We are so excited that you are interested in using our children’s lesson plans in your setting! Here is some information we’d love for you to know before you get started. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Teach One Reach One activities were designed to tie review, application, and/or secular subject activities back to the Bible in meaningful ways.
Each lesson plan contains a link to the actual scripture in a version easily understood by elementary students. The learning objectives will clarify the important points of the lesson you want the children to understand. Our interesting facts, provide tidbits of information that will capture the interest of your students and enhance their understanding of the story.
All activities should be completed after the Bible story is told, regardless of any additional goals of your program.
Each children’s lesson plan includes:
- Applicable scriptures
- Basic spiritual learning goals
- Interesting facts about the lesson
- Activity ideas for:
- Story review
- Application of godly principles
- Service projects
- ESL
- Language – basic and intermediate literacy
- Math – basic and intermediate literacy
- Science
- Health and hygiene
- Sustenance and survival
The time needed for each activity may vary greatly.
We have created an Activity Time Estimator Tool that can help you as you attempt to calculate how much time you will need for the Bible lesson and activities:
Activity Time Estimator Tool
Basic Activity – 15 minutes
Class Size
+ add 5 minutes for every additional 10 students
Experience of Teacher
– subtract 5-10 minutes for inexperienced teacher
+ add up to 10 minutes for experienced teacher
Class Environment
+ add 5 minutes for every major distraction (outdoor classroom, other classes too easily heard, bad weather, frequent interruptions, etc.)
Organization/Materials
+ add 5-10 minutes if materials needed are unorganized or must be found by students
Age of Students/Educational Level
+ add 5-10 minutes if students are younger or less educated than the suggested level
– subtract 5-10 minutes if students are older or better educated than the suggested level
Everything on our website is free and copyrighted.
We encourage you to use our resources in any program children may attend for free. For any other use, please contact us for permission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What doctrine(s) do your lessons use?
Teach One Reach One is associated with the Churches of Christ. We believe the Bible should not be supplemented with any additional creeds. We request that all programs using these materials teach the Bible as written and not add the written creeds of any denomination.
What is the purpose of the additional questions?
Additional questions are provided for programs and students who wish to do additional research and/or projects on the subject. They often provide an opportunity to add more depth and connect students back to the Bible for additional study.
What is the purpose of the guiding question?
The guiding question helps the teacher and students have a focused discovery goal as they participate in an activity. Introduce the question at the beginning of the activity. Ask students the question again after completing the activity. Student answers will help you determine if the students understood the purpose even if they still need additional practice in the actual skills. It is not intended to measure the level of skill mastery achieved by the individual students.
Why are your lessons not written in the standard core curriculum or other specific standards format?
These lessons are designed to be used by people who have not received degrees in education (although professional educators are welcome to use the ideas) but find themselves teaching children and teens around the world. As a result, professional teachers may find the lesson plans are formatted in a way different from what they normally use. The writers of these lessons all have degrees in education and years of classroom teaching experience, often both formal and informal. Over time, additional activities will be added, allowing those with multiple age groups to conduct varied activities with each group. As abilities and skill sets of the children in these programs often lag behind the expected for their age (and expectations vary greatly from location to location), we have not labeled activities by ages or grades. Instead, each activity is given a more generic leveling to give programs flexibility when planning activities.
Why do all of your activities involve hands-on, experiential learning?
The parables of Jesus worked so well because Jesus was able to connect godly principles to the things people had experienced. Children and teens lack a great deal of life experience. Carefully designed learning experiences not only add to their life experience, but also make the concepts they are learning memorable.
How can I use these lessons in my homeschool or for family Bible studies?
Although the activities were designed for larger groups, most of them can be adapted to be used with only one or two children. When activities such as games require more children than you have, adults may take the place of any needed children. Adults should remember the goal is for children to enjoy learning and practice new information. Please squelch any impulse to display your superior knowledge, as it can become discouraging to someone struggling to master new skill sets.
Why are the activities guided experiential learning instead of standard project based learning?
These activities are designed to be used by groups throughout the United States and around the world. Many of these groups have limited resources and are attempting to teach and/or tutor large numbers of students, often with very few volunteers. The lessons were written to give students memorable learning experiences in a limited amount of time with minimal adult intervention and few resources. The added questions and supplemental activities at the end of each activity allow programs with more available resources to adapt the activity to provide more traditional project based learning.
