of paper on the table. 🙂

Road to Heaven.

The children are standing in front of the flight of stairs and Jim is on the top landing. They eagerly and eagerly await their father's instructions. “I’ll take you to the ice cream parlor if you can figure out how to get in here.” All four listen with great attention. “But there are a few rules. First, you should not touch the steps. Second, you cannot touch the railing. Let's start! After a few moments of confusion and reflection, the younger one says, “That’s impossible, Dad! How will we get to you without railings and steps? After the confused agreement of two more, Yakov came up with: “Dad, I know! You come down here yourself.” Jim goes down the steps. “Now bend over and I’ll climb on your back. Well, now carry me up.” Happened! Now Jim, using this simple idea as an example, explains that it is impossible to get to God on your own. But when we commit ourselves to Christ, who has accomplished everything for us, we can reach heaven. Unforgettable impression. After riding on daddy's back, the whole gang goes for a double serving with syrup.

Weidman J., Bruner K. Worldly wisdom: Unforgettable impressions as an inheritance for the future generation: Trans. from English - Volgograd: Volgograd Scientific Publishing House, 2004.-107 p.

Let's look at the main ones. The most common applications in Sunday schools are:

1. Slide projectors

2. Projectors for films (overhead projectors)

3. Audio equipment

4. Video equipment

5. Computers.

Audiovisual material presented with the help of this equipment can be divided into two categories: “supporting the narrator” and “independent”.

Material that supports the narrator serves to improve the teacher's perception of information. Whatever aid is used - flannelograph, albums, slide projector and others - the attention, the focus of the audience is always directed to the speaker.

Independent materials can be substituted for the teacher. They include films, videotapes, computer programs and a variety of other media that contain the full scope of the material and its presentation. The teacher does not have to be present during their demonstration. Moreover, some manuals allow children to be not mere observers, but active participants in the process - for example, educational computer programs.

The use of audiovisual equipment has a strong impact on the emotional mood of the class, helping to quickly achieve understanding among listeners.

We are not currently considering the most effective multimedia projectors due to their high cost (from $2000). Let's briefly say that these projectors have the ability to display video and computer images and sound on the screen, which significantly expands their capabilities.

SLIDE PROJECTORS

A filmstrip is a visual aid that combines a large image, a certain dynamism of action, and their sequence, because All frames of the film strip are interconnected by the plot.

Slide (transparency) - a photographic positive image. If in a filmstrip the frames are connected by a storyline, then in a series of slides such a system of arrangement of material may be absent. Therefore, they usually do not use the entire series, but only individual frames.

Unfortunately, now practically no new series of filmstrips are published. This leads to the fact that in the near future we will have to work only with transparencies (slides). The advantage of slides is that you can make them yourself, if you have a simple camera and positive film.

Filmstrips and slides are widely used for retelling. Children retell familiar stories over successive frames. Individual, most interesting frames serve as the basis for the children to compile descriptive stories. In order to consolidate knowledge, drawing is also carried out on topics close to the content of what was viewed.

The pace of the demonstration is determined by the teacher, who, if necessary, can slow down the demonstration of those frames that aroused the greatest interest or turned out to be difficult to perceive and understand.

The show is preceded by a short conversation, preparing children to perceive the content.

If certain comments, sounds and music are recorded on audiotape, the display can make a huge impact.

Modern projectors are easy to use and allow demonstrations to be carried out in a dimly lit room or when one window closest to the screen is darkened. Some models of slide projectors are equipped with a remote control, thanks to which you can freely move around the audience, changing slides without getting close to the device. If your device has a carousel slide magazine, then you can scroll through a certain order of slides several times. Also, if necessary, you can use the “direct slide selection” function, i.e. move from slide to slide at will, for example from the 5th to the 20th, then to the 7th, etc.

The disadvantage of projectors (except carousel ones) is that the teacher is somewhat dependent on the initial sequence of the slides and therefore does not have the opportunity to make significant amendments to the order of presentation of the material and conduct a lively, relaxed conversation. Another big disadvantage is that children sit in the dark all the time and there is no direct contact with them.

OVERHEAD PROJECTORS

Overhead projectors are designed to display images printed on transparent film. An image can be applied to transparent film in several ways: using special color markers, printed on a laser or inkjet printer, or using a photocopier or copier.

Having revealed the topic, invite the children to draw on films the event that most touched them. At the end of the lesson, having collected all the films and arranged them accordingly, arrange a brief review of the material based on the display of their work. You can save the best works and then use them in future work.

This projector is also used for learning new Bible verses and songs.

You can create multi-level transparencies so that you don’t show all the information at once, but add more and more details gradually - overlaying films on top of each other.

Advantages of overhead projectors:

Ease and speed of preparation of materials,

Possibility of using materials in any order,

Ability to show part of the image,

Can also be used in daylight.

Check all equipment and materials in advance (eg markers, pointers...);

If you are explaining material while standing at the screen, do not turn your back to the audience. Try to maintain constant visual contact with the audience;

If you prefer to explain on the projector itself, do not look at the projector or use your finger as a pointer;

Describe the slide before showing it. Explain in a few words the connection with the previous one or ask a rhetorical question that anticipates the next topic;

After showing the slide, pause - give the audience some time to familiarize themselves with the slide (for example, while you walk towards the screen);

Do not re-read the text shown to the audience. Listeners are able to do this on their own;

Don't stand "chained to the projector" - move. To make a point, answer a question, or initiate a conversation, move to the center of the room;

Turn off the projector to get attention when you're not explaining something on a slide;

Mask part of the slide. Usually the audience does not like such actions, because... People are interested in the hidden part. To use this technique effectively, show the entire slide first and then partially cover it.

Use two separate folders for transparencies. One for unshown films, the other for used ones.

AUDIO EQUIPMENT

The use of audio equipment is the most accessible of all technical teaching aids. Music players, radios, tape recorders and CD players have become widespread. The main problem that a teacher faces when working with them is the acquisition not of reproduction means, but of the sound media themselves. It is practically impossible to purchase recordings with children's materials due to the cessation of their production; unfortunately, there are no Orthodox children's radio programs in sufficient quantities; CDs are expensive, so mostly only tape recordings are used.

The teacher must prepare children in advance to perceive the content of the program. The teacher first studies the proposed musical programs and productions and, taking into account the characteristics of the children in his group and their interests, determines which of them can be used. Audio broadcasts require children to have great concentration, attention, and the ability to abstract. Therefore, they should not be organized frequently and for a long time.

You can build your survey using some sound riddles: “What is the name of this ringing? What is it calling for?”, “What kind of chant is this?”, “Which of the biblical heroes could say these words?” etc.

It is not necessary to use only spiritual content. Much can be learned from ordinary children's songs. For example, you can start a conversation from a phrase you hear in a song.

Don't be shy, play out children's songs with your children. Make up gestures to the words of the song and have a little fun.

VIDEO EQUIPMENT

The teacher experiences the greatest difficulty when organizing viewing of video or animated films for young children. We offer recommendations from the textbook “Preschool Pedagogy” (edited by V.I. Loginova):

“The use of an educational screen in educational work with children helps solve two big problems: expanding children’s knowledge and raising an intelligent, cultured viewer capable of deeply perceiving a film. The ability to perceive and understand what is depicted on the screen is formed under the special influence of the teacher.

Thanks to the widespread use of television and the opportunity for children to watch video films, children early develop an attitude towards watching films as entertainment; their cognitive content is not fully perceived and often remains outside their consciousness. At the same time, the high emotionality of children is also important - they are captivated by the brightness and dynamism of phenomena, the external side of the actions and deeds of the heroes. In this regard, there is a need to teach children the ability to perceive the content of filmstrips and videos.

When working with preschoolers, two types of educational films are used: feature films and plot films. The cognitive content of feature films is more easily perceived by children - it is presented more clearly and directly. However, watching them does not arouse keen interest among children. The ideas formed in children as a result of the perception of feature films are dry and not colored by emotions. This type of film is more often used in teaching older preschoolers, when a cognitive task can organize children’s perception of the film. Children watch narrative films with interest, but mastering their cognitive content requires special attention from the teacher.

The general methodology for demonstrating educational films consists of the following stages:

1. Preliminary conversation with children, during which the children’s experience and knowledge about the subject to which the educational film is devoted is revived. As a result of the discussion, they are given a new cognitive task, then they are shown a film.

2. After watching the film, children exchange impressions with peers and the teacher in a conversation. In this conversation, children should not be required to reproduce the content of the film. The teacher only asks questions that allow him to find out how the children have mastered the content of the film, helps them understand the ideas more clearly, and establish connections between them.

3. A few days later, the film is shown again, before which the children’s attention is drawn to those aspects that were not sufficiently perceived or understood.

4. After re-watching, a conversation is held. It includes a retelling of the content, its analysis - highlighting significant facts and connections between them. During the conversation, it is important to preserve and deepen the emotional impression of the film watched, the children’s empathy for the events perceived and their relationship to the characters.

Watching educational films is fully used as a teaching method in older groups."

Unfortunately, we do not have a sufficient supply of bright children's Orthodox television programs, cartoons, and videos. Therefore, in some cases it is necessary to use products from non-church or heterodox manufacturers. You should carefully select the material you use, especially for watching animated films.

COMPUTERS

The development of modern technologies and the general computerization of life are leading us to increasingly use the computer as a teaching tool. Moreover, the capabilities of modern technology make it possible to use the computer not only as a universal means for presenting information in the form of text, static images, music or film. With the use of the computer as a new and dynamically developing teaching tool, the traditional system of forms and methods of teaching is also radically changing.

So, with the help of a computer, you can create a special world for your child, where he can, together with St. the Apostle Paul to travel on his missionary trips, getting acquainted with the appearance of cities and the traditions of the peoples of those times. He will be able to familiarize himself with the structure of the Old Testament temple, watch the rituals of the Old Testament Divine service and then test his knowledge in a fun, playful way. By connecting to the Internet, he will be able to learn about the life of Orthodox Christians in Madagascar or Indonesia, meet and talk (maybe even using an Internet video phone) with Orthodox children from Argentina and understand how small and interconnected our wonderful world is. He will be able to receive the latest information about the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia and our diocese; find and read with pleasure a book that I had been trying in vain to find in church shops for a long time, and much more.

In the system of religious education, a considerable amount of software is created to support the educational process. These are databases, traditional information and reference systems, information repositories of any kind (including graphics and video), computer training programs, etc. But, due to the isolation of parishes, these programs have only local distribution. The call of His Holiness the Patriarch at the Council in 2000 to create a “unified system of intra-church information exchange using modern communication technologies” due to financial and other reasons, unfortunately, remained unheard.

Without special skills and with little money, a teacher today has the opportunity to use a computer in the following way:

Using simple programs, compose test tasks and survey students;

Carry out exhibitions of icons, paintings, photographs of holy places, showing films on the monitor screen;

if you have a printer

Organize the production of newspapers, leaflets and other simple printed products by students;

if it is possible to connect to the Internet

Provide students with the collection of information about news in the religious sphere and in the preparation of reports, essays, etc.;

Organize communication between children and peers from other cities and countries;

Give students the opportunity to try themselves in the educational and missionary field by creating an Internet page, communicating through various mailing lists, forums and chats.

For greater efficiency, the following rules should be observed when preparing manuals.

1. The figures must be clearly visible. They serve to clarify difficult concepts and words, not create more questions for the child.

2. Make sure the words are written in large letters and are easy to read.

3. Don't split words into parts.

4. Do not combine words and illustrations. Leave at least one letter of space between words. The arrangement of letters should be symmetrical.

5. Draw a frame around the lyrics and poems. The frame should be a color that harmonizes or contrasts with the background of the visual aid.

6. If you use illustrations from magazines and calendars, decorate them, leaving a border on the sides.

7. If you make a mistake, such as missing or misspelling a word, don't despair! Color the word in a color that contrasts or harmonizes with the background of the manual. If you missed a word, rewrite the entire line. Write in such a way as to fit all the words. Jagged edges or a contrasting color can make a correction a deliberate way to emphasize a word or phrase. But this doesn't always work! It's better to redo everything.

8. Make manuals that are easy to use.

9. If possible, cover the made aid with a special film so that it lasts longer. If it gets dirty, you can wash it with soap and water.

10. Put all your effort into producing manuals. The visual aids you create should look aesthetically pleasing. Let this be the simplest manual, but it must be neat, beautiful, without blots.

WARNINGS

Regardless of what we use, we should remember that all this is just a guide, an illustration that does not serve to entertain children, but to strengthen their faith. The best teaching aids will be ineffective if the Bible conversation is poorly prepared.

Visual aids are an aid to learning. Do not rely only on them, do not make the learning process dependent on them. We can only rely on the Word of God, the Teaching of the Church, through which the Holy Spirit influences a person and works in his soul. If we take as an example the Lord’s comparison of the Word of God with a seed (Luke 8:11) and develop this theme somewhat, then the manuals can be compared to the tools with which sowing and harvesting are done. The farmer uses many different methods to sow the seed into the ground, but he also knows that life is only in the seed, and not in the tractor or combine. Let's remember - we teach children the basics of the Kingdom of God. We have very little time for this. Let's use it correctly.

Do not overload the learning process with visual aids. Plan your use so as not to be influenced by them.

When choosing visual aids, consider their teaching value. Every time, ask yourself the question: what educational value does this manual have? Will it help you achieve your goal or will it just serve as entertainment?

Use them wisely. Don't miss the opportunity to practice before the lesson starts so you don't get confused later.

A teacher who wants to use visual aids in his lessons must answer the following questions:

1. How accurately does this manual reflect this or that idea?

2. Does it help to better reveal the topic being studied?

3. Is it appropriate for the age, mental development and level of knowledge of the students?

4. What condition is it in?

5. Does this visual encourage thought?

6. Is it worth the time and effort?

So remember:

Poor manuals can distract from explanation;

The inept use of good manuals will also not help;

Benefits should complement, and not dominate, the main material;

The manual should be prepared in accordance with the topic of the lesson;

Manuals should not replace an interesting, meaningful story that reveals the topic of the lesson.

THINK!

Using manuals is not a clever trick, but a proven way to make teaching more effective. Therefore, all the effort and expense spent on it is worth it!

There are three types of memory: auditory, visual and motor. At school, the first type always developed the most. Perception passes into a more definite and solid concept if it is produced through the greatest number of sensations, i.e. using all three types of assimilation. On this right basis, modern schools strive to use the greatest number of visual aids in the teaching of all subjects of the curriculum.

Sacred History does not have a large number of visual aids, and therefore it is necessary to use what is available as fully as possible. The first aid in teaching history in general is a geographical map. Its meaning and use are described on page 1 of this methodology. When using a map, of course, first of all, it is necessary to indicate the location of Mesopotamia, Arabia, Egypt and Palestine, i.e. places mentioned in Sacred History, using a map of the hemispheres, and then, when taking the course, always have a map of Palestine at hand. Let each event associated with a famous place be marked by students on the map so that the story is remembered by them not only through auditory sensations, but also through visual memory. If an event is consistently confined to areas located next to each other, then auditory and visual memory will come to the aid of motor memory. The map will then serve to substantiate Sacred History as reliable knowledge, resting not only on a sense of faith, but also subject to confirmation by reason, and the same map will enable students to better assimilate the information conveyed to them.

A geographic map gives some idea of ​​where a known event took place by comparing the relationships between individual locations. This information is supplemented by answering the question of how the event occurred through a sacred historical picture. All children love to look at pictures, and therefore a sacred historical story, supplemented by a picture, acquires special interest in the eyes of students and through this contributes to the success of classes.

A picture can be used in lessons in two ways: it can either be taken as the starting point from which the story is told, or it can complement and remind it. So, for example, the parable of the publican and the Pharisee is told in the first way: the teacher of the law shows a picture and asks the students: “What do you see here?” The students answer: “Two people.” Law. Where are they located? Scientist In the church. Zach. What do they do in the church? Scientist They pray to God. Zach. How they stand: side by side or otherwise. Scientist One is ahead, the other is behind. Zach. How does the first one hold his head? How's the second one? Etc.

Based on this analysis of the picture, the teacher leads the story. Two people came to church to pray to God. One man was proud and was called a Pharisee. The Pharisee considered himself righteous, stood in front and began to boast before God: thank you, God, that I am not like other people... etc. It is not difficult to notice that with this method of telling the story, the picture has a very significant meaning. The richer it is in details, the more complete the story can be; the closer it is to the truth, the more accurate the story is. The advantage of this method is that children first see the picture, strive to interpret it and listen to the story with great attention, participating in the acquisition of new information through the transition from the known to the unknown. But these advantages of the method of preliminary analysis of sacred historical paintings are diminished by the shortcomings that are hidden under the apparent advantages.

We must not lose sight of the fact that the main source of Sacred History is the Word of God, and not the artist’s imagination. When telling a story through looking at a painting, you have to accept the artist’s interpretation of biblical events and obey this interpretation. The picture may contain either a lot of details that can distract attention from the main, essential thing, or such images that can only be called plausible, but not genuine. From the point of view of art, they are correct, but cannot be brought to the attention of students as indisputable. And children accept everything as truth, not only from the ideological side, but in its entirety. Not to mention the fact that most of the drawings are composed by draftsmen and not artists, one can notice that the artist also brings his own creativity into the biblical picture, and one cannot always agree with the details of sacred images. For everyone, the difference between paintings from the life of the Savior is clear - for example, Polenov and Nesterov, Vasnetsov and Hoffman. This difference is not at all surprising to a developed person, but in children it causes bewilderment. Due to the simple-minded trustfulness of children in everything they see and hear, it is more convenient to use a picture after a story as its greatest illumination. Having listened to the story in advance, children pay attention to the main thing when looking at the picture and are not entertained by the details, neither in an educational sense. When showing a picture after a story, students themselves mostly find the participants in the event and guess their actions. The teacher can only direct the students’ attention to the main thing and thereby help strengthen the course of events in the children’s memory. Based on the picture, students can repeat the story they heard from the teacher, and the picture can serve as a good auxiliary tool for them.

Pictures of Sacred History can be either on the wall, large in size, or printed in textbooks. The wall paintings of the Sacred History are far from being rich in choice in Russian editions and are not distinguished by the elegance of the design, except for a few paintings entitled: Views of Palestine, the Holy Land and heliogravures of spiritual content published by the company Grosman and Knebel. The publications mentioned are more likely to belong to the field of biblical geography and, moreover, are expensive in price. Of course, they can be useful for schools, but primary schools do not yet have the opportunity to acquire much that is good and useful in the field of visual aids. Not only primary schools, but also secondary educational institutions are still content with Sidorsky’s paintings: 50 cards. - 7 rubles, 20 cards. - 3 rubles, Sytin - Album of 12 holidays - 2 rubles, Anserova - Explanation of worship and Fen: an abbreviated collection of 17 paintings - 2 rubles. 50 kopecks and a complete one - of 35 paintings for 4 rubles. All these pictures can only be called more or less satisfactory, but far from ideal. Foreign paintings do not always correspond to the spirit of Orthodoxy and are not affordable. Checking out foreign publications is fraught with great risk, since there are bad publications everywhere, and among foreign films there are such bad ones that they are completely unsuitable for school.

Another means for understanding stories with pictures are images in the text of the textbook itself. With modern methods of reproducing paintings, beautiful drawings in the form of copies from those works of art that have become common property can be printed in the text of a book. Textbooks of Sacred History with pictures appeared in the seventies of the last century, but they were not recommended for use as textbooks and were pushed aside by books without pictures, written in such a way that children do not understand them at all and consider the “law” not to be God’s mercy, but God’s punishment to people. One might think that the Russian school tried to make the study of Sacred History the most dry, sophisticated, lifeless and boring subject. And it should be noted that this goal was achieved brilliantly. Many teachers asked the question: “Why do students read and re-read a reading book and discover a complete reluctance, without coercion, to read the Sacred History,” although it, according to the same teachers, “is the history of the childhood of mankind, is akin to the spirit of children and, in a word, Quite childish science." The solution to this question is simple and requires awareness of their spiritual poverty from those leaders, some only want to teach, but do not want to learn. The reading book is written in a language that children can understand and has pictures. Do the same with the Sacred History textbook, and it will be the children's favorite book. We have verified the latter in practice in different families. The children were given books with good pictures, and the Sacred History was read more than other stories.

Visualization in learning is very important, but we are not yet able to grasp this. Fans of the old school are convinced, like the friends of Job, that they only think about everything correctly and that wisdom itself will die with them. The best way to awaken deep interest in the study of Sacred History and to more fully assimilate it would be for students to draw biblical events themselves. But for now, the latter circumstance does not make it impossible to sometimes resort to at least schematic outlines of some objects. So, for example, it is very useful to depict the plan of the tabernacle, the position of Moses and the people during the Sinai legislation, the disposition of the Jewish and Philistine armies before the victory of David over Goliath, the path of the Jews from Egypt to Canaan, the path of Abraham, the path of the Savior from Galilee to Jerusalem, etc. All such drawings do not require any drawing ability, and yet the image of various objects and moments before the eyes of students contributes to the clarity of ideas about these objects in their minds and strengthens these ideas in memory. The same goal is promoted, through influencing the imagination, by reading good poems on biblical themes. In Russian literature there are many such poetic works of different writers, collected in collections. Reading poems, like showing pictures, arouses the attention of students, and they take closer to heart what was first conveyed to them in the form of a story. This phenomenon depends on the form of presentation in the form of measured speech and the best expressions. Poems can be read both in class and at Sunday readings organized in every good school, Christmas trees, literary mornings and other extracurricular school activities that serve as an aid to teaching and educational work.

These same poems, for variety, can also be sung to tunes known to children, which are not difficult to choose, since school singing is gradually beginning to become part of the curriculum and, thanks to various collections of school singing, children become familiar with many melodies. Not only modern poems, but also biblical ones can be sung about some events of biblical history, i.e. psalms and songs from the books of Holy Scripture. In the lesson of the Law of God it is useful to combine all the best from both times and the present.

Of course, it is possible to teach Sacred History without visual aids and without any rules at all, but the cost of such teaching is negligible. Exceptional, outstanding natures can independently reach the point of actively imitating the biblical righteous, but the majority of people with whom the teacher of the law deals are not exceptional, but ordinary. Skill and observance of known rules are necessary in every activity, and there is no reason to exclude the teaching of Sacred History from the general norm.

Long-term experience of teaching the Law of God without methods and without rules gave very sad results: the young men and children who rose up became, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, princes of the people, and scolders got the better of him. The power of spiritual shepherds was shaken by the onslaught of children, because it had no inner strength. The teachers of the law spoke a language that the students did not understand. One old village mullah expressed himself about the tasks of religious teaching this way: “You scribble the law, just so that the people don’t understand too much, otherwise we, the mullahs, will end up in trouble.” The mullah saw trouble on the one hand, on the part of the difficulty of fulfilling the entire religious teaching before the eyes of the parish, but from such teaching a great misfortune threatens, and what kind of trouble is clear to everyone.

In schools of all types, natural science wins first place among teaching subjects. Thanks to its clarity, clarity and entertainment, it attracts children; If, moreover, a natural history teacher ends up with a person with an anti-Christian mood, but who loves his subject and therefore gains the sympathy of children, then the Law of God will certainly exist in the school only in name. The teacher of the law will conduct his lessons, will regularly receive his reward, the students will answer the lessons, but with any doubt they will go to the teacher, because he will explain everything simply, clearly and with love. A good shepherd will sense the alienation of children from him, but will attract them only if the Word of God is taught to them simply, not in the lofty Lomonosov style, without anointing it with false “anointing” or unctuousness, but as the Savior taught. The rabbis had everything in their schools: high style, reverent pronunciation of the names of God, and literary-sacred style, and Christ spoke in a common dialect, as can be seen from some expressions preserved in the Gospel. So, should Orthodox teachers of the law also imitate the enemies of Christ, and not Christ?

However, the Lord does not lead anyone to Him against his will. “The dead will always bury their dead, and the blind leaders will destroy in the pits and those led by them. But the dead will remain dead, and life will spring forth in the living.”

The diagram below is not a program for teaching the Law of God. This is rather an attempt to think through the content of classes according to the Law of God with children at various stages of their mental and spiritual development. It seems to me that the use of material that has always constituted the main content of Orthodox religious education - narratives from the Old and New Testaments, explanations of worship, doctrine, Church history, lives of saints - should not be used in a historical or logical division of the material covered, but in this order and in such a methodological presentation that this material is spiritual food at different stages of the child’s spiritual, spiritual and mental development.

To determine the stages of a child’s mental and spiritual development, I used the book “Readiness for Religion” by the English educational psychologist Ronald Goldman. Goldman links these stages to ten major "themes" in children's experiences and thinking:

1) family;

2) idea of ​​one’s personality;

3) attitude towards the environment;

4) the concept of the Church;

5) concept of the surrounding world;

6) the concept of God;

7) prayer;

8) understanding of symbolism:

9) moral concepts;

10) historical consciousness.

Briefly outlining Goldman’s formulations and how children perceive the listed topics at different stages of their development, I simultaneously tried to select Christian spiritual, moral and pedagogical material that corresponds to this scheme. There is nothing new in the material I have selected. These are the same stories from the Holy Scriptures, explanations of worship and doctrine that were part of the program of teaching the Law of God. I only tried to outline how and when children should be introduced to this material so that it would be useful for their spiritual development.

YOUNG CHILDREN (5, 6 AND 7 YEARS OLD)

1. Family. The family plays a central role in the child's mind, although life experiences begin to expand when attending preschool classes. Infant confidence in the “omnipotence” of parents, in the fact that “mom and dad can do anything,” gradually decreases. Children relate to stories from the Holy Scriptures about the meaning of family. For example, in the story of Noah, children should pay attention not to the world catastrophe - punishment for sins - but to how God saved the only family that remained “good” and preserved one family from each type of animal. The story of the rescue of baby Moses. From the New Testament - the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation, the Birth of John the Baptist, the Nativity of the Mother of God, the Entry into the Temple.

Children are very self-centered and have little ability to understand another's point of view. They understand the specific causal relationship in the story, but their understanding is limited by historical and geographical concepts that are not yet accessible to them. Focus is limited to a few minutes. Great need to move and inability to be still. Very good memory - even incomprehensible short words are remembered, especially those related to movement and melody. Simple stories that evoke feelings of pity, sympathy and kindness towards other people and animals are very useful for the mental development of children. For example, from the Old Testament there are stories about how Abraham helped his nephew Lot, about how Balaam learned the truth from his donkey. From the New Testament - a story about a boy who brought Christ his fish and bread to feed the crowd, or about the Good Samaritan.

In addition to his family, the child comes into contact with the world of preschool classes and the first grade of school. Children begin to grasp the concept of “common” labor. A friendly atmosphere of joint play and work during the lessons of the Law of God is just as necessary for the spiritual development of children as what is being told at this time. Children can relate well to Old and New Testament stories of cooperative efforts. For example, about the construction of the tabernacle, and from the New Testament - about the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem and the role of children in this event, about the Last Supper as the establishment of the Sacrament of Communion, that is, the closest communication of Christ with his disciples.

4. The concept of the Church . This concept is limited solely to the experience in the temple building. It is important for children to get acquainted with the temple and church utensils, as well as all the objects located in the temple, with the vestments of the clergy, and become acquainted mainly with the help of all their five senses. This “sensory” perception of the temple is completely legitimate and will not be forgotten in subsequent stages of development.

In children's ideas about the world, the areas of fantasy and reality are not differentiated. The objects around them are often endowed with human properties. Children often ask questions about the world around them and are not satisfied with the simplest answers. They willingly accept that the world around them was created by God if adults tell them so. It is useful to cultivate in them the ability to feel the beauty and wisdom of the world around them, to introduce them to the life of nature. The Old Testament story of the creation of the world should be conveyed to children in such a form that they feel how God invested in the world He created and in man the opportunity to grow and develop.

The concept of God. The concept of God for young children is determined mainly by the thought of Him as the Creator of everything around us, governing it. The concept of Jesus Christ comes down to the fact that He was very kind, loved people and helped them, and that evil people killed Him. Stories from the Old Testament about God the Creator and God the Provider are accessible to children if they are not associated with historical and geographical or overly complex theological concepts. From the Old Testament, brief narratives are available about the appearance of God to Moses, about the giving of the 10 commandments, without considering the commandments themselves. Stories about the apparitions of the Holy Trinity from the Old and New Testaments as stories that provide material for a deeper understanding in the future. Stories about the miracles of Jesus Christ as a manifestation of His love for people, and not “magic”.

7. Prayer. On the one hand, children perceive daily prayer and going to church as an obligation established by their parents, and on the other hand, they willingly believe that through prayer you can get everything you want from God. Young children should be strengthened in their awareness that prayer is an appeal to God, and not only with a request, but also with gratitude; and that what we want does not always coincide with what God wants, for example the story of the prophet Jonah. Children easily remember short prayers, and knowing them helps them feel like they are taking part in worship. For home prayer, it is good for children to remember for themselves what they want to pray for or what they want to thank God for. Children's prayer is simple, and no special reverence or undue attention should be required from them.

8. Understanding symbolism. Small children easily perceive the symbolism of objects: a stick is a gun, a chair is an airplane. But the symbolic meaning of stories and narratives is inaccessible to them and is often distorted by them. Children easily perceive the symbolism of objects in the temple: candles are our prayers, smoke from incense is our praise to God, a cross on the temple is a sign that the temple belongs to God, bread and wine are symbols of food and drink that we need to live, oil and holy water are means of healing. This simple symbolism should be introduced without going into deeper explanations.

9. Moral concepts. Evil is identified with material damage caused, something broken, spoiled, as well as with the displeasure of parents and the severity of punishment. The child acutely feels what seems to him to be injustice towards him, but does not notice when he causes pain or grief to others. Goodness is identified with the approval and praise of others. Children should, as far as possible, deepen their understanding of good and evil. For example, stories about the fall of angels, about the sin of the first people, about Cain and Abel, and from the New Testament - the parable of the prodigal son, about the merciful king and the evil servant. If they are simply told, without going into theology, symbolism or special moral reasoning, they make a great impression on children, teaching the correct attitude towards evil and good.

10. Historical consciousness. Such consciousness in young children is limited to the concepts of “a long time ago,” “the other day,” “evening,” “tomorrow.” The chronology of historical events has no meaning for them. It is pointless to systematically teach Sacred History during these years. Even the division into the Old and New Testaments becomes available only towards the very end of this age. The stories of the Holy Scriptures should be told each in itself, for the sake of the impression it can make on the soul of the child.

MIDDLE-AGE CHILDREN (8, 9 AND 10 YEARS OLD)

Stages of development of thinking. Religious and pedagogical material assimilated at this level of development

1. Family. The need for family support is still strong, although parents are no longer the sole authority. Children tend to notice their shortcomings, but without much judgment. In relationships with brothers and sisters there are inevitable conflicts and jealousy and at the same time loyalty to the family as a whole. Scripture stories that illustrate the role of the family in preserving God's blessing to the people are helpful; examples from the lives of Russian saints: relationships with parents, Rev. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Seraphim of Sarov with his mother. Children's interest in grandparents - the guardians of family traditions - is awakened.

2. Idea of ​​your personality. Children's thinking is already capable of drawing general conclusions from specific cases, but is not yet ready for abstract thought. Understanding the connection between the cause and effect of a phenomenon contributes to the development of primitive rationalism. Great sensitivity to personal relationships with friends, desire to have a personal friend. When introducing children to Sacred History, it is worth drawing their attention to the cause-and-effect relationship of events: for example, from the Old Testament - the story of Joseph, the story of Moses and the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, the behavior of the three youths in Babylonian captivity, etc. From the New Testament - the parable of the prodigal son, including the relationship of the eldest son.

3. Attitude to the environment. School increasingly takes over a child's life. School discipline is more demanding than at a younger age. Conflicts at school arise and are resolved without the participation of parents. The opinions and behavior of comrades may differ greatly from the opinions and behavior accepted in the family. The child increasingly has to decide for himself what is good and what is bad. The questions being posed more and more sharply: “What is good and what is bad?” "How can you find out?" - and it is important that the proposed material is useful to them in this regard. These are stories from the Holy Scriptures, especially from the New Testament, describing the moment of choice: the killing of John the Baptist, the incident with the rich young man, the denial of Peter and others. From the Old Testament, children can learn the theme of choice in the story of Esau, who chose stew over his birthright.

4. The concept of the Church The church is identified with church services. Children at this age often find it difficult to attend divine services due to long periods of inactivity and misunderstanding of the meaning of worship. It is necessary to help children overcome the tedium of worship services by familiarizing them with the plan of the service, with the general meaning of what they see during the service. The main help is to involve children in active participation in divine services: serving, singing in the choir, taking care of candlesticks, giving notes, etc.

5. The concept of the surrounding world. The child begins to more consciously sense the existence of evil, cruelty, and injustice in the world, and this sometimes shakes his childhood faith, he begins to doubt the power of good. He is carried away by the information he receives at school on natural science, on the history of the development of our world, and often does not know how to reconcile this with his childhood ideas about God as the Creator and Provider. It is very important that at this age a Christian educator helps the child reconcile “science” and “religion” in his worldview in an accessible and simple form. It should be explained that the realm of religious knowledge is the understanding of an event, and the realm of science is the study of how an event occurred. It can be explained that God created man as a free man, not as a robot, and therefore evil actions are possible. Using the example of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, we can demonstrate the redemptive, healing power of suffering.

6. The concept of God A child's idea of ​​God begins to move away from the image created by the realistic imagination of early childhood. Their thoughts about God are often quite primitive and rationalistic. They easily recognize the existence of God as the Creator and Ruler of the world, but it is difficult for them to feel the presence of God in their personal lives, to feel their personal relationship to God. In stories about miracles, they are usually interested in the external side - how exactly the miracle was performed. The task of Christian education at this age is to help children feel the closeness of God in their own personal lives. They are able to perceive more consciously the parables and stories of the New Testament that make them feel the closeness of God: the Sermon on the Mount, Christ and the Children, the taming of the storm, healings, the parable of the sower, and many others.

7. Prayer The attitude towards prayer fluctuates between following the rules prescribed by adults and believing in the magical power of prayer to fulfill desires. More conscious children begin to understand that not all their desires can be asked to God. Although most Orthodox children at this age receive communion and confess, they still have little understanding of the meaning of the sacraments. The main task of a Christian educator is to deepen the understanding of the meaning of prayer as an appeal to God. It is necessary to carefully, with many examples from life and listening to the children’s questions, analyze the requests of the Lord’s Prayer - “Our Father”. It is necessary, with the help of such parables as the parables of the publican and the Pharisee and the prodigal son, to deepen children's understanding of the repentant prayer. It is necessary to explain the meaning of the Sacraments that they already know - baptism, communion and confession.

8. Understanding symbolism. Children of this age are able to understand the symbolic meaning of parables when it comes to experiences available to them. They may also understand that a story about someone else can relate to themselves. Children have access to an explanation of the symbolism in the sacraments they are about to begin.

9. Moral concepts Children of this age are well acquainted with the rules of behavior both in home life and in school life, and recognize their obligatory nature. The concept of justice is quite primitive and even cruel. They are still self-centered, but the ability to admit guilt, to experience a feeling of remorse, and sympathy for others awakens in them.

Evil is still assessed primarily in terms of material damage, and the significance of the offense is determined by the degree of censure or punishment. Children easily learn that there are laws and rules of behavior given to us by God. They are also interested in the rules of conduct in church, a kind of “church etiquette.” This children's understanding of "legality" should be deepened so that they learn the basic law of love for God and for people as the basis of moral life, not just by stating it in words, but by resorting to as many examples as possible.

10. Historical consciousness. Children of this age have a much better developed sense of the sequence of events and a sense of time. A big role is played by the desire to know: “Did it really happen?” Children become interested in events of long ago, mainly in external details. Children have access to a general concept of the meaning of moments in history - the creation of the world, the fall of people, the expectation of the Savior, the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the idea of ​​the end of the world - but very superficially. But they are interested in various archaeological details related to stories from the Holy Scriptures.

OLDER CHILDREN (11, 12 AND 13 YEARS OLD)

Stages of development of thinking. Religious and pedagogical material assimilated at this level of development

1. Family. The critical attitude towards parents is increasing, preceding the "rebellion" of teenagers, but an almost fanatical loyalty to family habits and opinions still remains. Children still need the moral support of their family. It is very useful for children of this age to get acquainted with stories from the Old and New Testaments and the lives of saints, which raise the issue of family conflicts, such as the conflict between Joseph and his brothers, the role of the eldest son in the parable of the prodigal son, etc., and it is important to understand the motives both sides. A useful story is about the twelve-year-old boy Jesus in the temple, which tells of His visible disobedience to His Mother and Joseph.

2. Idea of ​​your personality. Awareness of oneself as an individual increases. Children feel joy, success, failure, and disappointment more deeply. They have accumulated a lot of different knowledge and information, but their thinking is still quite superficial, and this often leads them to frivolous rationalism and denial of what they believed in in earlier childhood, to a mocking attitude towards many things. They are able to grasp logical explanations and conclusions if they are specific enough. At this age, you can introduce children to the deeper meaning of those events of Sacred History that they have known so far: for example, with stories about the dogma of the Holy Trinity, about the meaning of redemption, about the Kingdom of God, about life after death. It is necessary to try to deepen the Christian understanding of their relationships with others - friendship, responsibility (the parable of the talents), empathy, obedience. Analyzing the Sermon on the Mount with examples from modern life can be of great benefit.

3. Attitude to the environment. The influence of the school environment is very strong, but a process of “selection” is emerging. “Your own company” appears, whose opinion is especially authoritative. Girls become interested in boys, but boys prefer the company of boys. A keen interest in the behavior of older youth and the desire to imitate them. During this period, the fragmentation of children’s consciousness between the areas of faith and life especially intensifies. The educator is called upon to awaken in them a sense of Christian responsibility in relations with the environment, peers and adults. Emphasis should be placed on the importance of choice - on the need to make choices yourself. From this point of view, we should take a fresh look at long-known parables, for example, the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is good to provide children with the opportunity to give similar examples from modern life.

4. The concept of the Church Although children of this age understand the meaning of worship somewhat more deeply, their attitude towards the Church remains rather superficial. Visiting the temple seems like a boring duty, which is performed willingly only if they take some part in the service - serving, singing, etc. Friends and peers in the temple become of great importance. Children become more clearly aware of the contradictions between the Christian church worldview and the views prevailing in the surrounding society, and try to find satisfactory answers. Now division and duality reign in their inner world: what we say, think and believe in in the temple is one thing, but what we think and do in “real life” is another. At this age, children should be helped to think through the meaning of Christian life. For a deeper understanding, one should reflect on the meaning of the Sacraments. What does communion of the Holy Mysteries mean in my daily life? What does repentance mean? What is the meaning of baptism? It is not enough to know the ritual; it is important to understand the meaning of the Sacrament in your own life. It is important that various forms of communication between children coexist: trips, pilgrimages, visits to other parishes.

It is difficult for children of this age to reconcile the Christian understanding of the universe, faith in God the Creator and God's good providence with what they learn about life from the world around them. Their own naive, somewhat fabulous ideas no longer satisfy them. If the religious education they receive does not help them master the “unity of worldview,” they will remain under the influence of the duality accepted in our world, and this leads to a critical attitude towards religion, which so often manifests itself in the next period. The main task of this period is to show children that objective, critical thinking is compatible with faith and does not contradict it. Children now need to be taught the concepts of Christian doctrine and given answers to the following questions: how do we learn about God? What is Holy Scripture? how was it created? What is Sacred Tradition? What is the Church? What is human freedom? how does a person think?

6. The concept of God. At this age, a child’s pure, naive idea of ​​God is gradually and not without difficulty replaced by a more conscious and spiritualized faith. Sometimes, discarding early ideas about God and the miraculous, children abandon the very belief in God, Jesus Christ - it is now easier for them to imagine Him as a historical person, but the feeling of the presence of Christ in their own lives is weak, as well as the consciousness of their own relationship to To him. They can follow the course of abstract thought, and simple theological explanations are understandable and interesting to them. Children are ready to perceive the basic truths of theology and doctrine: concepts of God, the Holy Trinity, the visible and invisible world, good and evil, the manifestation of the will of God and the providence of God. To do this, use stories from the Holy Scriptures as examples and illustrations.

7. Prayer By this age, the habit of praying with parents usually dies out, and often the habit of praying in general in the morning and evening also dies out. To a certain extent, the childish attitude towards prayer as a means of getting something very desirable remains. On the other hand, children understand the difficulties of life more deeply and can consciously pray for God’s help, to become better themselves, and for forgiveness. It is difficult to talk about personal prayer in class, but now it is possible to more deeply explain the meaning of liturgical prayers and their relationship to our daily life. A better understanding of liturgical prayers makes it easier for children to attend services that are often tedious.

8. Understanding Symbolism Children are quite capable of understanding the meaning of liturgical symbols and symbolic narratives, which can arouse their interest and pose intelligent questions. It is no longer enough to explain the ritual and external order of the Sacraments. When working with children, it is necessary not only to explain the meaning of the ritual, but also to do it in such a way that the explanation is relevant to their own, real life in modern conditions.

9. Moral concepts. The moral assessment of actions is still largely determined by the approval or disapproval of others - comrades, family, parents, but the consciousness and understanding of love as the basis of moral life is gradually awakening in children. The law of partnership is very strong, but sometimes a personal sense of moral responsibility awakens, often contrary to the opinion of comrades. Children begin to experience a feeling of moral dissatisfaction with themselves and their actions. The sense of "moral taste" is largely influenced by television and radio programs, magazines and the example of older teenagers. The sense of responsibility is somewhat stronger. The main task of religious education is to develop in children a deeper understanding of relationships with people (parents, friends, adults and younger children) as a manifestation of the Christian faith. Children should be taught that sin is not just a violation of a rule, but a destruction of relationships with other people and with God. You can consider conflicts between people from the Holy Scriptures: for example, the attitude of sons towards Noah when he got drunk, the division of people during the construction of the Tower of Babel, and from the New Testament - an analysis of the denial of the Apostle Peter and his repentance, the betrayal of Judas and his despair. Many examples can be gleaned from works of Russian literature.

10. Historical consciousness Children of this age are interested in the past, history, and ancient objects; they willingly collect collections and souvenirs, visit museums, read historical novels with interest, and watch programs on historical topics. Knowledge about the Christian faith, Holy Scripture, and the Church can now be presented in their historical connection and perspective. Nevertheless, it is necessary to draw children's attention to the meaning that the information being communicated now has for them personally. Knowledge about faith should not be a museum piece.

ADOLESCENCE (14, 15 AND 16 YEARS OLD)

Stages of development of thinking. Religious and pedagogical material assimilated at this level of development

1. Family A strong desire to be independent, to decide everything for oneself, leads to a rebellion against parents and, in general, against the authority of adults. Teenagers want to destroy the limitations of childhood and at the same time often get lost when encountering new phenomena. And yet they need a family as a refuge, from where they can go into an independent life, but where they can return in case of trouble. The desire of adolescents to become independent as quickly as possible provides an opportunity to look with new eyes at faith, at problems of morality and relationships with people. What kind of family would they like to have in the future? How would they like to raise their children, etc.?

2. Idea of ​​your personality Intellectual development reaches almost full maturity. Children are capable of formal logical thinking. Physiological growth, changes in appearance, and a sharp difference in the external maturity of adolescents of the same age cause great self-doubt, covered by boastfulness. Puberty and new attitudes towards people of the other sex are associated with increased emotionality. A conflict arises between the desire for independence and the need for support and protection when difficulties are too great. But the guys are able to comprehend the previously unfamiliar feelings of altruism and love. The educator's task is to help adolescents examine their religious beliefs and beliefs in the light of new and more critical thinking. Perhaps the most important thing is the ability to teach them to ask questions - about what they believe and don’t believe and why, what is most important to them in life, how they understand friendship, love, etc.

3. Attitude to the environment There is a desire to gain some kind of status, significance, recognition. The need for increased responsibility entrusted to them and anger that adults do not always trust them. The need to be like everyone else in all areas of behavior, clothing, etc. Disapproval from older generations often leads to hostility. Authoritative statements from adults are unconvincing and irritating. At this age, we can begin to prepare teenagers for a Christian understanding of the role and responsibility of a person in the surrounding society. For this, it is very useful to study the history of the Church, the life of early Christians and what problems arose in the life of church society, relations between the Church and the state, etc. Much material can be found in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles.

4. The concept of the Church Participation in church life becomes more meaningful and takes on greater significance. Teenagers tend to seek protection and consolation in the church, but react to church rules as a suppression of freedom. If they have retained the habit of coming to confession, then a good confessor has a great influence on their spiritual growth. Participation in church life helps teenagers survive this period without leaving the Church: participation in the choir, in parish work, serving in church. The most important thing for them is the influence of a good and wise confessor, but any sincere friendship with a believing adult who loves youth is useful. Studying Church history by topic helps teens better understand the meaning of the Church.

5. Concept of the surrounding world Adolescents often develop genuine skepticism, and many move away from faith during this period. They do not find a solution to the conflict between science and religion. School history teaching has a negative attitude towards the role of the Church, and teenagers’ intolerance of hypocrisy and insincerity makes them doubt the usefulness of the faith of people they know. It is very important that young people hear from church people a competent and objective presentation of the “laws of science” and “scientific thinking.” Teenagers easily notice weaknesses in the arguments of insufficiently educated defenders of the faith. Where conditions allow, young people can easily be involved in fundraising and participating in helping those in need - the elderly, the poor, etc.

6. The concept of God Teenagers tend to think about God in more abstract terms, but some of them still retain a childish worldview. Many people stop thinking about religion before they have given it up. In most cases, interest in their own life and relationships with peers is much stronger than interest in religion, and they do not see the connection between one and the other. Personal faith and problems of knowing God are difficult to make a topic of discussion in a youth group. They don't like to listen to sermons. A fairly acceptable form of study is to read an interesting biography that raises controversial issues and discuss it. The main goal of all classes is to help teenagers figure out what they really think, what they believe and what it means to them.

7. Prayer Personal prayer, the obligatory daily fulfillment of which is monitored by parents, is forgotten, but voluntary prayers can be sincere and deep. Conversations about prayer using books such as Notes by Father Alexander Elchaninov and other modern Orthodox theologians can be of great benefit if participation in the conversation is voluntary.

8. Understanding symbolism. Religious symbolism in worship, texts and doctrine is easily understood. The symbolism perceived by teenagers can beneficially complement the rationalism characteristic of this age. Teenagers can discuss more difficult passages of the Old Testament and more difficult New Testament parables about the Last Judgment and the end of the world. It is important that teenagers understand the difference between "symbolic" and "fantastic".

9. Moral concepts. Moral concepts that aroused the approval or disapproval of adults lose value. The standards of right and wrong accepted in modern society and generally accepted sexual freedom are very far from Christian teaching. What is defined by "decency" or "intimidation" does not impress teenagers. The most important task of any educator working with young people is to help them find correct and acceptable moral criteria for them. Modern civilization questions almost all the moral beliefs of the older generation - sometimes not without reason. Christian morality should not be a “call to the old.” Teenagers need to at least know how the Christian faith illuminates our understanding of a person's personal life.

10. Historical consciousness. There is an interest in the development of personality in historical time: what did people think and feel in other times? How does life in one or another historical time affect a person? What will the future development of humanity bring us? consciousness and discussion of these and similar issues are quite accessible to teenagers. It is very important to explain to teenagers that both Christianity and the Church live, that this life is not static. Therefore, any study of historical progress in the life of the Church is very useful. Topics such as the history of the Old Believers in the Russian Church, the division of Churches, historical Bible study, etc. can deepen a teenager's understanding of Christianity and the Church.

1. Monotony when explaining a lesson or, on the contrary, tongue twister.

2. Explaining the key points of the topic with your head down.

3. Poor organization of the lesson. The teacher is always looking for something.

4. Constant monotony of the form of activity.

5. Lack of dynamics of action and interaction between the teacher and students.

6. The teacher’s perception of children as a whole, and not of each individual.

7. Absence in the actions of the teacher of motivating factors for prayer, mercy, sacrifice, love, humility, etc.

8. Using forbidden words (always late, always forgetting, always talking, never doing anything, etc.)

9. Absence of student evaluation during the lesson.

10. Lack of evaluation of the lesson.

11. Chaotic speech with an abundance of quotes, rules and formulations that are difficult to digest and not perceptible by ear. The teacher’s speech should be clear, simple and accessible to students of any age.

12. Simple things cannot be explained for too long.

13. Remember: everything that starts badly ends even worse.

14. It is advisable to repeat the material covered at the beginning of the lesson, but not at the end, so that the children leave under the impression of the new topic.

15. A teacher should not merge children with himself, but cultivate Christ in them.

16. If children start yelling in class, you should never yell at them. You can only scream when children run out onto the roadway.

17. If there is no practical participation or creative activity of children in the lesson, then the lesson is less appreciated by them.

18. If a child was not in class, but then he appeared, you should not reproach him, but say: “What a pity that you were not there, we missed you so much!”

19. You cannot underestimate children and, as a result, not attach importance to your appearance; it is equally necessary to take into account not only the abilities of children, but also their physical capabilities.

20. Dynamics of lesson development. Possessing dynamics, a Sunday school teacher is obliged to clearly and strictly follow the plan for constructing his lesson, not to get carried away and not to be seduced by his mastery of the situation, but to feel the audience, without trying to squeeze into one lesson all the most interesting things that he knows on this topic.

It happens that a teacher, especially one with a philosophical mindset who prefers the style of an author’s work, moves away in his reasoning from the main object of study, which usually delays the explanation when unnecessary bright and impressive examples are included, which, although they carry valuable thoughts, often push aside the essence. This leads to many children losing attention and control over the topic being studied. Children may turn out to be not so much outwardly calm and attentive as confused and overwhelmed by the amount of information given by the teacher. And only a few, after such a brainstorming session, will retain the ability to answer and reflect on the questions proposed to them.

The dynamics of lesson development should have such an order and rule that the calculated saturation of each point and paragraph of the outline plan does not lead to a loss of thematic connection in the overall scheme of lesson construction, where the main thing is the topic, which should permeate the entire lesson and be, as it were, an axis around which everything rotates.

Law teacher: Collection of materials to help the teacher. (Issue II). - M.: "Zlatoust", 1994. - 169 p.;

E. F. Sosuntsov. Companion to the teacher of the law: Basic rules of didactics and methodology of the law of God. - Kazan: Central Printing House, 1911.- 38 p.

S.S. Kulomzina. Our Church and our children. - M.: "Martis", 1994. - 158 p.

P. Yu. Bolokhov. A textbook for training teachers and methodologists of Sunday schools. - M., 1995. - 208 p.;

Eleanor Daniel. Bible Teacher: A Study Guide for Spiritual Directors. - M.: Theological Academy of the Apostle Paul, 2001. - 220 pp.;

Kenneth O. Handel, Howard G. Hendricks. Christian pedagogy. - St. Petersburg "The Bible for Everyone", 1997. - 315 pp.;

Effective teaching of children. Course 1. Textbook for students - M.: "European Society for the Evangelization of Children", 1994. - 158 pp.;

Draw a background on a sheet of whatman paper, cut out the shapes separately and color them. Insert the figures into the slots on the main background. Multiple stories can be played out against the same background.

Nativity

Against this background, you can depict all the events telling about Christmas: the shepherds with the Angelic army, the wise men following the star, Mary and Joseph knocking on the doors of the hotel, the palace of King Herod, the cave with the born Baby, etc.

Life of St. Seraphim of Sarov

On similar backgrounds you can depict:

Elder on the Far Hermitage

1. Father Seraphim feeds the bear
2. Robbers attacked Father Seraphim.
3. The old man works in the garden
4. Blesses the peasant, etc.

To make the figures more rigid, you can stick vertical stripes on the back side and make pockets on the background so that the figures do not fall over. In addition to everything else, we laminate them with a film 200 microns thick.

Folding picture

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Fold the background as shown in the picture. Unbend at the right time during the lesson.

TV

One of the most popular visual aids is “TV”. Cut out the "television screen". Then prepare large circles and paint designs on them. Secure the circle with the “film” behind the “TV” using a nail or screw, as shown in the picture. Then turn the circle so that pictures appear on the screen as you tell your story.

Similarly, you can make a Bible with a screen.

Paper puppet theater

Create a background for a story from Scripture or the life of a saint. Draw figures on the stand (see picture) - the heroes of the plot. This way you can perform plays with your children.

Dunno and the doll Katya

Our friends and helpers in the lessons - and.

They may be useful for teaching and explaining parts of your lessons. The doll Katya is exemplary, answers questions, watches how the children complete tasks. Dunno has a poor memory, and the children have to repeat the lesson with him. The dolls' arms and legs can be moved. To do this, cut out the parts of the figure separately and sew them to each other using buttons.

First, a hole is made at the junction so that all parts of the figures move freely and the thread does not impede movement. Buttons are sewn on both sides: on the face and on the back.

Board with slots

Several cuts are made on a thick board to a depth of approximately one centimeter. The figures are prepared according to the principle of the background figures “with inserted slots”. The only difference from the latter is that, in this case, the lower part of the figure should be as wide as possible. The figures can also be further reinforced with longitudinal strips of cardboard or laminated.

The great advantage of this manual is that we can present the described action as if in two-dimensional space, placing the figures one after another, and we can also show “movement”, which makes the presentation more dynamic.

Timeline

Younger children are poorly oriented in the chronology of events. To avoid confusion, we recommend making a “Time Tape”. For this, a long strip of paper is suitable, in the center of which there is a mark - the date of the Nativity of Christ. Next to this label you can stick a Christmas icon. Below the mark of the Nativity of Christ the events of the Old Testament are sequentially located, below - the New Testament. The completed topics of the Sacred History should be marked on this tape. You can paste a picture on the topic next to the mark. Similar tapes can be used for older children and adults, and in different lessons (for example, in Church History).

This is one of the most popular benefits abroad. Now RBO has translated one of these tapes into Russian and released it as a separate publication.

(author's development by L.V. Surova)

You can make a circle calendar out of cardboard indicating fixed holidays. Attach a smaller disk with a mark of movable holidays on top, and on top of it a rotating arrow showing where we are in the church year.

Now the calendar can be hung on the wall. What time of year is it now? Turn the circle with the icons so that we can see what holidays are celebrated in the Church at this time of year.

Our calendar consists of two parts. The first part is movable, it is a circle with icons of the main church holidays. The second part is motionless - an incomplete cut out circle.

And below you can see what we came up with. 🙂 Unfortunately, our sample turned out to be too overloaded with funny drawings and therefore became somewhat “unreadable”, and the Holiday icons are not readable from a distance. 🙁

Stand for visual aids (modeled on a stamp album)

Connect two squares of thick cardboard measuring 50 by 50 cm with tape, as shown in the figure. Then horizontally evenly glue pockets of transparent film measuring 5 by 100 cm to accommodate visual aids. The stand can be used to study Bible verses and songs. Words or stands for pictures, figures, paper images, icons, and biblical scenes are inserted into the pockets. It is mainly used in unequipped classrooms or for outdoor work; it allows you to replace a blackboard. Advantages: compactness, mobility. Flaws: the pockets become loose, for this you have to make additional seams, which partially remove this problem, but immediately eliminate the possibility of installing large allowances.

Liturgical vestments

A background is written on which clothes are cut out in a well-known way, which are then applied in the required order.

Books of the Bible

You can schematically draw all the books on the shelves that are included in the Bible. Identify the two sections (Old and New Testaments) into which it is divided.

Paper models of the tabernacle and temple

Cut-out models distributed by the Russian Bible Society.

Good printing, thick cardboard. Although they are published, most likely, for individual use, they can also be used as visual aids in lessons, when explaining relevant topics.

Tabernacle model

Model of Solomon's Temple

Educational lotto "Get to know the Orthodox icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary"

Educational game from the "Orthodox Family School" series.

It is not clear who produces it. Most likely the initiative of some “private owner”. It is difficult to use as a family game - with active use, the cards will quickly become unusable. But as a way to test the material in lessons or KVN - great!

Rules of the game:

Conditions for teaching children by parents: 1. Since the game contains 40 icons of the Most Holy Theotokos, the game “Orthodox Family School” must be kept by the parents, taken only with the permission and blessing of the parents, and after the game the children must hand over the game to their parents so that the icons do not end up scattered in different places or lost. 2. The first games are started by parents or Sunday school teachers. 3. The game cover is placed in the center of the game participants, who are dealt cards. 4. Parents take all the icons into their hands and show them to the children, name the icon and give it to the child who has it on the card. 5. After parents familiarize their children with the icons, the children will recognize the icons themselves the next time. The child who places the icons on their card the fastest wins. 6. Gradually, parents complicate the game, in accordance with the age and Orthodox knowledge of their children: a) the first degree of the game is recognition of icons; b) second degree of the game - the child must name the days, dates of the appearance, celebration of icons, and briefly talk about them; c) third degree game - a detailed, vivid story about the icon.

365 riddles and puzzles

Published by RBO

A collection of entertaining tasks, riddles and puzzles. Designed for private use throughout the year. Wonderful book! If necessary, it can be divided into pieces of paper and distributed in class depending on the topic.

The fantasy of an adult who attended Sunday school as a child about which Sunday school he would like to send his children to.

I don't teach Sunday school and I don't think I will. I graduated from the Pedagogical University too long ago and too badly to have the right to speak on behalf of science. And I was a Sunday school student even before that. As a parent, I would not criticize someone else's without creating my own. Therefore, I will speak as carefully as possible. But there are Sunday schools in almost every church. To be honest, when viewed from the outside, they make a somewhat painful impression on me. All these wall newspapers about pilgrimage trips and caroling, stories about St. Sergius of Radonezh, Christmas and Easter performances, etc. make me bored and yawning... My mother sent me to be baptized at the age of ten, and I managed to go to Sunday school for about four years. I sat in class and took part in amateur performances. Even once he managed to play Morozko at some Christmas tree, where the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexy II was present. After the end of the performance, His Holiness went backstage, where, handing out gifts to the artists, he expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of my performance.

Actually, I was an inquisitive boy with a good memory, I easily remembered the material. But the knowledge I received in Sunday school did not arouse any real interest in me. And they had no connection with real life. I knew the Old Testament, as one knows fairy tales, I knew the rites of the all-night vigil and liturgy, as one knows the multiplication table. I had absolutely no idea what to do with this information outside of class. The theology taught was interesting, I generally loved the cunning speculative schemes. But it, again, did not explain why my mother requires me to attend long, boring services, why sometimes I can’t eat this and that, for what holy mysterious purpose I tell the icons every evening from the prayer book: “...like a pig lies in the dung, so and so I serve sin."

I communicated with great interest with my Sunday school classmates, and I am still friends with some of them. I really enjoyed extracurricular activities - hikes, trips, general tea parties. But I perceived the classes as almost any schoolchild, as a process taking place for no apparent reason. I was ready to play with all this, as little children play, fortunately no one was going to punish me for anything, but Sunday school did not give me answers to the questions that arose in me then. What made me happy was not that there was something specifically church-like in the process, but rather, on the contrary, that there was something quite universal about it – a cheerful “party”, games, communication.

Relationships with God were built like relationships with a school principal, who poses a terrible danger, but who can be appeased with some absurd “correct behavior.” I did not see how I could apply the commandments of the Gospel to my life, although by the age of fourteen I knew it practically by heart. I did not understand the meaning of Confession and Communion, although I could tell about them close to the text of the textbook in which we were told about them. Maybe these are specifically my problems, my own head and no one else’s. But I am afraid that my children are like me, and they will also not understand why they need to memorize the Creed.

Twenty years later, I am the father of two children so far, two girls. I think it's time to start imagining what kind of Sunday school I would like to send them to.

I myself can teach you how to distinguish St. Sergius of Radonezh from St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. And read Slavic too. Therefore, the format of the school where I studied is hardly suitable for us. But I would send them to a place where they can be shown how their faith is connected to their lives. I would like this not to be a place where knowledge is given, but a place where people are able to transmit the experience of their life in Christ to children. Experience of Love, experience of joy, experience of honesty. And not just the experience of obedience and attention to authority.

It must be borne in mind that children of believing parents are a special contingent. They have heard words about God at home so many times that it is not enough to inspire trust or respect for Him with “pathos” alone. Almost impossible. As a rule, they have already gone through the harsh school of parental prohibitions; they know that they are not allowed to do many things (but children from other families are allowed). And they demand much more from them than from their less religious peers. Children from believing families sometimes don’t have enough logical, coherent answers - they heard them from their parents, and simply due to their age do not agree with them. They know how to deceive, pretend or go against their parents directly.

A Sunday school teacher, especially among teenagers, is closer in his occupation to a missionary or a priest in prison ministry than to a teacher at a theological academy. That is why his task is to show children Christ. No more, no less. I am convinced that Sunday school should be different from regular school. Here children should learn not abstract information, but life lessons. And that is why charity classes are so important in Sunday schools. If the temple is a place where something important and vital happens, then Sunday school should teach important and vital things. Even if not religious, but at least psychological. For example, what and how can a child do so that there are fewer scandals in the family. Or how to behave with classmates who don’t accept you. There are a million such problems and such topics in everyone’s life. I would gladly send my children to a place where they can discuss this million problems, for example, relationships with dad, in an honest and calm atmosphere, in the presence of an adult whom I trust, including as a religious person.

For some mysterious reason, adults believe that children do not have religious experiences. This is wrong. Children are much more sensitive than adults, for them the other world is rather “self-evident”; they do not need to remind themselves that God exists. And they should have the opportunity to talk about this at least somewhere other than confession, when you stand in the position of “sick and guilty.” For example, my eldest daughter, a seven-year-old first-grader, regularly reads her mother’s Bible. And she doesn’t share what she reads with anyone, doesn’t discuss it, although her face shows that at least she doesn’t forget what she read. What is going on in her beautiful head, what whirlwinds are rushing through there? I don't know, and I'm very worried.

And if I knew that there was a person in Sunday school who understood what was happening to my child and what to do about it, I would have sent Sonya to study without hesitation. But at the school where I studied, talking about one’s experiences, especially religious ones, was considered indecent, and the child had to learn that his virtue lay mainly in honoring his parents, understood in many ways as “don’t shine.”

As for external forms, a system like scouting seems to me more appropriate for Sunday school, although it is too formalized. In terms of form, I would prefer a children's or teenagers' club rather than a classroom program. After all, on Sunday you want more movement, conversations about important things, organized games, sonorous singing, cheerful dancing, exciting sports, joint activities - as little pressure as possible on the brain, already overloaded with the Russian language and mathematics.

It's good when Sunday school is more like summer camp than school. It should be fun and interesting, and not only important (from the point of view of adults) and useful (from their point of view). It's not scary to be yourself here. Simply put, I would send my children to the Sunday school I would want to go to myself.

Vladimir Berkhin, President of the Tradition Charitable Foundation

P.S. Thanks to my Sunday school teachers:
Olga Nikolaevna, Vera Alekseevna, Sergei Lvovich, Georgy Kirillovich, Elena Kirillovna and everyone, everyone, everyone else!

(17 votes: 3.5 out of 5)

Each lesson begins and ends with prayer. Consists of reading the Bible story and the golden verse. The different activities include games, warm-ups, songs and poems, and creative activities.

Lesson 1

Section: Creation. FIRST DAY

PRAYER:“Thank You, Lord, for this day that You have created. Thank you for the light that our eyes see. Teach us and help us in everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse of this section is found in the book of Acts, chapter 17, verse 24: “God who created the world and everything that is in it.” First, so that the children can easily remember, we will learn the words “God did everything.” After a few lessons, when the children know the words “God did everything” well, you will begin to teach them “...without Him nothing began to be.”

The verse can be learned as follows: on three inflatable balloons you write one word of the golden verse. All children stand in a large circle. You give the first balloon to the child standing to your left and say the word “God.” He passes the ball to the next child and says the same word, etc. While the children pass the first ball to each other, you take the second and, saying the word “did,” give it to the child on your left. He must pass the second ball, not forgetting to say the second word of the golden verse.

BIBLE STORY: THE FIRST DAY

Everything we see was made by God. But once upon a time there was nothing. (Have the children close their eyes.) You can't see anything when your eyes are closed or when the room is dark. For a very, very long time there was nothing: no sky, no earth, no people, nothing. But God began to do. The Bible is the Word of God (show the children the Bible). The Bible says: “In the beginning God created (made) the heavens and the earth.” But the earth looked completely different from what we see today. It was impossible to see beautiful trees, bright flowers, chirping birds, playing animals. You wouldn't see a single person. Even the land was nowhere to be seen, because the entire surface of the earth was covered with water. But you wouldn't have seen the water either, because then there was no sun, no moon, no stars, and it was very dark. On the first day (give the children one finger.) God made light and separated it from darkness (you could use a flashlight while telling the story to explain what light is and what darkness is). And it became light on earth. This happened on the first day.

BOOKS: Place the children in a circle so that they can see you clearly. Show them the Children's Bible.

CRAFTS: Start making the Flower of Creation craft with your kids today. Today the children will make a stand, glue a stem, a core and a petal to it with the number "1" painted on the top side and a picture of what God did on the first day on the bottom (color half of the petal yellow and the other half black) . Let the children leave the crafts until the next lesson (don't forget to sign the work). Make a few “spare” crafts.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a few worship songs.

Lesson 2

Section: Creation. SECOND DAY

PRAYER:“Thank You, Lord, for every day that You have created for us. Thank you for the light that our eyes see. We thank You for the sky and for the water that You have made for Your children. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GLORY: Sing the song “God Created Great Mountains” with your children:

God created big mountains (Raise your hands up as high as possible)

And lakes and seas. (Move your fingers.)

The sun is round, big, (Fold your hands, depicting a large circle.)

I gave all the trees an outfit. (Standing on tiptoes, raise your arms high up.)

God created swimming fish, (Fold your palms and depict swimming fish.)

Birds and buzzing bees. (Move your arms like a bird's wings.)

And huge crocodiles, (Stretching both arms forward, show how the crocodile opens and closes its mouth.)

And big, big elephants. (Cross your hands at the back of your head and, moving your elbows and swinging from side to side, show the elephant.)

He separated the night from the bright day,

God created both you and me. (Point to each other and then to yourself.)

GOLDEN VERSE: We will teach the words “God did everything” today. Give three balloons with the words of the golden verse to three children. Give one child a pin (be very careful!). When all the children have “read” the word written on the first balloon together, the child with the pin pops it. And so on. At the end, have all the children repeat the golden verse in unison.

BIBLE STORY: SECOND DAY

Review Lesson 1 briefly. After God made light and darkness, He divided the waters so that the sky and seas appeared. Did you know that clouds are made of water? (Have the children look out the window at the sky.) God did this on the second day. (Show the children two fingers.)

When telling a story, you can use water in a glass. Be careful not to let children wet their clothes.

BOOKS: Show the children again the pictures from the Children's Bible.

CRAFTS: Today the children will continue making the Flower of Creation craft. Help the children who were absent from last lesson do what you did last Sunday. Glue the second petal to the core. On the top side is the number “2”, and on the bottom is what God created on the second day (divide the petal in half with a wavy line and paint one half blue and the other half blue). Make some “spare” petals for absent children. Children will leave crafts again today to continue next week (all crafts must be labeled on the bottom of the stand).

ENDING:

Lesson 3

Section: Creation. THE THIRD DAY

PRAYER:“Jesus, we love You with all our hearts. We thank You for everything You have done for us. Thank you for the earth and the seas, for the trees and grass, for all the plants that we see. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Ask the children if anyone remembers the golden verse we taught in the last two lessons (“God did everything”). Today we will begin to study the 24th verse from the 17th chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “God, who created the world and everything that is in it.” In this lesson we will learn only the first three words. Cut out footprints (footprints) from paper, each with one word of the golden verse written on it. When stepping on the footprints, you need to say the written word.

WARM-UP: You can do the following exercise with your children before you tell them the Bible story:

I have two hands

I can clap them:

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

(Clap our hands.)

I have two legs

I can stomp them:

Top, top, top, top!

(We stomp our feet.)

My ears to listen, (Put your hand to your ear as if listening.)

My hands to play.

And when they get tired,

I'll put them to rest.

(Hands on knees.)

BIBLE STORY: THE THIRD DAY

After God separated the light from the darkness, He divided the waters and the sky and seas appeared. This happened on the second day of creation. On the third day (ask the children to show three fingers) God created dry land (earth) among the seas and oceans. God looked at what He did and He really liked it. “Very good and beautiful!” - said the Lord. “But there is nothing on earth. We need to create something on earth. I know what I will do. Let beautiful green grass and tall trees grow on the ground, on which delicious fruits will grow - apples, pears, peaches, oranges, tangerines, ... " Various plants, palm trees, tall and low trees grew on the ground, and the soft grass looked like a beautiful the green carpet that the Lord Himself spread on the earth. When God saw all this, He was very happy. "How beautiful! Very good! I think people will really like it too!” (You can show the children a piece of earth and let them touch blades of grass, leaves, a tree twig.) On the third day, God created the earth, grass, plants and trees.

BOOKS: Using the Children's Bible, review what was created on the third day.

CRAFTS: Glue the third petal to the core, on the upper side of which the number “3” is drawn, and on the lower side - what God created on the third day (draw the earth with a brown pencil, green grass and a tree).

ENDING: Finish the lesson with prayer and sing the song “God Made Great Mountains” (See Lesson 2).

Lesson 4

Section: Creation. FOURTH DAY

PRAYER:“Thank You, Lord, for this day that You have made. We thank You for the sun that shines for us during the day. We thank You for the moon that shines at night and for all the stars that we can see in the sky when it is dark. Thank you Lord. Amen".

GLORY: Sing the song “He Holds the World in His Hand” with your children:

He holds the whole world in His hand,

He holds the whole world in His hand,

He holds the sun and stars in His

hand, (3 times)

He holds the whole world in His hand.

He holds the rain and the wind in His

hand, (3 times)

He holds the whole world in His hand.

He holds the mountains and the sea in His hand, (3 times)

He holds the whole world in His hand.

He holds little children in His hand, (3 times)

He holds the whole world in His hand.

He holds dad and mom in His hand, (3 times)

He holds the whole world in His hand.

GOLDEN VERSE: Ask the children if anyone remembers the words we taught in the last lesson (“God who created the world”). Today we will continue to teach this verse by adding the two words “…and that’s all.” We will teach in the same way as the previous time: when stepping on footprints (footprints), you need to pronounce the written word.

BIBLE STORY: FOURTH DAY

Ask the children to think about what the Lord did on the first, second, and third days of creation. You can use the Flower of Creation craft to make it easier for children to remember. On the fourth day (show the children four fingers) God created the sun, moon and stars. The sun shone on the earth during the day, and the moon and stars gave light at night. When God saw what He created on the fourth day, He said: “Very good!”

BOOKS: Have the children look at the pictures in the Children's Bible and show what was created on the fourth day.

CRAFTS: Children will continue making the Flower of Creation craft. Make the fourth petal by writing the number “4” on the top side, and on the bottom side drawing what God created on the fourth day (draw the sun, moon and stars on a blue background). Then glue the petal to the core.

ENDING: Pray and sing the song “He Holds the Whole World in His Hand.”

Lesson 5

Section: Creation. FIFTH DAY

PRAYER:“Thank You, Lord, for all that You have created for Your children. We thank You for the fish that we can see in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. And thank You for the birds we can see in the sky. We love you, Dad. Amen".

WARM-UP: The next warm-up activity you can do is with the golden verse and Bible story. Maybe one of the children learned the words? Make up your own movements for the words.

I'll spread my arms wide,

And then I'll add them up.

And having arranged them, my friend,

Make a little clap.

I'll spread it wide again

I'll quickly put them together again.

And now they're tired

I'll let them rest.

GOLDEN VERSE: Today we will learn the golden verse recorded in the 17th chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, verse 24: “God, who created the world and everything that is in it.” Cut out three more footprints (footprints) from the paper, each with one word of the golden verse written on it. By stepping on the footprints and saying the written words, set an example for the children to follow. Let the other children help pronounce the verse.

BIBLE STORY: THE FIFTH DAY

The day after the Lord created the sun, moon and stars, He thought, “Everything is very beautiful. But there is no one alive on earth. I know what I will do! I will create someone alive today." God first created fish and reptiles that live in water. And after that He created different birds. "Very good!" - said God when he saw what He had created. (Show the children pictures of fish and birds from the Children's Encyclopedia.)

BOOKS: Place the children in a circle so that all children can see you clearly. Show them the Children's Bible and ask the children to show you what the Lord did on the fifth day. Challenge the children by asking them what was created in the previous days. Reward children with small prizes for correct answers.

CRAFTS: We continue to do the craft that the children started doing in the first lesson. On the fifth petal on the bottom side, draw a fish in the water and a bird flying above the water. The drawing should be very simple so that children can draw on their own. Some children will need your help.

ENDING: At the end of the lesson, pray and sing the two songs the children learned in this unit.

Lesson 6

Section: Creation. SIXTH DAY

PRAYER:“Thank You, Lord, for the animals that You created for man. And we thank You for creating people like You. Thank you that I am like You, my Lord and my God. We love You and want to be even more like You. In the name of Jesus. Amen."

GOLDEN VERSE: Review with the children the golden verse found in Acts 17, verse 24: “God who made the world and all that is in it.” Have the children create a mosaic with the verse written on it. To make a mosaic, take a piece of paper or cardboard, write the words of the verse on it and cut it into several pieces of different shapes. Once the children have completed the puzzle, read the verse and ask them to “read” the words of the verse on their own.

BIBLE STORY: THE SIXTH DAY

Review briefly with the children everything that God created in the first five days of creation. After the Lord created fish and birds, He decided to create other animals. On the sixth day (show the children how many are six and ask them to show you the same number of fingers) He created all the animals that we can see. He liked them all very much. But there was no one like God. So He said, “I will create a man who will be like Me. I can talk and be friends with him.” God created man from the earth and named him Adam. When God saw everything He had done, He said, “Very, very good! Just great!".

BOOKS: Place the children in a circle so that all children can see you clearly. Show them the Children's Bible. Tell the children: “Please show me who God created on the sixth day.”

A GAME: You can play the following game with the children: on the floor in front of the children there are six boxes (for example, shoe boxes, or made of thick paper), on which are written numbers from 1 to 6. These numbers indicate the day of creation. You give the children six pictures depicting objects created by God on different days. The children's task is to put the picture in the correct box. Don't forget to reward all the children who played this game.

CRAFTS: Today the children will finish making the Flower of Creation craft. On the sixth petal you need to draw some animal (for example, a cat) and a person (just outlines). Remind the children to take their crafts home at the end of the lesson.

ENDING: End the session with prayer and sing a few worship songs.

Lesson 7

Section: Creation. SEVENTH DAY

PRAYER:“Father God, we are so grateful to You for the peace You have made! You love us. You made everything so beautiful. We love you too. Please teach us every day. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Ask the children who remembers the golden verse (“God, who created the world and everything in it.”). Give the children small notes with the golden verse printed without the first word. The first word “God” should be written in dotted lines so that children can trace the letters themselves. “Read” the verse with the children. Maybe one of the children can repeat the verse on their own?

A GAME: Before you play, remember with your children what day of the week it is. What will happen tomorrow? And the day after tomorrow? And so on. Play the game you played last week with your kids, adding a seventh box. There are seven numbered boxes on the floor (from 1 to 7). These numbers represent the day of creation. You give the children seven pictures, on which are drawn objects created by God on different days (in the seventh picture there is nothing drawn, just a blank sheet of paper). Children must put the pictures into boxes. You can take turns playing so that all children have the opportunity to participate.

BIBLE STORY: THE SEVENTH DAY

Everything that appeared on earth was made by God. It didn't take him too long to do this. On the first day the Lord created light and darkness. In the second, God divided the water in such a way that the sky and seas appeared. On the third day, He created dry land in the middle of the water, and grass, plants, and trees grew on this land. On the fourth day the sun, moon and stars appeared and illuminated the earth. On the fifth day the Lord created fish and birds. And in the sixth - all animals and humans. “Very good, just great!” - thought the Lord when he saw all of His creation. On the seventh day He did nothing but rested. The Lord blessed this day and gave it to man for rest. Therefore, we should not do normal activities on this day, but we should go to church and rest on Sunday.

CRAFTS: Make a “Creation Cube” craft with your children. Give the children the cutout, signed in advance (child's name and date), and ask them to color it with crayons or pencils. After this, bend at the fold points. Place six peas inside the cube, which will remind the children how many days it took God to create the world, and glue the cube together. Let the children put finished crafts aside. At the end of the lesson, remind them to take their work home.

ENDING: Finish the session with prayer and sing a few songs. At the very end of the lesson, reward each child for something special. For example: for a golden verse, for answers to questions, for a craft, for diligence, for attentiveness, for neatness, etc. Find something good in each of the children and praise them.

Lesson 8

Section: Noah. NOAH HEARD GOD

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for Your love for us. We thank You for Noah, who believed in You and obeyed You. We ask You, Lord, help us to always believe in You and be obedient to You in everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse for this section is found in Genesis chapter 6, verse 9. Children do not need to learn the entire verse. They will only teach the last words of the verse: “Noah walked with (before) God.” You can play the game “Pass the Bundle” with your children.

BIBLE STORY: NOAH HEARD GOD

Some time after God created man on earth, people forgot God. They did evil and grieved the Lord. The strong abused the weak. The rich humiliated the poor. People cheated, stole and hated each other. It was very painful for God to watch all this. But there was one person who was different from the others. He lived honestly and always acted fairly. He loved God. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by evil, sinful people, this man acted as God wanted. People laughed at him, called him names, told lies and untruths about him. But God, looking at him, rejoiced. This man's name was Noah.

One day God spoke to Noah and told him something very important. God told him something that no man on earth knew. The Lord said to Noah: “Noah, build a great ship (ark). When the ark is ready, take lots and lots of food and bring various animals and your family into the ark. Soon it will begin to rain heavily and all living things will die from the water. Only those who are in the ark will survive."

Noah always obeyed God. Therefore, now he obeyed the Lord.

COLORING: Give children the coloring book “Noah Builds the Ark.” Show me the finished sample. Younger children may need help.

CRAFTS: Cut out the parts of the ark. Have the children glue them onto a piece of paper or cardboard. To make this task more interesting for children, make parts of the ark from paper of different colors. When the children are finished, have them draw clouds in the sky and water. Ask the children to retell the story to each other.

ENDING:

Lesson 9

Section: Noah. NOAH BUILDS THE ARK

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Noah. We want to hear Your voice as Noah heard You. We will obey You. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse for this section is “Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9c). Explain to the children that walking with God means fearing God, respecting Him, honoring Him, and trying to please the Lord in all we do.

Before class, cut out an ark from a piece of paper, write the words of the golden verse on it and cut it into four parts. Ask the children to complete the jigsaw puzzle and then read the golden verse to them. Let everyone repeat after you in unison.

WORDS WITH MOTIONS: Let the children repeat the movements after the teacher and perhaps learn the following words:

God said: “Listen, Noah!

Build the ark quickly!”

(Show the “build” movements.)

Morning, evening and afternoon

Noah hit with a hammer.

(Demonstrate the hammering motion.)

And all the neighbors laughed,

They said: “Ha-ha-ha!”

(Laugh: “Ha ha ha!”)

Look, Noah, the sun is shining!

IT'S NOT RAINING OUTSIDE!

(Put your hand to your forehead,

as if protecting the eyes from sunlight.)

BUT OBEDIENT TO GOD,

(We show the movements “working with a hammer.”)

He is building a big ark.

(Raise your arms up and spread them wide.)

BIBLE STORY: NOAH BUILDS THE ARK

Remind the children of the story of the last lesson. The Lord loved Noah because he tried to live righteously and honestly. Noah walked with God. Noah did good and hated evil. So God told Noah to build an ark. The Lord told Noah what size the ship should be. The ark was supposed to have three floors, with a small window on top and a door on the side. Noah coated the entire ark with pitch, inside and out. When the ark was ready, Noah brought in different animals in pairs (twos) and took food (food) for them and for his family. The last to enter the ark was Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives. After this, God closed the door to the ark. Show the children the toy ark and ask them to name the animals they can see.

BOOKS: Have the children look at the pictures in the Children's Bible and name the animals that Noah brought into the ark.

COLORING: Color the Animals Enter the Ark coloring book with your children.

CRAFTS: Make an “Ark” craft with your children: cut out a small rectangle from cardboard, onto which you then stick matches (pre-cleaned of sulfur). Glue them so that you get an image of the ark. Write the word “NOAH” next to the ark.

ENDING: Pray and sing one or more songs

Lesson 10 Section: Noah. FLOOD PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Noah and his family who loved You and served You. Help us to be bold like them and walk before You every day. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse for this section remains the same: “Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9c). Ask the children what it means to walk with God. If the children have not yet memorized the verse, learn it with the help of a doll: the doll says the words of the golden verse, and the children repeat. WORDS WITH MOTIONS: Let the children repeat after the teacher the movements and continuation of the poem: And when the work was over, (Fold your arms across your chest.) All the animals came running. (Hold hands in pairs.) They began to enter the ark two by two (Move in pairs around the room.) And wait until it’s time for them to swim. (Sit on chairs or the floor.) God closed the door in the ark, Nobody could open it. (Clap your hands once.) The thunder struck and the rain began to fall, (Move your fingers to imitate rain.) For many days and nights he walked and walked. (Drum your fingers on the chair or floor.) BIBLE STORY: FLOOD When Noah, his family, and the animals entered the ark, God closed the door behind them. After seven days it began to rain and continued for forty days. The water rose so high that even the highest mountains were covered with several meters of water. Every living thing on earth died. Only Noah, his family and the animals that were with him in the ark survived. Water increased on earth for 150 days. Show the children a model of the ark. BOOKS: Show the children the Children's Bible. Have a child briefly retell the Bible story. MOSAIC: Show the children the Ark mosaic. Let them put it together. Ask the children to name the animals in the picture. ENDING: Sing the song(s) and end the session with prayer.

Lesson 11

Section: Noah. RAINBOW

PRAYER:

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse is “Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9c). Ask the children who remembers the verse and can recite it by heart. Give the children four inflatable balloons on which one word of the golden verse is written with a marker or felt-tip pen. Children blow up balloons. After this, one of the children bursts the balloons with a pin, having first “read” the word on the balloon. All other children repeat the words of the verse after him. At the end of the lesson, give out small prizes to those who memorized the verse.

WORDS WITH MOTIONS: Let the children repeat the ending of the poem after the teacher with movements. If the teacher remembers the words by heart, you can repeat the entire poem with the children.

But everyone who was in the ark

Our good God has wonderfully preserved!

(Shake your head affirmatively and say “Yes!”)

And Noah prayed in joy: (Fold your hands in prayer.)

“Thank you, Lord, that You are always with me!” (Everyone says, "Amen!")

BIBLE STORY: RAINBOW

Let the children themselves remember what they were told about in the last lesson. Soon the ark stopped on high mountains. Noah opened the window and released the raven, but it soon returned. A few days later, Noah released a dove, which also returned. A few days later, when Noah released the dove, it brought a fresh leaf in its beak. A few days later, Noah released the dove, but it never flew back. When the earth dried up, Noah, his family and all the animals left the ark. The first thing Noah made was an altar on which Noah offered a sacrifice to God. He prayed and thanked the Lord for saving him and his family from the water. God loved Noah because he walked with the Lord.

BOOKS: Have the children look at the picture in the Children's Bible and briefly retell the Bible story.

COLORING: Give the children a Rainbow coloring book. Tell the children what colors to decorate the picture with and help those who need your help.

CRAFTS: Make an Ark-2 craft with your children. Glue matches (pre-cleaned of sulfur) onto the cardboard in the form of a diamond (several layers) to make a three-dimensional ark. Make a roof of matches on top, having previously placed a note with a golden verse in the ark. Cut out a window and a door from dark colored paper. Place the window on top and the door on the side of the ark.

ENDING: End the session with prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 12

Section: Obedience. ABRAHAM

PRAYER: “Lord, we are so grateful to You for every person who has been obedient to You. Thank You for the example of Abraham, who believed in You and went to a country he did not know. Help us to be obedient to You in everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: In this section we will teach the following golden verse: “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Show the children a mosaic in the shape of a tent. It’s very simple to make: draw a tent on a piece of paper, color it with colored pencils or crayons, write a golden verse on it and cut it into 5-6 parts. Children must complete the puzzle, then read the golden verse to them several times. Let the children repeat after you. Explain to the children that Abraham and his wife Sarah, whom they will learn about today, lived in a tent like this (in other words).

BIBLE STORY: ABRAHAM

Once upon a time there lived a man who loved God very much. This man's name was Abraham.

One day God told Abraham to leave home and go to another country. God promised to take care of Abraham.

Abraham thought and thought. Leave your home? Leave the city where he lived? Leave your friends? “I don’t know if I can,” Abraham thought. But he knew what he was going to do. “I will do what God says,” said Abraham. “I believe that God knows what is best for me. I believe in God."

So Abraham and his family packed their clothes and things and loaded the luggage onto the camels. They were ready for a long journey.

They said goodbye to all their friends and left. Abraham was perhaps a little afraid. Maybe he was a little sad. But he believed in God. He knew that God would take care of them.

Abraham traveled with his family for many days. Finally they came to another country. The first thing Abraham did was build an altar and pray

God, thanking Him for His guidance. “Thank you, God, for Your care for us, for bringing us to this place. I know that You are strong and kind. We will always believe in You."

CRAFTS: Make an Abraham craft with your children. Paste the strips onto a sheet of paper in the desired sequence. If you have placed the stripes correctly, you will get a drawing in which you can see Abraham.

COLORING: Color the crafts you made with the children in this lesson. At the end of the lesson, remember to remind the children to take their work home.

ENDING: End the session with prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 13 Section: Obedience. AND SHE PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Your protection and Your salvation that You give to those who walk before You. We want to always please You and walk before You. Help us with this. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: We continue to teach the verse “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Make a mosaic in the shape of a whale from dark blue cardboard. Write the golden verse with a bright marker on the front side, and on the back side draw Jonah praying. When the children repeat the golden verse after you, turn the mosaic over to the other side and show the picture of Jonah. Tell the children: “You will soon learn about this man named Jonah.” BIBLE STORY: JONAH Read the poem “Jonah” to the children, and then tell the story in simple, understandable language. "Go, Jonah, preach To Nineveh,” God commanded. The Prophet thought: “No, I’ll leave.” To Tarshish...” and he boarded the ship. Here he sleeps in the hold (it’s calmer there), Suddenly there is a storm. They throw luggage into the sea. And the captain said to Jonah: “We need to pray, not sleep.” "Who are you? – questions were heard. – Where? Speak quickly!” And the fugitive answered the sailors: “I am a God-honoring Jew. I am the reason for this grief This is not where I should be at all... Let the abyss bury me - And the storm will stop howling.” And now the guilty Jew is thrown overboard, It flies like an unnecessary thing... A huge whale swam behind the ship, And the whale swallowed Jonah. Jonah swam for three days In a living and terrible ship - The cabin was a whale's stomach - And finally he swam to the ground. The whale threw him onto land - The Lord decided to save him... How bad it is not to listen to the Lord And sin with self-will! BOOKS: Place the children in a circle so that they can see you clearly. Show them the Children's Bible and the book Jonah and the Whale. Ask the children to retell the Bible story using the pictures in the book. VIDEO: If possible, you can show the children the cartoon “Jonah”. COLORING: Give the children the Jonah on the Seashore coloring page. CRAFTS: Make a paper Jonah craft with your children. On the bottom side, draw Jonah praying to the Lord. ENDING: End the session with prayer.

Lesson 15

Section: Obedience. JESUS

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for every person who obeys You. Teach us every day how we can trust You. We want to obey You always and in everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE:“Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22) is our golden verse. Build a fort out of blocks with your children. Walking around it, say the golden verse together. Walk around Jericho several times together, and then one at a time. Give the child who recited the verse a small prize.

BIBLE STORY: THE SAYS OF JERICHO

When Moses died, Joshua became the leader of the people of Israel. The Israelites approached the land that the Lord had promised them. They crossed the Jordan River, the waters of which parted before them like the Red Sea. The people crossed the land of Jordan and camped on the other bank. Directly in front of the people was the city of Jericho. Its high walls seemed impregnable. Joshua thought, “Lord, how are we going to conquer this city and land?” The Lord turned to His faithful servant and said: “Let all the people who are able to fight walk around the city once for six days. On the seventh day, go around the city seven times, blow the trumpets and let all the people shout. After this, the city wall will collapse to its foundations.” Joshua obeyed the Lord and did everything as God told him. Every day the men walked around the city. The enemies did not understand what was happening. Why are these Israelis walking around our city? Why don't they attack? But even if they attack us, they will not be able to do anything. High city walls protect us! A city like Jericho is impregnable!

On the seventh day, the people of Israel walked around the city seven times. After this, the seven priests blew the trumpets, and the people shouted loudly. Suddenly the walls of Jericho began to shake and collapse. The people of Jericho did not understand what was happening. The walls of their city shook and collapsed to their very foundations. The Israeli people rushed towards the city and rushed in from all sides. This was the first city that the Israelites captured in the land of Canaan.

POEM "JERICHO": Learn the following poem with the children. Give the words to the children to learn at home with their parents.

God's people marched around the walls,

And he was silent, as if he was mute.

Only the trumpets played them loudly,

And people in the city heard it...

The seventh time we walked around the wall,

They stopped... and suddenly screamed.

The loud scream made the walls fall down,

And the trumpets played and people shouted...

And this scream was heard so far away,

And the walls collapsed very easily!

But who, tell me, broke the walls?

Yes! The Strong and Mighty God destroyed them!

CRAFTS: Make a Walls of Jericho craft with your kids.

ENDING: Sing a few worship songs and pray.

Lesson 16

Section: Obedience. ELIJAH AND THE ROVES

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Your care. You give us food every day. Teach us to be obedient to You, as Elijah was obedient. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: We teach the golden verse, “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). You can play the game “Pass the package.”

POEM "ELIA": TRY TO LEARN WITH YOUR CHILDREN.

The Lord is exalted in His wisdom,

He sent food to the prophet wonderfully:

Then the raven will bring a piece of meat,

Then the poor widow will bake unleavened bread.

The hand of the Lord has not failed,

And the benefits from the earth have not yet been taken.

God does wonderful things

And these days. You just need to see them.

BIBLE STORY: CROVES

“Elijah, there will be no rain on the earth for several years. The plants will dry out and there will be nothing to eat. Go to the stream of Horath and stay there. I will take care of you,” God said.

When Elijah came to the brook Cherith, he was tired and hungry and thirsty. He drank from the stream. (Put your hands together and show how you drink from the stream.) Oh, what delicious, cool water! “But I’m hungry, and there’s nothing edible here,” Elijah said. Suddenly he heard the flapping of wings. He looked up and saw a large black bird. It was a raven, and it had something white in its beak! The raven threw to Elijah what he had in his beak. It was bread. Yum-yum-yum, very tasty! Elijah bowed his head and said, “Thank You, God.”

Suddenly he heard the flapping of wings again. He looked up and saw another raven. There was a piece of meat in the bird's beak, which he threw to the preacher! Elijah tasted the meat. Yum-yum-yum, how delicious! He bowed his head and said, “Thank You, God. »

Every morning and every evening the ravens brought Elijah meat and bread. He drank from the stream of Horath. God took good care of Elijah.

COLORING: Give children the Elijah and the Crows coloring book. Tell the children what colors to decorate the picture with and help them.

CRAFTS: Make a craft mobile “Crows” with your children. The paper from which you will make the crows should be black on both sides. You can glue two sheets of black paper together. Glue the eyes on both sides of the head (you can do it yourself by placing a dot on a white circle with a black marker). Attach the birds to the mobile (paper tape) with a thread using a needle (ONLY an adult should do this!). Write “GOD CARE ABOUT US” on your mobile phone.

ENDING: Pray with the children and sing a song.

Lesson 17

Section: Obedience. NAHMAN

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for the children who believed in You and for the little Israelite girl who ministered to Naaman’s wife. Help us to always believe in You. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE:“Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22) is the golden verse of this entire section. Without reminding the children, ask them who can recite the golden verse. Reward these children right away. Reward the rest later when you repeat the verse together.

BIBLE STORY: NEMAN

The military leader Naaman was sick. And no one could help him: not his family, not his friends, not his neighbors. His servants and even the king could not help him. (Show the children a doll whose face and hands are smeared with flour, explaining to the children what leprosy looks like.)

But one little girl said, “There is a prophet in Israel, whose name is Elisha, who, with the help of God, will cure Naaman.” “Okay,” said Naaman, “I will go to Elisha and see if he and God can help me.” When Naaman arrived at Elisha's house, he went to the door and knocked three times (show). Door opened. “I am Naaman, the commander of the army. Is Elisha at home? - he asked. “Yes, Elisha is at home, but he is busy,” the servant replied. “He told me to tell you to go to the Jordan River and wash yourself seven times, and then you will be healthy again.” The commander turned around and left. He was very angry and did not thank the servant. “Elisha could have at least met me. Why should I wash in the Jordan River? It seems so stupid, but I'll try."

The water was cold, but the commander jumped into the river. "I feel so stupid," he said. “And nothing happened. I haven't recovered." But Naaman jumped again, and again, and again. He was about to give up when one of the soldiers said, “Only two more times left, Warlord.” Naaman jumped into the water again. He thought that this would be enough, but he remembered what the prophet had said seven times. One more time won't hurt. He jumped into the water one more time. This time he plunged headlong into cold water. Then he came out of the water.

“I feel different,” Naaman said to himself. "I am well!" - he shouted to the soldiers. Naaman and his soldiers returned home very happy.

BOOKS AND PICTURES: Sit the children in a circle and show them the Children's Bible and pictures that resemble the Bible story.

CRAFTS: Make the “Healing of Naaman” craft with your children: the picture shows the Jordan River and a slit is made, and a pocket is made on the back side below the slit. Children lower the figurine of the leper Naaman into the slot from the outside, showing how he plunged into the water. In the pocket there is a figurine of a healthy Naaman in advance. After the sick Naaman has been “dipped” seven times, he goes into the pocket, and from the pocket we take out the figure of the healthy Naaman and push it through the slot.

ENDING:

Lesson 18

Section: Children in the Bible. JOSEPH

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for the children who believed in You. Thank you for Joseph from whom we can learn. Help us to believe in You just as Joseph did. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE:“We are now children of God” (). We give the children 4 inflatable balloons, on which one word of the golden verse is written with a marker or felt-tip pen. Children blow up balloons. After this, one of the children bursts the balloons with a pin, having first “read” the word on the balloon. All other children repeat the words of the verse after him.

BIBLE STORY: JOSEPH FORGIVED HIS BROTHERS

Joseph had many brothers. Eleven brothers. We only have 10 fingers on both hands. Eleven is ten and one more. Joseph's father loved him very much. He even made him colored clothes. But the brothers were jealous of Joseph and one day they sold him into slavery. Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to a rich man. But God helped Joseph and after some time Joseph became the most important and famous person in that country after the king. Only the king was more important than Joseph. All the people respected Joseph and loved him. Soon he met his brothers. But he did not punish them, although he could have thrown them into prison or executed them. He forgave them. Joseph loved his brothers and God. Soon Joseph met his dad again.

MOSAIC "JOSEPH": Show the children the mosaic and point out that Joseph's father loved him very much and gave him colored clothes. God also loves us very much because we are His children. In the Bible, the book that God wrote, it is written “we are now the children of God.”

WORDS WITH MOTIONS: Learn the following words with movements with your children:

Joseph, Joseph, you are sitting so deep!

(Make a sad face and look down.)

But don't be afraid: God is always with you,

Even when you're sleeping.

(Pretend to be asleep.)

Ah, Joseph, strangers

They took you far.

(Put your hand to your forehead and look into the distance.)

But the Lord will always be with you,

All your earthly days!

(Smile and say “Amen!”)

BOOKS: Place the children in a circle so that all children can see you clearly. Show them the book Joseph and the Colored Clothes. Open the first page, tell what is written there and give it to the children. After looking at the picture, the child passes the book to the next person. When the book returns to you, you open the second page and hand the book to the children, telling them what is written next and what can be seen in the picture. Ask children to look as quickly as possible because “everyone is interested.” There is no need to drag it out too long so that the children do not lose interest. Tell the story emotionally and captivatingly.

After some time, you can show the children other books: individual pages of the book “Joseph’s Dream.”

COLORING: Give children the coloring page “Joseph Forgives His Brothers.” Show me the finished sample. Younger children may need help.

CRAFTS: You can show the children how you will make the “Joseph in the Ditch” craft. When the craft is ready, let each of the children take turns playing with it. Let the children tell the story of Joseph on their own.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 19 Section: Children in the Bible. MOSES (1 part) PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for the children who believed and believe in You. Thank you for Moses from whom we can learn. Help us to trust You just as Moses and his mother trusted You. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: In the lessons of this section, children will learn the verse “We are now children of God” (). Children must find pre-hidden pieces of paper around the room, shaped like a basket with a baby. These pieces of paper have the words of the golden verse written on one side and numbered on the other side. When the children find them, put them in the correct order. Let the children help you if they know the numbers. Say the verse one word at a time and let the children repeat. Then recite the verse in full. Will children be able to repeat after you? BIBLE STORY: BABY IN A BASKET (Use the book “Moses and the Special Basket” while telling this story. After opening the first page, you tell what is written there and give the book to the children. The children look at the picture and pass the book to each other in turn. It is more convenient to sit the children in a semicircle so that they are all You were seen and did not interfere with each other. When the book is returned to you, you read the second page and pass the book back to the children. Ask the children to look at it as quickly as possible so that they do not lose interest.) Once upon a time there lived a king who really disliked the people of Israel, especially infant boys. Moses' mother knew that God would help her save her baby from this evil king. Miriam, Moses' older sister, loved her little brother very much. Moses' mother made a special basket that floated on the water. She hid Moses in this basket on the river, and Miriam watched him. When the king's daughter and her maids came to the river, they saw this basket. The maid took the basket out of the water and gave it to the princess. The princess took baby Moses out of the basket and hugged him. Mariam ran up to the princess and said that she could call a nanny for the baby. The nanny that Miriam brought to the king's daughter was Moses' mother. The princess loved baby Moses and raised him in the palace as her own son. Moses' mother thanked God every day that the king's daughter had found the basket. Moses grew up to believe in God just as his mother did when he was very little! REPETITION: Show the children the “Joseph” mosaic and briefly recall the story of the previous lesson. Tell the children that they will soon learn about some more children who believed in God. God loves us very much because we are His children. The Bible even says that we are children of God. COLORING: Give the children a coloring book “Baby in a Basket.” Show the finished sample to make it easier for children to color. CRAFTS: Make a Life of Moses craft with your children. You will need helpers to cut out the pieces of the craft. You can involve older children in this work. Ask a child to tell the story of the life of Moses using a craft. ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 20

Section: Children in the Bible. MOSES (part 2)

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Your love for us. Thank you for the faith You have given us. Let us believe in You as Moses believed. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse in this lesson is the same as in the previous one: “We are now children of God” (). Explain the verse to the children in your own words. We are children of God, because God is our dad and He calls us His sons and daughters. You can play the game “Pass the Bundle” with your children. You prepare a bundle in advance, consisting of several bundles (newspaper held together with adhesive tape), inside of which there are cards with the words of the golden verse. In the last package, along with the card, put some small prize (candy, lollipop, etc.). Children sitting in a circle pass each other a package in turn to music. When the music stops, the child holding the package unwraps the top layer and takes out a card. Place the card on the floor and read the word of the verse. Let the children repeat after you. Turn on the music and the game continues. The surprise will go to the one who unfolds the last layer. After this, repeat the entire golden verse together. Maybe one of the children remembered the verse. Reward these children with a small prize.

BIBLE STORY: GOD SPEAKS TO MOSES

When Moses grew up, he became a shepherd. One day he went with his herd far from home. He walked and walked when suddenly he saw fire. He came closer and saw that it was a bush on fire. “I wonder,” Moses thought, “who could set fire to this bush here in the desert?” Time passed, the bush burned, but did not burn out. Moses decided to come closer to see why the bush was not burning. As he approached the bush, he suddenly heard a voice calling him by name. "Take off your shoes, because the ground you're standing on is holy." It was the voice of God. “Moses, I want you to return again to Egypt, from where you fled, and lead My people out of slavery. I will always be with you and will lead you to a good land where you will live freely." Moses obeyed God and did what the Lord told him.

POEM: Learn the following poem with your children. You can give the words to each child to learn with their parents.

MOSES

God came to Moses to say:

“I want to give you a task:

The evil pharaoh sits in a magnificent palace,

And you, Moses, must talk to him..."

Moses didn't like this job

And he doesn’t feel like going to Pharaoh.

But Moses knew that he must obey,

And he decided to be obedient to God.

And although Moses knew that he would meet with trouble,

Still, he boldly answered:

“Yes, Lord, I am coming!”

REPETITION: You can ask the children to tell you the story of baby Moses using the book Moses and the Special Basket. Let the children take turns telling the story one picture at a time. If any of the children have forgotten the story, someone can help them.

COLORING: Give children the coloring page “Moses Leads the People of Israel.” Maybe the children will need your help.

ENDING: You can end the lesson with some song and prayer.

Lesson 21

Section: Children in the Bible. SAMUEL

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You that we can hear Your voice as Samuel did. Help us to be attentive so that we hear You. Help us to be obedient to You and our parents. Thank you. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse for this lesson is “We are now children of God” (). Ask the children to explain the verse in their own words.

You can teach a verse with children in the following way: the doll pronounces the verse, and the children repeat after it. First, one word at a time. Then it went completely silent. You can change the speed of pronunciation, volume, voice. Ask children to be careful to repeat exactly as the doll says. When children are able to recite a poem without the help of a doll, you can compete to see who is faster - the doll or the child?

BIBLE STORY: SMUEL IN THE TEMPLE

Samuel served in the temple, where he assisted the priest Eli. Samuel was a very good helper. He loved the Lord very much and wanted to live a life that would please God. One evening Samuel went to bed. He was already starting to fall asleep when suddenly he heard someone calling him. “It’s probably Eli calling me,” Samuel thought. He jumped out of bed and ran to the priest. “I came because you called me,” said Samuel. “I didn’t call you. Go to bed, Samuel,” answered Eli. As soon as Samuel lay down on the bed, he suddenly heard someone calling him again. He got up and went again to Eli. “Iliy, it was you who called me this time?” – asked Samuel. “No, I didn’t call you. It's already late. You probably dreamed it." Samuel went to bed and heard again: “Samuel!” When Samuel came to the priest, Eli realized that God was speaking to Samuel. “When you hear your name again, say what you hear and ask the Lord to speak to you,” Eli told him. God spoke to Samuel again and told him what He wanted to do in the future.

REPETITION: Briefly review the stories of Joseph and Moses with the children. You can assemble the “Joseph” mosaic and look again at the book “Moses and the Special Basket.”

COLORING: Give the children a Samuel coloring book. Maybe the children will need your help. Show them the colored picture as an example.

ENDING: Sing a song and say a short prayer.

Lesson 22

Section: Children in the Bible. DAVID (1 part)

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for David, who believed in You. Thank you that we can learn from his example to trust You. Help us to love You as much as David loved You. In the name of Jesus. Amen".
GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse of this lesson is “We are now children of God” (). Make four lambs of different sizes with the words of the golden verse written on them (the largest lamb has the first word, the smallest lamb has the last word). Have the children put the lambs in order to make a golden verse. The verse can be written on the reverse side so that children are not distracted. Once the children have arranged the lambs, turn the figures over and read the verse to the children. Have them try to repeat the verse.

BIBLE STORY: THE GOOD SHEPHERD

David tended his father's sheep. He loved the Lord and often played the harp and sang songs praising God. The Lord helped David and made him very brave.

One day David was tending sheep. Everything was quiet and calm. But suddenly David saw how a huge hungry bear grabbed a small lamb. David was not taken aback and rushed at the bear. God helped David, and the lamb survived.

One day, a huge lion attacked David’s flock, but this time David did not run home and did not leave the sheep alone. He protected the sheep so that the lion could not do anything. Whenever someone attacked the sheep, David defended them without fear. He knew that the Lord was with him.

REPETITION: Briefly recall the stories of past lessons (Joseph, Moses, Samuel) and again remember the story of David. You can use bright pictures to help children retain visual images in their memory. You can ask the children to put together a Joseph mosaic.

CRAFTS: Make a “Harp of David” craft with your children. You will need helpers to cut out the pieces of the craft. You can involve older children in this work. Ask the children to talk about David while you make a craft.

Lesson 23

Section: Children in the Bible. DAVID (part 2)

PRAYER:“Lord, we love You and we believe in You. Please help us to never be afraid of anything or anyone. Help us to be bold like David. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Explain to the children that the golden verse (“We are now the children of God”) are the words of God and are written in His Word, the Bible. Open the Bible and show the children where this verse is written. You could underline a Bible verse and have everyone take turns looking.

BIBLE STORY: DAVID AND GOLIATH

David continued to tend his dad's sheep when the war began. The Philistines attacked David's people. They wanted to capture all the cities and make people their servants. The two armies lined up against each other. On one side stood the Israeli soldiers, and on the other stood their enemies, the Philistines. The strongest and tallest warrior in the Philistine army was Goliath. He was much taller than David. He was much stronger than David. He had a long spear in his hands, a heavy sword at his side, and a huge shield hanging behind his back. He went out every day and challenged someone from the Israeli army to fight him. But everyone was afraid of him, and no one dared to fight such a strong warrior.

When David saw Goliath, he was not afraid, but wanted to fight this giant. David was shorter than Goliath. He wasn't as strong. He didn't have a weapon like Goliath. But he believed that God would help him. And the Lord helped David defeat Goliath.

REPETITION: Ask the children to remember the names of people who believed in God and about whom you told them. Ask the children to remember an episode from the lives of these people (for example, Joseph's dad gave him very beautiful clothes; Moses' mother hid him in a basket; when Moses grew up, God spoke to him from a burning bush; Samuel heard the voice of God when he went to bed; David shepherded sheep and was very brave). Use bright pictures to remind children of these stories. You can reward the children with small prizes, first to those who answered, and then to all the remaining children.

COLORING: Give children the David with a Sling coloring book. Show the finished sample to make it easier for children to color.

CRAFTS: Make a “Defeat of Goliath” craft with your children. You will need helpers to help children bend the paper as needed. You can involve older children in this work. Ask a child to talk about David and Goliath as they work.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 24

Section: Children in the Bible. SOLOMON

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Solomon from whom we can learn. We want to get to know You more and more. We ask you for wisdom. We know that You always give wisdom to those who ask You. Thank you. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Make a simple crown mosaic out of bright paper with the golden verse “We are now the children of God” () written on it. The children will have to put together the pieces of the puzzle, after which you will read the golden verse to them. Ask the children to repeat the verse after you. If it's difficult for them. Let them repeat not the whole verse, but in parts. Tell the children that these words are written in the Bible and are the words of God. Therefore, it is very important for us to know them and learn them by heart.

BIBLE STORY: THE WISE KING

King David had a son named Solomon. When David grew old, he appointed Solomon king, although he was still very young. Solomon loved God very much. One night God spoke to Solomon in a dream and said to him, “Ask for what to give you.” Solomon could have asked God for lots and lots of money to buy whatever he wanted. He could ask God for a long, happy life. He could ask the Lord to help him defeat all his enemies. But he didn't ask for it. He was very young, and so he asked God for wisdom. And the Lord heard him and gave him wisdom and even what Solomon did not ask for.

One day two women with one child came to King Solomon. One said that it was her child, and the other that it was hers. No one could determine which of these women was telling the truth and which was lying. But God gave King Solomon wisdom and He was able to make the right decision. When all the people heard about this, they realized that the Lord was helping Solomon.

REPETITION: Show the children pictures of biblical characters (Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David and Solomon). Give the pictures to the children, give them time to look at them carefully and ask them to tell a story from the life of these characters. Praise the children and reward them with small prizes.

COLORING: Give children the Solomon and the Queen of Sheba coloring book. Show the finished sample to make it easier for children to color.

CRAFTS: Make a “Crown of Solomon” craft with your children. You will need helpers to make the craft. Ask older children to help you. Ask a child to talk about Solomon when they have finished crafts.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 25

Section: Children in the Bible. JOSIAH

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for Josiah from whom we can learn. We want to love You and serve You. Please help us to always love Your Word – the Bible. Thank you for everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Make several small “bibles”: fold a small paper rectangle in half, write “BIBLE” on the outside and paint it dark; On the inside, write one of the words of the golden verse (“We are now the children of God.”). Ask the children to find some “bibles” around the room that have “accidentally gotten lost.” When the children find them, put them in the correct order and read the golden verse. Explain to the children that these words are written in the Bible and are the words of God. That's why we call this verse golden - it is very important to us.

BIBLE STORY: THE LITTLE KING

Josiah was only eight years old when he became king. (Show the children how old Josiah was on their fingers and ask them to show you eight fingers.)

He loved the Lord very much and tried to live in such a way as to please God. When Josiah became older, he decided to repair the temple of God. The priest, while cleaning the temple, found the book of the law. (You can show the children this situation: You are putting things in order or sweeping the floor, when suddenly you discover a book and are very surprised.) The Book of the Law was brought to King Josiah, and when it was read to him, he was very upset and even tore his clothes. He was sad because he did not know God's laws before and therefore did not keep them. From that time on, the king began to study the law himself (show the children the Bible) and taught the commandments of God to all the people. The Lord loved Josiah and helped him in everything.

REPETITION: Ask the children if they remember the name of the king we talked about last time. What did King Solomon ask God for? Josiah was also a wise king because he loved God and studied His law.

CRAFTS: Make the “Crown of King Josiah” craft with your children. Ask older children to help you make a craft for the little ones. After the children have completed their crafts, ask one of them to talk about King Josiah.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 26 Section: Children in the Bible. JOHN and JACOB PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for John and James and for the other disciples from whom we can learn. Help us to be obedient to You just as these two brothers were obedient to You. Thank You for Your help. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: Show the children a drawing of fishermen with fish glued to it. The fish are glued on only one edge (for example, the tail) in such a way that by bending back the edge that is not glued, you can read part or a word of the golden verse (“We are now the children of God.”). For greater clarity, you can stick a piece of bandage over the fish like a net, but in such a way that you can bend the fish back. Ask the children if they remember why we call this verse golden. BIBLE STORY: OBEDIENT BROTHERS Brothers John and Jacob were fishermen. Almost every day they fished with their dad. One day, while they were washing their nets on the shore, Jesus came up to them and said: “Follow Me.” They immediately left their father and followed the Lord. They walked with Jesus for three years, hearing all the stories Jesus told and seeing all the miracles Jesus performed. Jesus loved John and James very much and often took the two brothers and Peter with Him where He did not take the other disciples. One day Jesus took John, James and Peter to a high mountain where He was praying. Suddenly the disciples saw how Jesus changed: His clothes became white, white as snow. The prophets Moses and Elijah appeared next to them and talked with Jesus. John and James saw many of Jesus' miracles. John even wrote several books in the Bible. REPETITION: Show the children the two crowns - crafts they made in the previous two lessons. Ask them what was the name of the king to whom the Lord gave much wisdom, and what was the name of the king who began to reign when he was very young (8 years old). CRAFTS: Make a “Boat and Fishermen” craft with your children. You will need helpers to make the craft. Ask older children to help you. ENDING:

Lesson 27

Section: Children in the Bible. BOY WITH FIVE LOaves

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for the boy who trusted You and did not spare His food for You. We ask You to help us trust You too. We love you. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Make cards out of paper in the form of five loaves and two fish, on which the words of the golden verse and the place of Scripture where this verse is located will be written (“We are now the children of God.”). Number the cards on the back. Show the children, one by one, the numbers (1-7) drawn on the loaves and fishes, calling them out loud. Then ask the children to put the cards in order. The children may need your help. Laying out the cards one by one, let the children count out loud themselves. When the cards are in the correct order, turn them over and read the golden verse to the children. Can one of the children repeat the verse after you?

BIBLE STORY: FIVE LOaves AND TWO FISHES

“Can I, mom? Can? Well, please, can I?”

“I'm busy, Pavel. (Use the name of one of the boys in your class whose attention is most difficult to hold.) Can I have something?”

“Can I go down the road to see Jesus?”

“Where is He and who is He?”

“He is now near the lake and He is telling very interesting stories. I want to listen to Him. Everyone has already left. Is it possible, mom?”

“It will be lunch time soon, and you might get hungry. Let me prepare some food for you to take with you.”

Mom put five loaves of bread (show five fingers), small loaves of bread, and two small fish (show two fingers on your second hand) in Pavel’s bag.

"Of course! Here, take it all and give it to Jesus."

Jesus picked up the food, looked up at the sky, prayed, and suddenly, a miracle of miracles happened! Suddenly there was enough bread and fish to feed five thousand men and all the women and children who were there. There are still twelve baskets left.

CRAFTS: Make a “Boy’s Basket” craft with your children. Ask older children to help you.

COLORING: Give the children the coloring book “The Boy with Five Loaves.” Show the finished sample to make it easier for children to color.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 28 Section: God of miracles. THE SEA HAS OPENED PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Moses, who led the people of Israel out of Egypt. We thank You for all the miracles You do. Thank you for the miracle of the sea. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The verse for this section is found in Psalms 104:5 – “Remember His wonders.” Explain the verse to the children in your own words. We must remember the miracles that God has done that are recorded in the Bible, and the miracles that God does in our lives. With children, you can memorize the words “Remember the wonders of God.” These words are easier for children to understand. Maybe one of the children can name some miracles that God has done. BIBLE STORY: THE WATER IN THE SEA PARTED The people of Israel suffered greatly in Egypt. The Egyptians bullied the Israelites by forcing them to work hard. The people prayed to God and asked to save them from the evil Egyptians. The Lord heard and sent Moses to Egypt. Moses brought out the people of Israel and led them to a good country. But Pharaoh (king of Egypt) decided to catch up with the Jews and bring them back. Pharaoh's army has almost caught up with the people of Israel. People heard the tramp of horses and the noise of chariots. They are about to die or be taken back into slavery. It seems that nothing and no one can help. But nothing is difficult for God! The Lord sent a wind that blew so hard on the Red Sea that the waters of the sea parted to the sides. The people of Israel walked along the bottom of the sea as if on dry land, and the water stood like two walls on both sides. As soon as Moses and his people reached the seashore, the waters closed again. The people of Israel passed through the Red Sea, and none of them drowned or suffered, because the Lord was with them. REPETITION: Remember with your children all the heroes of the previous section (Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Josiah, John and Jacob, the boy with the five loaves). Beautiful, bright pictures will help you. COLORING: Give the “Moses Leading the People of Israel” coloring page to children who did not color it. Show the children the finished sample. CRAFTS: Make an Exodus craft with your children. You will need helpers to make the craft. Ask older children to help you. Ask one of the children to talk about the miracle of the sea when they have finished their crafts. ENDING: Finish with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 29

Section: God of miracles. GOD FEEDS THE WIDOW AND HER CHILDREN

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for taking care of us, feeding us and clothing us. Thank you for being our dad. We love You and want to serve You. In the name of Jesus. Amen"

GOLDEN VERSE: The verse of this section is “Remember His wonders” (). We will memorize the words “Remember the Wonders of God” to make it easier for children to remember. We give the children 4 inflatable balloons, on which one word of the golden verse and a place of Scripture are written with a marker or felt-tip pen. Children blow up balloons. After this, one of the children bursts the balloons with a pin, having first “read” the word on the balloon. All other children repeat the words of the verse after him.

Ask the children what miracles they remember from the Bible. Maybe one of the children will be able to tell about some miracle that the Lord did in the life of their family.

BIBLE STORY: THE MIRACLE OF OIL

Tell the children that you will tell them the story of the tree. Most likely, children do not know what oil is. Therefore, explain to them that oil is an oil similar to the one their mothers use to fry delicious pancakes and pancakes.

One woman's husband died and she was left alone with two children. She came to Elisha and began to cry. “Elisha, you are God's prophet. You hear the words that the Lord speaks. Help me and my children. My husband died and I am now a widow." She cried and cried. “A neighbor came to us and demanded that we give him the money that my husband lent. But I do not have money. This man wants to take away my two children for debts. What should I do?"

Elisha thought and asked, “What do you have in your house?” “I have nothing but one jug of oil (oil),” answered the widow. Suddenly Elisha heard God say something to him. He told the woman, “Go to all your neighbors and ask them for empty jugs. When you have taken many, many jugs, go into the house with your sons and pour oil into the empty jugs.” The woman obeyed Elisha and did everything he said. She asked all her neighbors for empty jugs, brought them home and began pouring oil into them. When the jug was full, her children would put it aside and give her another. They filled one jug, then a second, a third, a fourth... They had already lost count. There are so many jugs, and each of them contains expensive oil.

(You can show the children what this miracle looked like by pouring a drink from a bottle into glasses. Your assistant “barely has time” to hand you the next empty glass. Tell the children that the only difference is that the oil in the jug did not decrease. The drink will be ready give to children after the story during snack time.)

When all the jugs were filled, the oil stopped flowing. The joyful widow found Elisha and told him about the miracle that the Lord had done. “Go sell the butter. Then you will be able to pay off the debt to your neighbor, and with the rest of the money you and your children will be able to live,” Elisha told her.

REPETITION: Remember with your children what a miracle the Lord performed with the sea when Moses led the Israelite people. Show the children the pictures.

CRAFTS: Make a “Jug of Oil” craft with your children. When the children have finished working, ask them to retell the story.

ENDING: Finish with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 30 Section: God of miracles. THE CHILD IS RISEN PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Elisha, who obeyed You. We also want to see such miracles as Elisha saw. Help us to be obedient to You in everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen" GOLDEN VERSE: The verse for this section is found in Psalms 104:5. We will teach the words “Remember the Wonders of God.” These words are easier for children to understand. You can teach a verse with children using a doll that pronounces the verse and the children repeat after it. First, one word at a time. Then it went completely silent. Change the speaking speed, volume, voice. Ask the children to be careful to repeat exactly as the doll says. When the children learn the verse, you can compete to see who is faster - the doll or the child? BIBLE STORY: THE CHILD IS ALIVE AGAIN! One boy got sick. He sat in his mother's arms until he died. The mother took her child to the room where Elisha lived, laid her son on the bed, and she went to see God’s prophet. Elisha often came to visit this family because they had prepared a room for him in their home where he stayed when he was in this city. When Elisha learned that the child had died, he went to take the child’s mother to their home. He went up to his room. There was a little boy lying on his bed. Elisha closed the door. He knelt down and prayed to God. Elisha believed in God, and something miraculous happened. The little child moved. He sneezed! He sneezed seven times! (Ask the children to sneeze seven times.) Then he opened his eyes. He looked at Elisha and smiled. The little boy was alive and well again! Learn the following words with movements: This little boy was healthy. (Give a thumbs up) He could walk. (Make a “walk” motion with your fingers) He could jump. (Show your fingers jumping) He could run. (Show the “run” motion on your fingers) And climb trees. (Make a “climb up” motion with your thumb and forefinger) This little boy is sick. (Put your finger on your other hand) Help came from Heaven. (Look up) Elisha prayed. (Fold your hands) The boy sat down. (Thumbs up) He sneezed - not just once - but seven times! (Sneeze seven times) REPETITION: Ask the children what other miracle the Lord performed through Elisha (the miracle of the oil that did not decrease). CRAFTS: Make the “Elisha’s Room” craft with your children. Glue wooden sticks (matches) onto the table, and a piece of fabric onto the bed. Use fabric with a different pattern to make small curtains for the window. ENDING: Finish with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 31

Section: God of miracles. THE ENEMY IS BLIND

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Elisha, from whom we can learn to trust You. We thank You for your protection and protection. Help us not to be afraid of anything or anyone. We love you. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The verse for this section is found in Psalms 104:5 – “Remember the wonders of God.” You can play the game “Pass the Bundle” with your children. You prepare a bundle in advance, consisting of several bundles (newspaper held together with adhesive tape), inside of which there are cards with the words of the golden verse. In the last package, along with the card, put some small prize (candy, lollipop, etc.). Children sitting in a circle pass each other a package in turn to music. When the music stops (if it is not possible to use music, the teacher, standing with his back to the children, can simply clap his hands from time to time), the child who is holding the package unfolds the top layer and takes out a card. Place the card on the floor and read the word of the verse. Let the children repeat after you. Turn on the music and the game continues. The surprise will go to the one who unfolds the last layer. After this, repeat the entire golden verse together.

BIBLE STORY: ENEMIES SEE NOTHING

One day a large army of Syrians surrounded the city where Elisha lived because Syria was at war with Israel. God's prophet woke up in the morning to the screams of his servant. He ran around the room and screamed in fear. Elisha was not afraid or worried, because he knew that God was stronger than all his enemies.

He prayed to God and said: “Strike them with blindness.” Suddenly all the soldiers went blind and stopped seeing. They didn't know where to go. And Elisha said to them: “Let me take you to the city where you need to go and to the person you are looking for.” The soldiers followed Elisha, who led them to the king of Israel. God's prophet prayed that God would open the eyes of the Syrians. The Lord answered this prayer and they were able to see again. The king was very happy and wanted to kill his enemies. But Elisha told him: “Don’t kill them, but rather feed them and let them go.” After that, these people went to their homeland in Syria and never fought with the Israelis again.

REPETITION: Children already know three stories about Elisha and the miracles that God did through him. Let them retell these stories. You can help them by giving them the Children's Bible, open to pages 199, 195, and 205.

CRAFTS: Make a craft “The Lord opens and closes people’s eyes.” You can help the children, but it’s better that they learn to cut, glue, and draw themselves. Place the sample in front of the children so everyone can see. As you work, remember the story again. Let the children try to tell themselves what they remember.

ENDING: Finish with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 32 Section: God of miracles. GOD SAVES DANIEL PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for Daniel. Teach us to trust You as much as Daniel did. Thank you for the miracle you did in his life. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The verse in this section is “Remember the wonders of God.” With your children, make a little book with the words of the golden verse and the scripture where it is found. To do this you will need a binder, four strips of paper and pens (markers) of different colors. Write one word on each strip (the last one is a Scripture) and let the children, under your supervision, bind the strips together using a binder. When the book is ready, tell the children that Daniel was very smart and read a lot of books. Children can take the books home so their parents can help them learn the verse. At the next lesson, you can award small prizes to those who know the golden verse by heart. BIBLE STORY: DANIEL THROWN INTO THE LION'S DEN When telling this story, you can use the book “Daniel and His Very Good Friend.” When showing the children the picture, tell them what is drawn there. King Darius was a very good friend of Daniel. Some bad people did not want Daniel and King Darius to be friends. They persuaded King Darius to issue an order that everyone should pray to the king. Daniel violated the king's command because he prayed only to God and to no one else. Because Daniel disobeyed the order, King Darius had to throw him into a den of large, hungry lions. Daniel prayed to God and asked Him to protect him from large hungry lions. God heard Daniel's prayer and sent an angel to protect him from the lions. King Darius could not sleep that night because he felt sorry for his very good friend. The next morning, King Darius hurried to the ditch where large hungry lions sat. King Darius was very happy and glad when his good friend Daniel was taken out of the ditch. He was so pleased that he rescinded his decree and ordered everyone to pray to the God of Daniel. Daniel and King Darius remained very good friends and worshiped God together for the rest of their lives. REPETITION: Have the children retell the Bible story, taking turns using the book Daniel and His Very Good Friend. COLORING: Give children the Daniel and the Lions coloring page. Show the finished sample to make it easier for children to color. CRAFTS: Make a “Daniel” craft with your children. You will need helpers to make the craft. Ask older children to help you. Ask one of the children to retell a story they heard today. ENDING:

Lesson 33

Section: God of miracles. AN ANGEL BROUGHT PETER OUT OF PRISON

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for the miracles You do. Please teach us to trust You as Peter did. We want to see Your miracles in our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse of this section is “Remember the wonders of God.” You can make small crafts for children by cutting out the outlines of two warriors and Peter from paper. After gluing two pieces of thread, connect the three figures so that the Peter figure is in the middle. On one side, write on the figures - “Remember”, “miracles”, “God”; and on the other - “Psalm”, “104:” and “5”. Let the children take the crafts home.

BIBLE STORY: PETER IS FREE AGAIN

King Herod was a very evil man. He ordered the execution of one of Jesus' disciples, James, John's brother. (Several lessons ago, the children learned about two brothers, James and John. Ask them if they remember what the professions of the brothers were before they became disciples of Jesus. You can show children craft - Fishing Boat.) When King Herod saw that some people liked it, he decided to execute another of the Apostles. This time, Herod's soldiers captured Peter and put him in prison. But at this time it was Easter, so they decided to execute Peter in a few days. And then the night came, which was to be Peter’s last. The next morning he was supposed to be killed. To prevent Peter from running away, a large guard was posted near his cell. In the same cell slept two soldiers, to whom Peter was chained with two chains. It was simply impossible to escape. When suddenly... A bright light shone in the dark gloomy chamber! So bright, as if the sun had mixed up the time and began to shine at night. Peter woke up and saw an Angel who said to him: “Get up and follow me.” Peter stood up and followed the Angel through the heavy iron doors, which opened by themselves. When they left the prison on the street, the Angel suddenly disappeared, and only now Peter realized that it was not a dream. God Himself sent His Angel to save him.

REPETITION: Reminisce with the children about how God saved Daniel. You can use the book “Daniel and His Very Good Friend” for this. Tell the children that our Lord is Almighty. He saved Daniel, and it was not difficult for Him to save Peter.

SCENE: You can put on a short skit with the children based on the Bible story that the children heard today. You will need five people to play Peter, Angel, Herod and two soldiers. You can use ropes instead of chains.

CRAFTS: Make the “Liberation of Peter” craft with your children. You will need helpers to make the craft. Ask older children to help you. Ask one of the children to retell a story they heard today.

ENDING: Sing a few songs and end the lesson with a prayer.

Lesson 34

Section: God of miracles. PETER RESURRECTED A WOMAN

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for Peter and for all the miracles You did in and through his life. We want to believe in You just as Peter believed. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The verse for this section is found in Psalm 104, verse 5 – “Remember the wonders of God.” Use a marker to write the words of the verse on balloons for the children to take home with them after class. Label each ball and put it somewhere so that the children are not distracted.

BIBLE STORY: TABITHAH IS ALIVE AGAIN

Tabitha was very kind to people. She always helped poor people with food and money. But besides this, she herself sewed very beautiful clothes, which she used to help those in need. But then one day she got sick. She lay at home one day, two, three, but did not recover. And a few days later she died. The people living in this city loved her very much and they sent two disciples to Peter to ask him to come to them. When Peter arrived, the people with tears in their eyes showed him the shirts and dresses that Tabitha had sewn. Peter went into the room, knelt down and prayed. And after that he turned to the body and said: “Tabitha, stand up!” She opened her eyes and, seeing Peter, sat up. Tabitha was alive again, and all the people glorified God for this miracle. Tabitha did a lot of good things and sewed a lot of beautiful clothes for needy people in her city.

REPETITION: Let the children remember the miracle that happened to Peter. You can show them a picture from the Children's Bible. Let the children tell the story themselves.

CRAFTS: Make a Tabitha craft with your children. Cut out two dresses for each child. Use a hole punch to make holes along the edges of the dresses, placing both dresses together (kids will have a lot of fun trying this out on their own). Give each child a piece of thread that the children will use to “sew” the two pieces together. Attach the ends of the thread with tape on the reverse side. You can write “Tabitha is alive again!” on the dress.

While you work, you can sing a song with the children or talk about the good things they can do.

Lesson 35 Section: God of miracles. PAUL SAVED IN DAMASCUS PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for Paul, who at first did not believe in You and then did. Help us to obey You and hear Your voice. Thank You for every miracle You have performed. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE:“Remember the wonders of God (Psalm 105:5)” is a memory verse. Make a little golden verse craft with your kids. To do this, you will need two strips (one should be slightly wider than the second, but about half as long). On a narrower strip, write the words of the golden verse, and on a wider strip, cut two vertical slits at a distance so that the second one can move freely in the slits and so that one of the words can be seen. By moving the bar, you can read the entire verse. Glue the edges of the narrow strip together to make a ring. BIBLE STORY: SAUL TRUSTED IN JESUS Paul's former name was Saul. He really didn't like people who believed in Jesus. When he learned that there were many disciples of Jesus in the city of Damascus, he took soldiers with him and went to this city. He wanted to capture all the Christians and put them in prison. As Saul was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven shone around him. Saul even fell to the ground and immediately asked: “Who are you?” He heard in response: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” From that moment on, Saul went blind and did not see anything for three whole days (Ask the children to show you three fingers). But three days later the Lord told the disciple, whose name was Ananias, to come to Saul and pray for him. Ananias did not want to go right away, because Saul was a very evil man and did a lot of bad things to Christians. But later he agreed to come and when he prayed, Saul began to see again. Saul believed in Jesus and never again persecuted believers. He began to preach himself and tell people about Jesus. REPETITION: Ask the children what two miracles God performed in Peter's life (the release from prison and the resurrection of Tabitha). Let the children explain more using the Children's Bible or pictures. CRAFTS: Make the “Conversion of Saul” craft with your children. You will need helpers to make the craft. Ask older children to help you. Ask one of the children to retell a story they heard today. ENDING: End the lesson with a prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 36

Section: God of miracles. GOD FREED PAUL AND POWER

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for Paul, for changing him. We want to preach about You as Paul preached and see miracles like he saw. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The verse in this section is “Remember the wonders of God” (Psalm 104:5). Make a small craft with your children that will look like a prison building. Cut a hole in the door and stick a sheet of white paper on the bottom with the words of the golden verse so that when you open the door you can read the golden verse (no need to glue the door).

Give small prizes to those children who learn the golden verse. Label the crafts on the back so that each child can take theirs home.

REPETITION: Let the children remember the story of Paul's (Saul's) conversion to faith. Show them books and crafts. Explain to the children that after Saul believed in Jesus, he was called Paul instead of Saul.

BIBLE STORY: PAUL AND POWER

(Wave your finger menacingly.) “Are you ever going to stop talking about Jesus? If not, you will regret it." This is what the people told Paul.

But Paul continued to talk and tell others about how wonderful Jesus was. Paul was not afraid at all because he knew that God would take care of him. Besides this, Paul was a good missionary.

But soon people captured Paul and his friend Silas. They grabbed them, tore their clothes and beat them. And then they threw them into prison and said to the jailer: “Put them in prison in a place where they cannot tell others about Jesus.”

The jailer ordered Paul and Silas to be taken to the farthest cell. To prevent them from escaping, their feet were shackled in blocks. “Now let’s see how you get out of here and tell others about Jesus,” said the jailer, slamming the door and closing it twice.

Paul and Silas began to sing. (Sing the chorus of a song that goes with the story.) The other prisoners heard Paul and Silas singing about Jesus and began to listen. Suddenly - Boom! Hurry! — a big earthquake happened. The walls of the prison shook and all the doors opened. All prisoners could now escape from prison. The jailer woke up and saw what had happened. He took out his sword and was ready to kill himself because he thought Paul had escaped when he heard a voice: “Do not harm yourself. We didn't run away. We're still here." It was Paul's voice.

The jailer ran up to Paul and said, “Please, Paul, tell me about your Jesus. He is truly a wonderful friend. I want Him to become my friend too.” The jailer and his entire family believed in Jesus from that time on.

CRAFTS: Make the Life of Paul craft with your children. Briefly tell the children a few stories from Paul's life. One day God saved Paul from the evil people who were watching him at the gates of the city in a very interesting way. Paul was lowered from the city wall in a basket.

ENDING: End the lesson with a prayer and sing a song. Remind the children to remember to bring crafts with them.

Lesson 37 Section: Jesus. JESUS ​​IS THE SON OF GOD PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for giving us Your Son – Jesus Christ. Thank you that we know You and believe in You. Help us with everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse that children will learn throughout this unit is found in Matthew 16:16: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We'll change this verse a little to make it easier to remember. Children will learn the following words: “Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God.” BIBLE STORY: MARY AND THE ANGEL Israel was captured by the powerful Roman Empire, ruled by an emperor, or Caesar. One day Caesar said: “I need money: I want to build myself a new palace. I need money: I want to update roads and build new ships. I need money for my warriors, who help me rule over many countries..." The people of Israel were very unhappy: “Caesar wants more and more money.” But they were afraid. Roman troops were stationed throughout the country. Sometimes the Israelis were filled with powerlessness, sometimes with sadness. “Can’t anyone really help us?” But some people said, “Do not be sad and do not be afraid. We have the Holy Scriptures, which say that God will send a Deliverer to His people. We are His people, God will help us." (The teacher shows the children a figurine of Mary.) At this time, in a small Israeli town there lived a young girl named Maria. She had a fiancé and, while helping her parents with housework, she often thought about Joseph. “Soon Joseph will become my husband. We will have our own home and I will help him in everything.” Suddenly Maria heard: “Greetings, Maria. The Lord is with you. God sent me to you." Maria was even a little scared. (The teacher places a figurine of an Angel next to the figurine of Mary.) “Mary, you will give birth to a Son. Call Him Jesus, because He will save people from their sins." Maria asked in surprise: “I’m not married yet. How can I give birth to a Son? “The Father of this Child will not be Joseph, but the Lord. He promised to send Israel a Deliverer who would save the people.” Mary replied, “I don’t quite understand how this will happen, but I will obey God.” The angel disappeared (hide the angel), and joyful Mary ran to tell Joseph everything. CRAFT AND REPEAT: Make a figurine of Mary and an Angel with the children, which they will first decorate with crayons or pencils. Let the children tell the Bible story for this lesson themselves. ENDING: End the lesson with a prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 38

Section: Jesus. JESUS ​​LOVES CHILDREN

PRAYER:“Dear Lord, we thank You for Your love for us and for all children. Help us love other people just as much. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The children will continue to learn the following verse: “Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God” (). The teacher shows the children a picture drawn on cardboard (thick paper) depicting Jesus. Next to Jesus, there are slots made in the cardboard into which figures of children are inserted. There is a golden verse written on the back of the figures. “Turning the child figures over to the other side, you will see the words that God wrote in the Bible. This is a golden verse. Now we will turn the figures over again. You see that the children loved Jesus and were always close to Him. They believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of the Living God."

BIBLE STORY: JESUS ​​AND THE CHILDREN

Every time Jesus came to a city or village, many people gathered around Him. The news about Him spread quickly: “Jesus is in town! He heals the sick and talks about God!” One woman takes her daughter by the hand and says: “Let’s go, let’s listen to what He tells us.” Other mothers also call their children, some take their babies in their arms and go to where Jesus is. It's a fun crowd. Children jump and rejoice.

The disciples of Jesus are surprised: “Why did the mothers bring their children with them?” One of them says: “Jesus is busy. Children still don’t understand anything. They just get in the way. Go away and don't make any noise."

The women and children were saddened. They turned around and were getting ready to go home, when suddenly they heard: “Let the children come to Me. Why do you forbid them? The Kingdom of God belongs to them."

Jesus rejoiced and rejoices today when children come to Him.

CRAFTS: Make a “Jesus Loves Children” craft with your children. Let the children color the sheet first, and then cut it and fold it over.

REPETITION: Show the children the figures of Mary and the Angel. Have them tell the story of the previous lesson. Ask the children who Jesus' dad is.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer and sing a song.

Lesson 39

Section: Jesus. JESUS ​​HEALED THE BOY

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for all the miracles You have performed. We thank You for every person healed. We love you. Bless us in Jesus name. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Children will learn the words “Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God” (). To do this, they will make “beads” with a golden verse. You will need six paper rectangles (can be made from colored paper) measuring approximately 3 by 4 cm, on which you need to write the words of the verse and the scripture. Glue the rectangles together with a tube and thread them on. Boys can give their “beads” to their mothers or sisters.

BIBLE STORY: THE BOY RECOVERED

In the city of Capernaum there lived a boy who fell ill. He visited many doctors, took different medications, but nothing helped him. His dad served in the royal palace. But even the king could not help.

Suddenly the boy's father heard that Jesus was nearby. He heard a lot about Jesus Christ. “Jesus is the only one who can help us,” thought the boy’s dad and went to look for Jesus. He searched for the Lord for a long time, asked different people, but finally found him. The boy's father ran to Jesus and said, “Jesus! Come with me, please. My son is very sick. I ask You to heal him. Come with me while my son is still alive."

Jesus did not go with him, but said, “Go home. Your son is healthy! This man thought, “If Jesus said it, then it must be so.” He obediently went home. He was in a hurry to find out how his son was feeling. Suddenly he saw his servants running towards him. They had already started shouting from afar: “Sir! Mister! Your son is healthy! My father was happier than ever in his life. He asked the servants about the time when his son got well and realized that it was when Jesus told him: “Go home. Your son is healthy! And the boy’s father, and the boy, and the whole family believed after this that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God.

CRAFTS: Make paper dolls with your children that fit on your fingers. When you make crafts with your children, remember the Bible story again, showing it with the help of dolls. Let the children get involved too, using their dolls. Show the father doll first. Then show the Jesus doll on the other hand. And then take off the Jesus doll and put the joyful boy doll on your finger.

REPETITION: Show the children the Jesus Loves Children craft from last lesson. Let the children remember the topic of the previous lesson. You can help them remember by asking leading questions.

ENDING:

Lesson 40 Section: Jesus. JESUS ​​RESURRECTED A GIRL PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for every miracle You have performed. You even resurrected a girl who died, because nothing is difficult for You. We love You and ask you to help us in everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: We continue to teach the children the verse: “Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God” (). You can learn this verse with the help of a doll in the following way: the doll pronounces the golden verse, and all the children repeat (first one word at a time, and later several words each). BIBLE STORY: THE GIRL IS ALIVE! One day a man named Jairus came to Jesus and asked the Lord to help him. He had one only daughter, whom he loved very much. She was only 12 years old, but she became very ill and no one could help. The doctors were powerless. So this girl's dad came to Jesus. Jesus immediately went to Jairus' house to heal his daughter. But on the way they met people who came from Jairus's house and brought unpleasant news. “Don't bother the teacher, Jairus. We are very sorry, but your daughter has already died. The doctors did everything they could." Jairus felt his legs give way from grief. “I don’t have children anymore. The only child I had, but died, is my beloved daughter,” thought the unhappy father. But at that moment he heard the words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid, just believe, and your daughter will be saved.” When they arrived at Jairus's house, all the people were already crying and sad music was playing. Jesus took with Him three disciples and the girl's parents and entered the room. The girl was no longer breathing. But Jesus took her hand and said, “Little girl, get up!” At that moment, the girl opened her eyes, began to breathe again and sat up in bed. The parents were happy and surprised at the same time. Their girl was alive again! Jesus loved people and always helped them. REPETITION: Ask the children what similar story they already know (see previous lesson). Discuss with the children how these stories differ (one tells about a boy, the second about a girl; the boy was sick, but did not die, and the girl died, but was resurrected, etc.). IMAGES: Show the children large pictures of the story. Ask the children to tell you the Bible story themselves. CRAFTS: Make the “The Girl Is Alive Again!” craft with your children by coloring the picture and gluing a piece of fabric instead of a blanket. Don't forget to sign each work. ENDING: End the lesson with a prayer of gratitude for every miracle of the Lord.

Lesson 41 Section: Jesus. JESUS ​​HEALED A BLIND MAN PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for the miracles of sick people becoming healthy. You are our God, and we ask You to heal our family and friends so that no one gets sick. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: Our golden verse is “Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God” (). Sit the children in a circle (on the floor, for example) and ask them to close their eyes. “You now understand how blind people feel.” Place numbered cards in front of the children with the words of the golden verse written on them. Let the children find them without opening their eyes. After this, the children can open their eyes, put the words of the verse in order and read it aloud to the children. Let them repeat after you. BIBLE STORY: THE BLIND SEES AGAIN! In one city, Jesus saw a blind man asking for money. This man was born blind and had never seen beautiful flowers, beautiful clouds, or a sunset in his life. He didn't even see his parents. The students immediately asked their Teacher who was to blame for the fact that this man was blind: his parents or himself. Jesus replied that no one was to blame for this - neither his parents nor himself, but through this God would be glorified. After this, the Lord spat on the ground and, mixing the saliva with the earth, anointed the eyes of the blind man with the resulting mud. “Now go and wash in the pool of Siloam.” (You can explain to the children that this word means “Sent” in Hebrew and we remember that Jesus was sent by God the Father.) The blind man went to the pool, although he did not understand why Jesus smeared his eyes and told him to go wash . He had heard from other people that Jesus healed sick people and hoped that maybe this would help him. Although all the people said that never before had a person blind from birth become sighted. When he arrived at the pool, he scooped up water with his hands and began to wash his eyes. A bright light, which he had never seen in his life, hit his eyes. Overjoyed, he ran home to tell others about this miracle that Jesus performed. But all the neighbors could not immediately believe in this miracle and thought that it was another person. A man who was born blind but was healed by Jesus believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of the Living God. CRAFTS: Make glasses for a blind person from black cardboard. Ask the children to show the craft to other family members at home and tell them the Bible story. BOOKS AND PICTURES: Show the children today's story in the Children's Bible and the large pictures of the healing of the man born blind. ENDING: Sing a song and end the session with a short prayer.

Lesson 42

Section: Jesus. JESUS ​​LOVES EVERYONE

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You that You love all people. You love adults and children. You love even bad people because You believe that they can change and become good. Thank you. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: You can play the game “Pass the Bundle” with your children. You prepare in advance a package consisting of several layers, inside of which there are cards with the words of the golden verse. In the last package, along with the card, put some small prize (candy, lollipop, etc.). Children sitting in a circle pass the package to each other in turns. When the teacher, standing with his back to the children, claps his hands, the child holding the package unfolds the top layer and takes out a card. Place the card on the floor and read the word of the verse. Let the children repeat after you. After this, the game continues. The surprise will go to the one who unfolds the last layer. After this, repeat the entire golden verse together.

BIBLE STORY: ZACCHEAUS

One day Jesus came to the city of Jericho. There were always crowds of people around Jesus. Some people couldn't even see Jesus because of the crowd, let alone hear what He was talking about with others. In this city lived a man named Zacchaeus. He was very short, but he was very rich. Zacchaeus did not have a single friend. People didn't like him because he cheated others for money. Zacchaeus really wanted to see Jesus, but the crowd wouldn't let him in. People pushed Zacchaeus away and called him Shorty. All the people were sure that Jesus would not even want to talk to Zacchaeus. “Who knows, Jesus knows what kind of person Zacchaeus is!” - people thought. No matter how hard Zacchaeus tried, he could not get one step closer to the Lord. But suddenly he smiled to himself and ran along the street along which Jesus was walking. Having overtaken the crowd, Zacchaeus saw a tree. Quick as a cat, he climbed up the fig tree and began to wait for Jesus to come. Now no one will stop him from seeing Jesus Christ, about whom people talk so much. Or maybe even Jesus will come closer to the tree and Zacchaeus will even be able to hear Him. Suddenly he saw a crowd of people, among whom Jesus was walking. People were supposed to walk next to Zacchaeus, but suddenly the crowd went straight to the fig tree on which the short rich man was sitting. Jesus walked up to the fig tree, looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, get down from the tree because I need to come visit you.” Zacchaeus almost fell from the tree in surprise. Nobody loved him, he had no friends, not even just comrades. And suddenly Jesus wants to come visit him. Zacchaeus changed, became good and began to help poor and needy people.

CRAFTS: Make a Zacchaeus on a Tree craft with your children.

BOOKS: Show the children today's story from the Children's Bible.

ENDING: End the session with a short prayer.

Lesson 43

Section: Jesus. JESUS ​​IS WITH US NOW

PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for always being there for us. You will never leave us alone. We love You and thank You for everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: This is the last lesson from the Jesus Section. Have the children recite the golden verse (“Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God.”). Give rewards for memorizing the verse. Give the opportunity for children who came for the first time, or were absent from previous lessons, to learn the verse.

BIBLE STORY: JESUS ​​IS ALWAYS WITH US

This happened immediately after one of the biggest Jewish holidays - Passover. Jesus was executed on the cross. The disciples gathered in the house, where they cried and sobbed. They felt sorry for their Teacher, and they were afraid. All the doors and windows in the house were locked. They remembered how Jesus told them that on the third day after His death He would rise again, but they did not believe. But suddenly someone knocked on the door of the house. Maybe they are soldiers? They carefully looked through the crack in the door and, seeing that they were two of Jesus' disciples, they opened the door. The two people were joyful and smiling. “Why are you rejoicing? Don’t you know that Jesus was killed, and we too can be captured at any moment and executed?”

“We know that Jesus was nailed to the cross, but we know something else. As we walked from Jerusalem to a certain village, we met Jesus, who spoke to us. Don’t you remember how Jesus told us that he would rise again after death?”

It was hard for the disciples to believe, but suddenly Jesus appeared in the room. All the doors and windows were closed, but the Teacher Himself stood in the middle of them. Everyone was immediately afraid, but Jesus said: “Do not be afraid, it is I.”

Jesus told His disciples, “I will always be with you, wherever you are.” Therefore, we never need to be afraid of anything, because we are not alone.

CRAFTS: Make a paper heart with your children, consisting of two identical parts, inside of which the words “I am with you always until the end of the age ()” will be written. Explain to the children that Jesus is always with us, even when we are afraid and cannot see Him. He is inside our heart. He is close to help us and give us courage.

BOOKS AND PICTURES: Show the children a Children's Bible and other pictures of the risen Jesus.

REPETITION: Let the children remember the story of Zacchaeus. You can show them a craft from a previous lesson to help them remember.

ENDING: Sing a song and end the session with a short prayer.

Lesson 44

Section: Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT ON MOSES

PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for the Holy Spirit, which You have given to those who believe in You. We thank You for Moses, from whom we can learn to trust You. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse of this section is “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me” (). Make small tablets out of paper on which the golden verse will be written. Explain to the children what tablets (two flat stones) are. God himself wrote the words of the law (10 commandments) on stone tablets and gave them to Moses.

BIBLE STORY: WONDERFUL LIGHT

One day God told Moses: “Make two tablets out of stone and go up to Mount Sinai. There I will talk to you and write My commandments for you on tablets.” Moses did just that. He hewed two tablets out of stone and early in the morning ascended the mountain.

God spoke to Moses and explained the commandments to him, and the entire Israeli people waited for their leader. Moses was on the mountain for a very long time: more than a month, forty days and nights. And when he began to descend from the mountain, he had in his hands two flat stones (tablets), on which God wrote very important words for His people. People looked at the mountain every day and thought: “When will Moses return? The Lord probably tells him very important words for us. I wonder what he will tell us when he returns? Suddenly they noticed a man coming down the mountain. “This must be Moses,” they thought. “Very similar to our leader.” As Moses came closer, the people noticed that he had something in his hands for them. These were two flat stones (tablets) with the law that God wrote for them.

But what is it with Moses' face? Why does it glow so brightly? Like a sun!

Moses didn't even know that his face began to glow while he was talking to the Lord. When he came down from the mountain, he did not understand why people were afraid of him. Therefore, Moses covered his face with a veil when he spoke to people, and when he spoke to the Lord, he took off the veil.

BOOKS: Show the children the picture of Moses with the tablets of the law in the Children's Bible.

CRAFTS: Have the children cut out a Moses figure, paint the face yellow, and glue the golden verse tablets that the children made at the beginning of the lesson to the figure.

ENDING: End the lesson with a song and prayer to make our faces shine with God's light.

Lesson 45 Section: Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT ON SAMSON PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for every blessing You have given us. And thank You for the greatest blessing - the Holy Spirit, Whom You gave us. We love You, Holy Spirit, and we want to hear Your voice always. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse of this lesson is found in the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61, verse one: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me.” You can give small prizes to children who remember the golden verse. BIBLE STORY: CITY WITHOUT GATES The Lord has always loved and loves His people. But when people turned away from God and stopped believing in Him, serious problems came into their lives. This story happened many years ago. The people of Israel forgot God and did evil. Therefore, very soon they were attacked by enemies - the Philistines. People suffered and cried. When things got really bad, they prayed to God and asked Him to help. The Lord heard the prayers of His people and sent deliverance. In one family a boy was born who was named Samson. Already from childhood, the Spirit of the Lord descended on Samson, and miracles happened. Samson was very strong, and his strength lay in his hair. That's why he didn't cut his hair and had long hair. One day, enemies came to Samson and tied him with two new ropes. (At this point, your assistant can tie the hands of one of the children or all the children with a thin thread. Ask the children not to tear the thread yet.) But when the bound Samson was led, the Spirit of the Lord descended on him, and he tore the ropes like thin threads. (Children can now break the thread to pretend to be Samson.) One day Samson came to the city of his enemies. The enemies waited all night for Samson to leave the city to capture him. They locked the gate and thought that now Samson would not be able to escape. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, he tore out the gate and placed it on his shoulders. (You can emotionally show the children how Samson did this.) Only in the morning did the Philistines find the gate of their city on the top of the hill. It took many people to bring the gates back to the city. But Samson did it alone, because the Spirit of the Lord was on him. REPETITION: Show the children the craft from the previous lesson and remind them of the story of Moses. CRAFTS: Make a small craft with your children that will look like a city gate. Write "Gaza Gate" on the doors. Tell the children that Gaza is the city where the enemies of the Israeli people lived - the Philistines. ENDING: End the lesson with prayer.

Lesson 46 Section: Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT ON DAVID PRAYER:“Father God, thank You for the Holy Spirit Whom You have given us. Holy Spirit, You are always with us, so we can be bold like David and not be afraid of anything. We love You and thank You for everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse is “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me” (). Let the children make a “horn of oil” from a strip of paper. Explain to the children that oil is oil that has been pressed from olives. The most important person in the country in ancient times was the king. The king was anointed with oil. This is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. A small piece of paper with the golden verse written on it can be inserted into the horn so that children can learn it at home with their parents. BIBLE STORY: SAMUEL ANOINTED DAVID David's parents had a lot of sons - eight. (Have the children point out this number on their fingers.) David was the youngest, which means he had seven older brothers. One day, God's prophet Samuel came to their home. Samuel heard the voice of God and did what the Lord told him. He came specifically to anoint one of the brothers as king. In ancient times, the prophet poured oil (oil) on the head of the person who was to become king. When Samuel saw his older brother David, he thought: “This is the future king! He’s tall and strong!” But the Lord told him: “It’s not him.” Samuel approached the second brother, but the Lord said again: “And it is not he.” Samuel approached the seven brothers one by one, but realized that God had not chosen them to reign. Dad didn’t call David because he was still very young and was tending sheep. When Samuel found out that there was another brother, the youngest, whom they forgot to call, he realized that God did not choose the strong and tall one, but the one who loved the Lord very much. Samuel poured oil from the horn on David's head, and from that time on the Holy Spirit was always on David. Therefore, he was never afraid of anyone: neither a lion, nor a bear, nor Goliath. And the Lord helped him in everything. BOOKS AND PICTURES: Show the children the Children's Bible and other pictures that show Samuel anointing David to be king. SCENE: If you have enough boys, you can show the Bible story. Choose the smallest boy as David. Finally, explain to the children that God does not look at our age, height, or strength. It is important to Him that we have a pure heart that loves Him. REPETITION: Show the children a craft from last lesson and remind them of the story of Samson. You can tie the hands of one of the children with a thin thread so that he can show how Samson broke the two new ropes. ENDING: Sing a song and end the session with a short prayer.

Lesson 47 Section: Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT ON JESUS PRAYER:“God the Father, we thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You that the same Holy Spirit lives in us as was on Jesus. We thank You for everything. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse for this lesson is “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me” (). Give five children who are not afraid of loud noises balloons containing notes with the words of the golden verse ("Spirit", "Lord", "God", "on Me" and ""). Children need to burst the balloons by stepping on them with their feet. After that, unfold the notes and make a golden verse from the words. Let the children repeat the words of the verse after you several times until they memorize it. BIBLE STORY: DOVE FROM THE HEAVEN Jesus was thirty years old (show the children on your fingers what thirty years is). He also worked as a carpenter, i.e. carved furniture and various objects from wood. He has not yet cured a single person, he has not performed any miracle. But one day Jesus heard God the Father tell Him to go to the Jordan River. In this river John baptized all the people. People came to him and asked God for forgiveness for their wrong actions. As soon as John saw Jesus, he realized that Jesus is the Son of the living God, whom God the Father sent as Savior for all people. Therefore, John did not want to baptize Jesus. “Jesus, it is I who need to be baptized by You, not You by me!” But Jesus answered him: “You must baptize Me.” Then John baptizes Jesus. As soon as Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven on Jesus in the form of a dove. And all the people heard a voice from heaven that said, “This is My beloved Son, who will do My will.” Everyone was amazed when they looked at Jesus. After this, Jesus performed many signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit. REPETITION: Show the children a craft from last lesson and ask how many of them remember what the teacher talked about last time. CRAFTS: Make a “Baptism of Jesus” craft with your children. Have one of the children (or all the children take turns) tell a Bible story. Tell the children that this same Holy Spirit is upon us today to help us, encourage us, teach us, and do miracles. ENDING: End the lesson by praying that God would fill us with more of His Spirit every day and that we would always hear His voice.

Lesson 48

Section: Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT ON 120 DISCIPLES

PRAYER:“Lord, we are grateful to You for everything You give us. And especially for your Holy Spirit, which you poured out on us. Help us to be bold and speak about You always and to all people, as the Apostles and your disciples did. In the name of Jesus. Amen".

GOLDEN VERSE: Golden verse - “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me” (). Give the children small cards with one letter written on one side and line(s) of different colors on the other side. The first word of the golden verse can be folded by laying out three cards in the correct sequence, on which one of the letters of this word is written on one side, and on the other side red dashes are drawn (the first letter is one dash, the second is two and the third is three). The word “Gentlemen” will be written on seven cards, on the back of which there will be blue lines, etc. Let the children write the golden verse, repeat it and try to learn it if they haven’t already.

BIBLE STORY: FIRE OVER YOUR HEAD

This story took place shortly after Jesus was crucified and He was resurrected. In Jerusalem, in a house, in an upper room (i.e. on the second floor) the Apostles and disciples gathered. There were one hundred and twenty people in all (several times more than there are us here in the room!). They were praying together, when suddenly... Everyone heard a noise that can be heard when a very strong wind blows. Nobody understood anything. And suddenly everyone saw that flames appeared above the heads of everyone present. Someone already wanted to run for water to put out the fire. But they soon realized that this fire did not burn. It was the Holy Spirit, whom God the Father sent upon His children. At that moment, all one hundred and twenty people began to pray in other languages ​​that they had not learned before. And all the unbelievers who heard this noise were amazed and glorified God. After this, the disciples preached and spoke about God with power, and were not afraid of anything. God performed miracles and healed many sick people.

REPETITION: Reminisce with the children about the story of the last lesson. Let them tell you, and then show them the Baptism of Jesus craft.

CRAFTS: Give the children a sheet of paper with pictures of students praying. Fold a sheet of red paper several times and cut out tongues of fire. You will get several at once, which the children will glue above the students’ heads. Write “120” at the bottom of the picture.

ENDING: End with a prayer and song of worship.

Lesson 49 Section: Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT ON PHILIP PRAYER:“Lord, we thank You for the Holy Spirit, which You have given to all who obey You. We want to always be obedient to You, just like Philip. Help us with this. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: Children continue today to learn the verse “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me” (). Make a set of cards with the word of the golden verse written on one side and the serial number on the back. Ask two children to hold the thread or string, and let the third child, who knows the numbers, use clothespins to hang the cards on the thread in the correct order. Read the verse to the children, and let everyone repeat after you. Now ask the children to “read” on their own. BIBLE STORY: AN UNUSUAL MEETING One day the Angel of the Lord told one of Jesus’ disciples, Philip, to go to a deserted road leading from Jerusalem. Philip was very surprised: “Lord, I don’t understand why I need to go to this road, which almost no one walks or drives on. Maybe I just heard it or was I mistaken? No, if the Lord said it, then I must obey Him.” So Philip obeyed and walked onto the deserted road. He walked, glorified the Lord and prayed, when suddenly... he heard some noise. “Strange,” thought Philip, “what is that noise?” Soon he saw a chariot approaching him. A man was sitting on it and reading something. The Holy Spirit told Philip to come to the chariot, and Philip heard that the eunuch (the servant of the Queen of Candace) was reading the Bible. Philip asked: “Do you understand what you are reading?” “No, I don’t understand anything, but I would really like someone to explain it to me.” Then Philip began to tell him about Jesus and what God had done for every person. The eunuch believed in Jesus and right on the way, when they reached the water, he was baptized in water. When they came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on the eunuch, and the Angel of the Lord carried Philip to the city of Azoth, where he preached about Jesus to the inhabitants of this city. The eunuch went home joyful, glorifying God for the Holy Spirit, which descended on him, and for the salvation that the Lord had given him. CRAFTS: Let the children use matches to make a chariot in which the eunuch rode on the road from Jerusalem. Make the wheels out of cardboard. When they have finished, have the children retell the Bible story from today's lesson. SCENE: Prepare a skit with your children based on today's lesson. Distribute the roles of Philip, Angel, and eunuch among the children. Let a child say the words of the Spirit, hiding from the other children. ENDING: End the lesson with a song and prayer.

Lesson 50 Section: Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT ON JOHN PRAYER:“Lord, thank You for Your Word, which You have given us, and for the Holy Spirit, Who teaches and helps us. Holy Spirit, help us to understand everything that is written in the Bible. Teach us as You taught John. In the name of Jesus. Amen". GOLDEN VERSE: The golden verse of this section is found in the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61, verse one (“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me”). Make a mosaic from a strip of paper by writing the words of the verse on it and cutting it so that the children can guess which pieces are adjacent. BIBLE STORY: ON THE ISLAND OF PATMOS John, one of Jesus' disciples, lived on the island of Patmos. The emperor exiled John there because he preached about Jesus. But John did not stop believing in God and continued to preach to those people who lived on this island. One Sunday, John was praying and suddenly heard a voice behind him. A loud voice said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." John turned to see who was speaking to him and saw Jesus. As soon as he saw the Lord, He fell at His feet as if dead. But Jesus laid His hand on John and said, “Do not be afraid.” The Lord said to His faithful disciple: “What you see, write in a book and send to the churches.” God revealed the future to John and told him what would happen before Jesus returned to earth again. And today we can learn about this from the Bible. Much of what is written in the book of Revelation has already been fulfilled or is now being fulfilled. Therefore, we can be sure that Jesus will soon come to earth again for the second time. REPETITION: Let the children remember and tell the story they heard in the last lesson. CRAFTS: Make a small craft with your children that will look like a scroll with a seal. Wrap a sheet of paper around a pencil several times. Glue the thread and a plasticine stamp to the thread. Write the words of the golden verse on the scroll. At the end of the lesson, be sure to remind the children to take their crafts with them. ENDING: Sing a worship song, pray, and reward children who memorize the golden verse.

Cathedral of St. Mark. Basilica di San Marco - "Basilica of San Marco" - the cathedral of Venice (until 1807 - the court chapel at the Doge's Palace), which is a rare example of Byzantine architecture in Western Europe. Located on St. Mark's Square, next to the Doge's Palace. The cathedral, decorated with numerous mosaics made in the Byzantine style, is home to the relics of the Apostle Mark and many valuable objects of art taken from Constantinople during the Crusades. The narthex was added to the cathedral at the end of the 12th-13th centuries and is decorated with mosaics by Venetian mosaic artists. The mosaic cycle is dedicated to Old Testament subjects; The model for a number of Old Testament compositions was the miniatures of the early Byzantine manuscript of the Book of Genesis located in Venice, later known as the Cotton Genesis (6th century). The small domes, vaults and lunettes of the narthex are covered with mosaics. The mosaics of the dome are dedicated to the biblical theme of the Creation of the world. The dome is divided into three circular stripes located around a central composition of gold scales. Contains 26 scenes dedicated to the first chapters of the book of Genesis, and is accompanied by text in Latin: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Spirit of God hovered over the waters” (Gen. 1:1-2). Each of the six days of creation is dedicated to a separate scene, on which, according to Eastern iconography, the figure of the Creator is depicted in the form of a young Christ with a cross halo and a high cross in his hand. On all scenes the Creator is accompanied by the figure of an angel, symbolizing each day of creation. An interesting scene is the blessing of the seventh day, in which God, seated on a throne surrounded by a heavenly retinue, blesses an angel symbolizing the Sabbath. The following scenes of the dome are dedicated to the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, their fall and expulsion from paradise. At the scene of expulsion from paradise, in the background among the tabernacles of paradise, a cross is depicted as a symbol of impending salvation.

Based on the demonstration of scenes from the mosaics of the dome of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, you can make an unusual presentation on the topic “Creation of the World”

Cathedral of St. Mark. Basilica... Based on the demonstration of scenes from the mosaics of the dome of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, you can make an unusual presentation on the topic “Creation of the World”

Cathedral of St. Mark. Basilica di San Marco - "Basilica of San Marco" - the cathedral of Venice (until 1807 - the court chapel at the Doge's Palace), which is a rare example of Byzantine architecture in Western Europe. Located on St. Mark's Square, next to the Doge's Palace. The cathedral, decorated with numerous mosaics made in the Byzantine style, is home to the relics of the Apostle Mark and many valuable objects of art taken from Constantinople during the Crusades.
The narthex was added to the cathedral at the end of the 12th-13th centuries and is decorated with mosaics by Venetian mosaic artists. The mosaic cycle is dedicated to Old Testament subjects; The model for a number of Old Testament compositions was the miniatures of the early Byzantine manuscript of the Book of Genesis located in Venice, later known as the Cotton Genesis (6th century). The small domes, vaults and lunettes of the narthex are covered with mosaics. The mosaics of the dome are dedicated to the biblical theme of the Creation of the world. The dome is divided into three circular stripes located around a central composition of gold scales. Contains 26 scenes dedicated to the first chapters of the book of Genesis, and is accompanied by text in Latin: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Spirit of God hovered over the waters” (Gen. 1:1-2).
Each of the six days of creation is dedicated to a separate scene, on which, according to Eastern iconography, the figure of the Creator is depicted in the form of a young Christ with a cross halo and a high cross in his hand. On all scenes the Creator is accompanied by the figure of an angel, symbolizing each day of creation. An interesting scene is the blessing of the seventh day, in which God, seated on a throne surrounded by a heavenly retinue, blesses an angel symbolizing the Sabbath. The following scenes of the dome are dedicated to the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, their fall and expulsion from paradise. At the scene of expulsion from paradise, in the background among the tabernacles of paradise, a cross is depicted as a symbol of impending salvation.

Teaching materials for Sunday school - by mail

Dear friends! We offer teaching materials for Sunday school, which can be ordered from us and received at your post office. Many developments were awarded diplomas of the All-Russian competition “For the moral feat of a teacher” and have recommendations for use by the Tomsk Institute for Advanced Training of Education Workers.

Books and discs are sent by Russian Post cash on delivery. For purchasing questions, write to [email protected].

Publication catalog

Electronic collection of teaching materials “Holy Easter for Children”. The winning project in the category “Best Publishing Project of the Year” at the All-Russian competition “For the moral deed of a teacher” in 2008. .

Electronic collection “Holy Easter for Children” music application.The music application contains notes, lyrics and backing tracks of 40 Easter songs. There are 2 versions of phonograms for the most famous songs.The disc also contains special programs with which you can independently record and edit soundtracks.

Electronic collection of teaching materials “Orthodox traditions of recreation.”

Electronic collection of teaching materials"Nativity". The winning project in the category “Best Publishing Project of the Year” at the All-Russian competition “For the moral deed of a teacher” in 2008.

Electronic collection “The Nativity of Christ” music application. The music application contains sheet music, lyrics and backing tracks of 60 Christmas songs and carols. For the most famous songs, 2-3 versions of phonograms are given.

Electronic collection of teaching materials “Training programs”.

Electronic collection of teaching materials “Celebration of Slavic Literature.”The winning project in the category “Best Pedagogical Research of the Year” at the All-Russian Competition “For the Moral Feat of a Teacher” in 2009.

Electronic collection “Orthodox pedagogy: history and modernity.” The DVD contains works by classics and contemporaries of Orthodox pedagogy; electronic textbooks and manuals; journalistic materials; more than 30 lectures on education in the Orthodox tradition (mp3); 2 thematic films.

Series “Children's parties and performances”: Easter issue. On 2 DVDs (DVD-video). Performances: “Easter Joy”, “Nikita Kozhemyaka” (puppet), “Geese-Swans”, “Live in Truth” (together with a concert program). Total duration - 2 hours 30 minutes.

Series “Children's parties and performances”: Christmas edition. On 2 DVDs (DVD-video). Performances: “The Christmas Miracle”, “King Herod” (nativity scene), “A Christmas Story” (nativity scene), “Airplane for Nikola” (together with a concert program). Total duration - 2 hours 20 minutes.

Textbook “Culture of my Motherland” 1 year of study. This course has been successfully taught at gymnasium No. 56 in Tomsk for several years in primary school and is the main component of the project “Spiritual and moral education in a modern secular school.” A special feature of the course is its local history focus, because a third of the material is devoted to the history of Tomsk and its spiritual and cultural traditions. Main sections: “My Motherland Russia”, “The Beauty of the Russian Land”, “Craftsmen of the Russian Land”, “Holidays of the Russian People”, “The Wisdom of the Russian People” “The ABC is a step to wisdom”, “On Holiness”. Reviewers: professors and associate professors of TSU, specialists of TOIPKRO, clergy of the Tomsk diocese. 92 pages, A4 format, hardcover, full color printing.

Methodological manual for teachers “Spiritual Culture of the Fatherland” (lesson development for the 1st year of study). The manual contains lesson developments and methodological recommendations for the textbook “Culture of my Motherland”. The manual is developed in the logic of problem-based learning. Teachers from gymnasium No. 56 in Tomsk under the guidance of specialists from the Tomsk Scientific and Methodological Center took part in the creation of lesson developments.

Workbook “Culture of my Motherland” 1 year of study. Workbook for the textbook “Culture of my Motherland” for the 1st year of study. The workbook contains tasks for independent work. The manual contains two types of tasks: creative ones and tasks to test knowledge. The convenient structure of the notebook (one sheet - one lesson) allows you to use the manual both in defense education classes and in Sunday school as additional material.

Electronic collection “Spiritual and moral education in a modern secular school.” The winning project in the category “Best Program of Spiritual and Moral Education” of the All-Russian Competition “For the Moral Feat of a Teacher” in 2008.

Electronic collection “Origins”: methodological materials for the program.” DVD. The disk contains a large selection of methodological material for working on the educational complex “Istoki”, and summarizes the experience of teachers in Tomsk, Moscow, and the Vologda region in this program: programs and thematic planning; developments and materials for lessons; active (training) forms of training; system of working with parents; organization of a methodological room; videos and photos of classes. In total there are more than 700 pages of text, more than 500 reproductions of paintings and illustrations, didactic films for lessons, samples of children's work and much more.

Educational and methodological manual “Introduction to the Old Testament.” The manual “Introduction to the Old Testament” (author O.Yu. Nazarova) is intended for use in Sunday school with children 10-14 years old. Contains the course program, notes for each lesson, and a workbook for students. A special appendix contains scenarios for the holidays of Christmas and Easter, which reflect the content of the course. 80 pages, A4 format, binding + cover lamination.First degree diploma of the Regional stage of the All-Russian competition “For the moral feat of a teacher” in 2009.

Educational and methodological manual “Initial letter”. The educational manual is a program and notes of developmental activities for children aged 5-8 years. The program is built on 3 content lines: acquaintance with the Old Slavonic Cyrillic alphabet; acquaintance with the art of books and book miniatures; practical acquaintance with various methods and styles of designing LETTER CAPITAL letters and with some styles of folk painting (Palekh, Gzhel, Gorodets, Khokhloma). The “BUCKITSA” manual includes the course program, lesson notes, all the necessary illustrative and textual material for each lesson, handouts, presentations, and additional reference material for the teacher.

Song collection "Blagovest". A collection of original children's songs by composer L. A. Izmailova (Tomsk), dedicated to Orthodox holidays. The manual includes notes and lyrics of 22 songs in a printable version, as well as 3 phonograms “+” and “-” in mp3 format.