Bible Stories for Elementary Age: 10 to 12 Years
By this age, children have heard many of the Bible stories over and over. And when they hear the stories again, kids ask “So what?” Older children need modern-day applications to Bible stories. They learn more when they see how stories apply to them
personally.
Ways to Teach
Introduce the story with a question or personal anecdote kids can relate to. For example, ask: “How do you feel when someone tries to make you do something wrong?” Or describe a peer-pressure issue. Then get into the action of the story as soon as possible to arouse identification and emotion. Identify and highlight one main issue in the story. For example, Noah was obedient to God amid peer pressure.
Weave personal explanations and applications into the story. Relate the story to events in kids’ lives. Say, “Just as Noah’s friends tried to get him to disobey God, sometimes our friends try to get us to disobey God.” Build the story’s climax, identifying the main point in the struggle and the result. Show how Noah resisted the pressure. Conclude with an application by having kids identify personal examples of peer pressure and ways to handle it.
Brent Van Elswyk is associate pastor of family ministries in California.
This article about Bible stories for elementary age originally appeared here.
