Use Lent as a time to learn simple ways to follow Jesus.

Leader Guide

Free Conversation Guide for parents!

Historically, Lent was the time before Easter when converts were instructed in the faith in preparation for their baptism at Easter. Now Lent is used as a time of reflection and penance. Many people give up something for Lent as a reminder of what Jesus gave up for us. Others take on new disciplines such as prayer, devotional time, and extra service to others.

Children can be part of Lenten observance by actively experiencing what it means to serve others and by studying three simple rules to help them live the way Jesus teaches us to live.

Children can participate in a study of Rueben Job's Three Simple Rules for Following Jesus. These rules, from John Wesley, are basic guidelines for Christian living in today’s complex world. They are easy enough for children to understand and profound enough to begin a lifelong journey of faith. The first rule is to DO NO HARM to God’s children and to God’s world. The second is to DO GOOD for my family and my church and for my community and the world. Rule number three is to STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD by spending time with God and by learning, serving, and worshiping with others. Children can learn that choosing to follow these rules will make their lives and the lives of others better. They can learn how to be effective stewards of the world around them.

One way to help children carry out the three rules is to work with the children to plan and participate in a group service project. Find out about agencies that help people in your community or in the world. Then choose a project. Plan how you will carry it out. Create a chart to show what is to be done, who is responsible, and record when it is done. Keep this chart on display during the entire Lenten season. If possible, choose a project that includes interaction with the people being served. Some possibilities are:

• Room at the Inn
• Soup Kitchen
• Local Community Center
• Your Church (help with yard work, visit with persons who are homebound, etc.)

Children are never too young to participate in service to others.

• serve people in your own church (for example, sending cards to members who are homebound)
• serve people outside the church (for example, taking the children to sing in a nursing home or sending cards to men and women in the armed services)
• be done in the church (for example, collecting food for a food pantry or clothes and toys for a homeless shelter)
• be done away from the church (for example, helping serve in a soup kitchen)

All Sunday school classes love to have first-time attendees.

And Sunday school teachers hope to make the new attendees into new class members. These children may come with parents, grandparents, or friends. Be sure the newcomers feel welcome and part of the group from the beginning.

• For everyone’s comfort level, be sure the child and parents know where the child is to be picked up at the end of the class. Always wait with the child; tell the parent and the child how glad you were to have them.
• Assign the newcomer a “buddy” to be sure that he or she knows where to go and what to do and that he or she has all needed supplies.
• During the lesson, particularly during review, be careful to explain any terms that might be unfamiliar to new children, even if “regulars” will remember them from past lessons.

The Bible says that the world will know we are Christians by our love, but children aren’t always loving or respectful to one another. They have to be taught respect and have to experience it in their classroom. Strive to make your classroom a place where everyone is valued and respected.

• Model respect in your own behavior. Be careful with your words and tone of voice. Be especially careful about things you say to other adults about any of the children.
• Help the children make a list of ways to show kindness and respect to others. Then have them watch for evidences of kindness from class members. Be sure to recognize the kind act in some way.

Pray this prayer with your children:

Dear Lord, we really want to be kind to the others in our class. Help us be kind and nice to others like you are kind and nice to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Special needs in the classroom can be special opportunities.

All children’s classes are diverse, and sometimes you will have a child in class with special needs or challenges. It is essential for you and the boys and girls in your class to understand the uniqueness of these children and to honor God as the creator of us all.

• Equip yourself with accurate information about the child and his or her needs and abilities. Work with the child’s parents to discover the child’s needs and how he or she usually responds to various activities. Other teachers who have taught this child in the past may also provide helpful insights.

• Equip the child with special needs to feel like a part of the class. Set up a time before the child joins your class to show him or her the room. Explain the classroom routine so the child knows what to expect, and help him or her to feel comfortable asking for what he or she needs.

• Equip your classroom to include rather than exclude the child. Look at the room from the standpoint of the child. Are furnishings and supplies conveniently and consistently located so a child who is visually impaired can find them easily? Would a headset be a good investment for including the hearing impaired child in listening to music? Is the room arranged to accommodate a wheelchair? What can you do to make restroom facilities easily accessible for a child with special needs?

• Equip every child in your class to include all children whatever their needs or abilities. The best way to do this is by example. Be aware of and attentive to each child’s needs and abilities without making any child feel singled out as different. As you plan your lesson, choose activities that will include all children. Try teaching a song or scripture verse in sign language. If there is a child in your class who reads lips, plan a game like Simon Says and just mouth the words. This will be a new and fun twist on the game for all the class. Offer a wide variety of activities that use each of the five senses and each of the seven learning styles. When children see you including everyone, they will follow your example.

Encourage children to pray for one another. Here is a prayer from one child that you might use: Dear Lord, thank you for all the wonderful things you gave us that we can do. Please help the people who need help in any way. Help us pray every day for your great power to help them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Don't forget your Sunday school class when you go on vacation.

You deserve a vacation. But even while you are away, you can be part of your children’s class and provide the continuity of care that is so important to their development. Let the children know in advance that you will be away for a Sunday or two but that you will miss them and be thinking about them while you are gone.

Then plan a special way to be with the children while you are gone. Make a recording of you reading the Bible story for the week you are gone or just saying hello and telling the class you miss them. Leave the recording with your substitute to play for the class. Or, leave a small gift for each child (such as a bookmark or a picture of where you are going) that the substitute teacher can distribute, telling the class that you are thinking about them even while you are gone and looking forward to being back with them soon.

The Sunday before you leave for vacation you might pray this prayer with your children:

• Set up a classroom library with books from your church library, or have the children and parents bring in Christian books to swap.
• Set aside a little time each Sunday for children to tell about a Christian book they have just read. They could describe a character or tell about an event from the book. Or, use the last few minutes of class each summer Sunday to read a Christian book with the children.
• Older children might want to make “books on tape” for the beginning readers. Have them read a book into a tape recorder, then put the book and tape into a plastic bag. Send the bags to the younger children in Sunday school to borrow or give them to a day care center or other place where children need books to read.
• Use a bulletin board for children to list books they have read and would recommend to others in the class. For non-reader classes, the parents can list books their children especially like. Parents can also post information about any good books on parenting they have read.

Children can not only make new friends in books (and learn a lot about people of the Bible), but also build their friendships as they share their reading experiences with other children.

• Missed you last week!
• Here's what our class members and families are doing (sports, school clubs, vacations, etc.).
• Here's our lesson topic for next Sunday. Don't miss it!
• Your prayers are needed for . . .
• I'm thinking of you and praying for you.
• Congratulations on your recent achievement!
• Our class has a party coming up!
• Don't forget to bring a can of food for our service project Sunday.