5 Tips for Creating Great Sunday School Lessons

Sunday Schools started as a way to help the poor and orphaned in the 1700s. People noticed that poor and orphaned children often worked instead of attending school, which kept them in a cycle of poverty and made them unable to participate fully in church. Sunday Schools taught these children how to read the Bible and in daily life, along with writing, mathematics, and the basics of Christianity.

Today, we view Sunday School only as an opportunity to read the Bible in small groups and grow in our faith. However, we can take inspiration from these original Sunday Schools when creating great lessons. Keep reading to get five tips for how to craft those lessons well.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Put yourself in the shoes of the people in your Sunday School class, just as those original Sunday School creators did. They knew what was happening in the daily lives of those in their community and what they lacked. What’s happening in the lives of the people in your class and your community? Are these people lacking a way to sufficiently live in their communities? If so, look for the Biblical answers to their problems and prepare lesson plans around those answers. This is a great way to ensure students aren’t just passively hearing your lesson but really listening to it.

Use Personal Examples

As the teacher, you’re still part of this class and your greater community. While you’re teaching for a reason, you’re still experiencing or have already experienced many of the situations that the students in your class are going through. When you teach the class about how the Bible helps these circumstances, include personal examples. Sharing this common ground with students so they can see the bridge between the Bible and daily life will help them feel more confident in applying their faith to their own lives.

Encourage Questions

Whether you’re teaching children or adults, there are always questions after a lesson. While some questions may not seem as relevant as others, such as a child asking about the flavor of manna and an adult asking how to apply the Song of Solomon to their marriage, encouraging all questions is essential. You want to teach all students at every level that asking questions is an integral part of their faith journey and that their teacher is willing to help answer them. This will help make the lesson feel more personal as well.

Pray in Advance

Most teachers pray for their lessons and students at the very beginning of class. While there’s nothing wrong with that, try to also pray about your lessons during the week. Your preparation helps make a lesson great, but we leave most of the work of greatness to God. Pray about the class throughout the week as much as possible, so you’re ready for excellence come Sunday.

Make Learning Fun

Life has been hard lately, and many people are struggling. While serious lesson plans are still great and can address many important circumstances, leave time for fun in your lesson plans. Set aside 15 minutes from your lesson plan so adults can drink coffee and chat with one another. Add fun activities to lesson plans for children. When activities and the learning environment are fun, people are more likely to remember and return for more.

These five tips for creating great Sunday school lessons can help you prepare for a successful Sunday of teaching. To make sure you’re fully equipped, make sure to read and re-read your chosen lesson, including from the Bible itself. If you’re looking for study Bibles for sale so you can read and note take throughout your lesson planning, the KJV Store has a great variety you can choose from.