One of my larger non-fiction tasks is to write up some children’s curriculum about social justice for the Midwest Mercy and Justice Team. I’ve only had this task on my list for about 14 months, so it’d be great to get it finished. I have already outlined a four week program with Bible verses from each of the four gospels wherein we learn that Jesus sees people who are different from him, listens to people who are different than him, touches people who are different than him, and loves people who are different than him. I would like there to be a craft and game for each story. So I’ve been doing some research online, looking for games and crafts for bible stories.
Of course, I wouldn’t have volunteered to write the kids curriculum in the first place if I hadn’t worked in Sunday schools for many years and been unsatisfied with the curriculum we used there. Kids curriculum, in my limited experience, tends to be very rules focused, black-and-white, or completely inane. There’s lots to be said about kids needing structure and boundaries. But I’m more interested in what a compass has to do with Zacchaeus.
Because that is what I have found. The craft to go with Zacchaeus in his sycamore tree is anything from a coloring sheet of a tree, to a word scramble with words like “tree” “taxes” and “money”, to a 40 piece puzzle of a compass. I don’t know a lot, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t have glass compasses back in Zacchaeus’s time. But honestly, I’m no more annoyed or offended by that than I am by the word scramble. I don’t understand the point of a kids activity like that. What are we reinforcing? Basic knowledge of the facts of the bible story? That’s the most positive aspect of the practice I can think of. On the not-so-positive side, I see “keeping kids busy while the grown-ups are in church.”
I have written about that before, so I won’t go into it again. But I am really disappointed at how much of what I find are cute little games that are vaguely related to some idea or object in a bible story, and aren’t at all about the meaning of the story, much less the character of the God involved.
One of the churches that a family member attends did an “Honor Hunt”. The (jr high? High school?) kids did a scavenger hunt with a standard list around town. But the real game was that in each location they went to they would pass a planted person in need. Points were awarded only on the number of people they helped. A similar concept might work to help teach kids to see “invisible” people. It is only half an idea, but you are probably smarter than me and could think out the rest better than me anyway. 🙂
That’s really cool!
I would love to see what you come up with. I have also been really disappointed with what my kids bring home from Sunday school at times.
Even the teachers recognize the ridiculousness of some of the activities so hopefully they will open to something better.