Which curriculum should I choose?

Welcome to the second of our blog posts exploring those FAQs we see all the time on Facebook groups for kids ministers! Which curriculum should I choose...well yes, of course we are biased, but Foundationstones Resources came out of a desire for a curriculum that grows Bible Literacy and Spiritual Encounter. So let’s be honest... what is really going on behind that question.

1.      How much time are you looking to spend on preparing?

A lot of those leading children's ministries are working part time, or asking their volunteers to prepare around busy home lives or jobs. The ideal curriculum isn't just going to work for your kids, but your team too. You can invest in huge books of materials, but if the team don't have the time to prepare for it then it's just a waste. Choose a resource that your team find easy to pick up and use.

OUR SOLUTION: We know prep time is precious. That’s why each session in our curriculum fits neatly onto one page — clear, simple, but still packed with ideas.

2.      What resources are your working with?

There is nothing worse than picking up a curriculum on a Saturday evening to discover you need thirty identical milk bottles for the morning! Church Sunday schools are constantly scraping together resources so be honest about what you can afford. Don't get us wrong - we want to see churches investing in children (we wrote a blog post on it - link here)! However if you spend all your money on the curriculum but then can't afford the craft materials or pens, then the games and crafts are going to fall flat! Take a look at what you are getting in to and the cost across a teaching series of using the materials well.

OUR SOLUTION: We’ve been there too — driving to the 24hr Tesco at midnight! So our crafts use things you already have, with easy or mess-free alternatives when you need them.

3.      How high tech are you going?

There are some amazing video based curriculums out there... and we know that in some places that is the norm. Here at Foundationstones Resources we’ll admit to being a little traditional... but here’s why. If I rely on a stranger on a screen to teach Bible truths to the children in my group, when will they hear the stories of what it means for me to live out my faith in the everyday?

If we watch a cartoon every week to tell the story but never open the Bible, how am I equipping them to be explorers of God’s Word? Yes – there is a place for technology, but it can’t replace the amazing opportunity we have to be living examples of faith in the room!

OUR SOLUTION: We love keeping the Bible front and centre. Each session gives space for leaders to open Scripture together, helping kids grow in Bible confidence and faith, not just screen time.

4.      How flexible do you need your curriculum to be?

What does your teaching time look like and what challenges are you having to work with each week? A cupboard for a classroom? A mixed age group of 3–18-year-olds? Adapting to accommodate additional needs? Will the curriculum you are looking at be able to flex to accommodate and support your group? If you’re having to effectively rewrite a whole curriculum to make it work for your group each week... perhaps it just isn’t the right curriculum for you?

OUR SOLUTION: Every group is different. That’s why our sessions are super flexible — you can mix the order, adjust for your space, and choose the activities that fit your group best.

5. Entertainment or Encounter?

It’s the reason we started writing our own curriculum originally – is there an opportunity for encounter in every session? Do the crafts, games and challenges draw children closer to God and help them to dive deeper, or are they there to entertain and time fill? We get such a short amount of time with the children in our Sunday Schools each week - let’s make every second count.

OUR SOLUTION: We want every session to make space for real moments with God. Each week includes simple ways to encounter God through prayer, worship, spiritual gifts and acts of service.

Time for a rethink...

The reality is that our time on a Sunday really is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of time parents have with their children. That’s why at Foundationstones Resources all of our materials come with ‘Faith at Home’ sheets to provide ideas for families to explore teaching in fun ways through the week and encourage children to grow and develop their own faith and Bible study habits.

Our time is precious.. and although curriculum is important it can become a trap and time consuming problem for Sunday School teachers. If your weekly preparation is preventing you connecting with families during the week, if tidying up the complex crafts means you don’t get to chat to parents after the service, if setting up epic obstacle courses means you can’t meet and welcome children in the morning... perhaps it’s time for rethink.