Homework from your Sunday school teacher...say what?!?

Homework in Sunday school…say what?

Yes, it is true; the children have a weekly homework assignment for Sunday school. Each of the children has a Bible verse journal. At the beginning of the Sunday school year, each child receives a three prong folder with pockets. They are given notebook paper to put inside. After placing the paper inside, they are encouraged to decorate their folder by using stickers and markers. Each week the children bring these journals to and from Sunday school. They are encouraged to go home and read their Bible with their parents or a friend. After reading their Bible, they are to identify one verse that they would like to share in Sunday school. Every Sunday during snack time, the children share their verses. We talk about the meaning of each of the verses. After the discussion on the verses, each child is allowed to select two prizes from the “prize box.” They receive one prize for writing down the verse and one prize for sharing it with the class. I find that the use of the Bible verse journal encourages the children to read the Bible outside of Sunday school class. This helps the children to learn that the Bible is not just a book that we learn from on Sundays. In addition, I find that the parents enjoy working with their children each week to find verses. I am proud of each and every one of the children who go home and read their Bibles during the course of the week!

What sparked this idea of homework?

During my second year of teaching Sunday school, I started using the Bible verse journals half way through the Sunday school year. It was a suggestion from the instructor’s guide that my church purchases. However, the suggestion was to have the children make the journals and take them home to use them. It did not say that the children should bring them back to Sunday school. My initial thought was that making these journals was a good idea; however, I could easily see these as something that would get thrown away and not used at home. I decided to modify the suggestion, and make it an addition to the class. I would definitely suggest the use of this journal to any children’s Sunday school teacher. It encourages the children to learn outside of Sunday school, and helps to limit unwanted discussions during snack time.