There are a lot of different ways to do the same thing. I learned that from my father. He would say, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” I don’t know why he would say something so gross (he never has liked cats), but I did learn the principle of getting results in different ways.
Dad also taught me another saying, "Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water." Again, why would you even consider such a thing (we wouldn’t). From that I learned that you don’t always have to change everything to experience good change.
Sunday School/Bible Study (or what ever you call you Bible learning experience for kids) has experienced a lot of changes lately. I want to share some good reasons why I think you should include “small-group” (the baby) in your Bible study experiences for Kids.
- Small-group experiences (when kids are together in multiple small groups) help children hear God’s Word, know God’s Word, and do God’s Word. Kids learn to use the bible and apply what they learn.
- Small-group experiences facilitate more peer-to –peer interactions among the kids.
- Small-group experiences give kids better opportunity to discover Bible truths through self-discovery.
- Small-group experiences provide a greater opportunity for hands-on learning.
- Small–group learning enables kids to apply the Bible truth and to make specific application to their daily lives.
- Small-group learning is typically more child directed than leader directed.
- Small-group learning allows the teacher to customize the experience to include consideration of the kid’s learning personalities and preferences.
- In a small-group learning experience kids can work at their own pace to facilitate learning.
Bottom Line: Large groups and small groups will both have importance in a Bible study experience. Don’t forget that it’s both and, not either or!
Thank you to Tim Pollard and Scott Wiley for contributing to this post. For more information on this and other kids ministry questions check out Kids Ministry 101: Practical Answers to Questions About Kids Ministry
