4 Ways to Jazz Up Your Teaching Style

Does the sight of kids nodding off, rolling their eyes or acting up remind you of your recent children’s ministry lesson? If so, chances are you’ve slipped into a rut but no worries!
You can easily jazz up your teaching style without enrolling in a refresher course at the local university. Put away the podium. Get the kids out of the desks and make teaching (and learning) fun. God loves a happy teacher! Don’t face another children’s church or Wednesday night class without using these cool ideas.
1. Be unpredictable. Okay, I admit it. I love using a schedule but sometimes a schedule is b-o-r-i-n-g. I always come back to using a schedule but you have to be unpredictable sometimes. Have kids church under a canopy outdoors. Invite a special guest. Surprise those kids with something out of the ordinary.
2. Be spontaneous! Don’t stick to the plan if it goes awry. Be confident in your spontaneity. For example, you plan to present a lesson on the Golden Rule to your group. (Always a good one.) However, your kids want to talk about something else. A church member’s death raises some questions. Kids need comforting. Abandon the lesson and be spontaneous. Go off script when necessary and speak to the needs of the day.
3. Pair teaching with an activity. I have a friend that teaches in an unusual way and her kids love it. She wears an oversized vest that is covered with small sections of Velcro. In the vest pockets are characters from her story or paper items. She attaches Velcro to the back of the pictures and puts the characters and items on her vest as she tells the story. I taught a lesson about God’s provision using the fishes and loaves story. I distributed goldfish crackers and shared a loaf of bread during the lesson. Activities make lessons exciting!
4. Encourage feedback. If your teaching style bores kids (and it can at times) then get some feedback. Ask kids to repeat a word you say or to clap whenever they hear a special word. Stop along the story line and ask questions. Give kids a chance to interact with you (in a structured way, of course) during the storytelling.
The bottom line is your teaching styles have to change from time to time, depending on the needs of your group. If you have a class full of hyperactive children, delivering a 20 minute sermon is impossible. You can do it!
Mimi lives on the Gulf Coast with her family, puppy and a slew of kids. She loves children’s ministry!