Preparation Tips to Teach Bible Studies for Life: Kids 

By: Kimba Campbell

Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the spiritual growth and understanding of children. Each session is an opportunity to inspire, educate, and connect with young minds in a way that is both meaningful and engaging. Preparation is key to ensuring a fruitful and impactful teaching time. Bible Studies for Life: Kids provides resources to help teachers prepare effectively for each session. 

The first and most important step in preparing to teach is prayer. Before delving into reading the session, it is essential to pray for understanding, wisdom, and the ability to impart the truths effectively. Pray for the hearts of the children that they will come ready to learn and be open to what God wants to teach them. This is also a great time to pray for the parents and family members who bring the children to church.  

In Bible Studies for Life: Kids, we provide a weekly audio podcast training. The goal of this podcast is to equip and empower you as you prepare to teach your preschoolers, kids, and preteens powerful truths from God’s Word. We hope these discussions encourage and equip you in your time of preparation. The podcast is available for you the week before each scheduled session. You can search Bible Studies for Life Kids Leader Training. There is also a link to the podcast through Ministry Grid by going to https://biblestudiesforlife.lifeway.com/leader-extras-kids/ and click on Audio Training on Ministry Grid.  

The Leader Guide for each age group provides several resources for you as you prepare to teach. We encourage you to spend some time focusing on the Levels of Biblical Learning for your age group. An article is provided in your Leader Guide that focuses on the concept for the month. We are also put a lot of prayer and time on the Leader Bible Study that is in your Leader Guide each week. This is prepared with you in mind! We encourage you to spend time in the Leader Bible Study to deepen your own understanding of the Scripture. We know that many of you miss an adult class or worship service when you teach so we pray these studies are an encouragement to you. Through prayer and your own personal study, you are inviting the Holy Spirit to teach and guide you in your own spiritual walk, but this will also help you teach effectively and connect the spiritual truths to the children.  

Once you have spent time with God, it is time to prepare for your session. Spend some time reading the Scripture reference and familiarize yourself with the unit and weekly verses. We encourage you to read over the session and decide what activities you decide to prepare. We list the supplies and Pack Items needed in the margin of the Leader Guide. Having supplies and Pack items from the Leader Pack ready before children arrive is crucial for setting the stage for an effective and engaging learning environment. A prepared area welcomes children into a space that is inviting and conducive to learning. It also allows for a seamless transition into the session.  

We also provide additional ideas and tips on our blog each quarter. You can access these leader extras by going to https://biblestudiesforlife.lifeway.com/leader-extras-kids/. When you click on the Extras tab, you will see additional teaching ideas as well as social media you can use. The Leader Guide will occasionally mention printable items needed. These are found on the Enhanced CD. We realize that many computers do not have a CD drive, so we provide these for you on the leader extras page. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the items on the printables as we include many resources to guide you as you teach. In addition to these, we also include Christ Connections and a list of the Pack and Printables you need for each session.  

We hope these tips will guide you as you prepare and teach young hearts. A well-prepared teacher combines love, knowledge, and creativity to facilitate an enriching learning experience for children. By praying, studying, and preparing each week teachers can make a profound impact on the spiritual growth of the young learners. First Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Thank you for your time, energy, and love you give each week to invest in children. 

Kimba Campbell serves as the Lifeway Kids Publishing Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life. Before coming to Lifeway, she served on church staff for over 18 years in Texas, Georgia, California and Tennessee. Kimba is a Texas Aggie (Gig ‘Em Aggies!) and also earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Paul, stay busy with their three boys.