For a little over four years, in two different churches, I was the Children’s Director of a ministry with an average of 15 children each Sunday. It may not seem like much, but it was exactly what God had for me; and throughout those four years, I learned to navigate the many responsibilities of a Children’s Director. One of those responsibilities was finding, choosing and facilitating an early childhood curriculum. While on the search, I couldn’t quite find one that met all the needs of the ministry: a wide range of ages, a small budget and minimal space. So, I wrote my own.

My desire was a simple, Jesus-filled, interactive and engaging curriculum. Lessons that wouldn’t be daunting to read, especially to my amazing volunteers – more about that later. Everything a full Sunday morning would need, a memory verse, focus verse, story, prayer, snack, craft, and game all on the front of ONE PAGE. No turning. No flipping. No organizing papers. 

I created one-page lessons that are simple to read. There is more prep behind the scenes, but that doesn’t need to be listed on the lesson page. When I’m teaching on Sunday morning, I didn’t want my page filled with the nitty gritty; I wanted to read the story, review the verses and let the kids know what we are going to do next. When I emailed my volunteers, I shared the details in the body of the email; but attached the one-page lesson so they could see the Sunday as a whole.

Speaking of volunteers, I can’t rave enough about having amazing, committed, Jesus-loving volunteers. It makes all the difference! I created lessons that gave volunteers structure as well as freedom. I trust the Holy Spirit in them, so if they wanted to add to the story, I LET THEM! On the other hand, if they wanted to read the story word for word, it was written in an easy to read, easy to understand way. I understand that trying to teach children can be, let’s say, organic at times; so if a child has a question causing the teacher to go off on a Jesus tangent . . . well, hey, JESUS IS BEING TALKED ABOUT! And for this age, that’s a win.

I thought that traditional curriculum was too fast-paced, especially for a Sunday morning ministry and young children. So I created several series that allow TWO Sundays on the same topic with two DIFFERENT lessons. Repetition is key, and if you have children that attend twice a month, they are still hearing the topics in the correct order. Why rush the amazing things God wants to teach our children in the Bible? Let’s take our time, engage all the senses and HAVE FUN!

I believe the Bible is interactive and intertwined, so I bring stories into my lessons that aren’t found in a traditional curriculum. Take this for example, creation, it’s all throughout the Bible! Let’s talk about Jonah and the great fish and HOW God told the fish to swallow Jonah but not eat him because He created the giant fish! Let’s talk about the doves that are mentioned twice in the Bible, once after the flood and the other when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. By bringing in other stories throughout the Bible, we are supporting the idea that God is the same today, tomorrow and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He isn’t ONLY in the Bible during creation; He uses His creation all THROUGHOUT the Bible. Let this simple revelation transfer into your ministry and home. God is still present and active today! By talking about the trees outside, going on nature walks and caring for the animals around us, we are reminded of that simple truth.

I wrote, taught, adjusted, prepped and managed it all. Alongside some amazing volunteers and parents, we put each of these lessons into practice and were amazed to see the kids engage so well! The interactive snacks, crafts, and games allowed the kids to engage with the Bible and Jesus in a fun way using all their senses!

I pray Miss Alyssa’s Curriculum would be a blessing to you and your ministry, home, or school. They are for you, to bless you and guide you in teaching the children in your life about how GOOD Jesus is and how much He loves us!