As a ministry leader, chances are you are passionate about helping kids grow in their everyday faith through encountering the story of God and the truths of Scripture. One of the reasons you turn on the lights every Sunday is for kids to experience the Bible. After all, when it comes to crafting large group experiences for kids, we have important things to say. But over the years, we’ve found this to be true:
No matter how important our message is, if we don’t say it well, it’s probably not going to stick.
That’s why not only does what we communicate in large group matter, but the way we communicate matters too. And, the way we communicate needs to change depending on the phase the kids or teenagers in our audience are in. That’s why Orange Curriculum combines theology with human development so we can communicate God’s truth to kids in an age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate way.
So, what does that look like in First Look and 252 Curriculum?
First Look Preschool Ministry Curriculum and 252 Kids and Preteen Curriculum are each designed with phase in mind. That means that everything from the content to the graphics to the activities is designed to be developmentally appropriate.
First Look Preschool Ministry Curriculum Large Group
If you have worked with preschoolers before you know their attention spans are short–specifically about five to seven minutes long. That’s why while the large group scripts in First Look Curriculum are 15 to 20 minutes long, they are broken into five to seven-minute segments so preschoolers stay engaged. Every large group experience also includes suggestions for worship, scripted song transitions, a storytelling script with a relevant hook to capture attention and imagination, and a closer with applications tailored to preschoolers.
252 Kids and Preteen Curriculum Large Group
Large group looks a little bit different for kids and preteens. In 252 Kids, the large group script is 30 to 35 minutes long but is divided into five to seven-minute segments so kids stay engaged. However, in the 252 Preteen environment, the Host acts more like an emcee, and the Storyteller is replaced with a Communicator who sets up the tension, then provides insight for how the Bible answers that tension, and finishes with an application question.
Everything You Need to Make Large Group Engaging
Preschoolers, kids, and preteens are concrete thinkers, meaning they imagine the most literal translation of what is said to them. That’s why one of the best things you can do in your teaching time is to engage as many of their senses as possible, to get them moving, and to get them interacting with what you’re teaching. That’s why every Bible story will include props, costumes, visuals, or activities for them to interact with while you’re teaching. These scripts are all designed to help you keep your teaching time fun, engaging, surprising, and, most importantly, effective.
Plus, if those stories include sound effects or visuals, we will either include them or tell you exactly where to find them online. We also have supply lists to make sure you have everything you need for large group.
Media Packages
We know that coordinating props, multiple volunteers, costumes, sound effects, and activities can sound a little overwhelming. We know not every ministry has enough volunteers to pull off a great large group experience. At the same time, even if you do have a large group volunteer every week, sometimes things happen. That’s why optional media packages are available for purchase in both First Look Curriculum and 252 Kids and Preteen Curriculum. Each media package includes videos you can use to enhance your environment, or take the place of a live host, storyteller, or communicator. To make it even easier, these videos also come preloaded into ProPresenter and PowerPoint to make it easy to plug and play.
We spend a lot of time thinking about how to help you win as a communicator, whether you are communicating to preschoolers or kids and preteens. Because what you say matters, but how you say it, will make all the difference.
