Values and Goals
While every Sunday school curriculum includes some of the same basic ingredients, the goals, values, and philosophy a curriculum is built on really do make a BIG difference. The creators of Walk With Me decided that the following values and the resulting goals were the most important for our curriculum. Our authors and editors have kept these values glued to their computer screens while writing and editing each session.
Biblical and Reformed
What does it mean to create a Reformed curriculum? We’re convinced that the Reformed lens of viewing the Bible and life needs to touch every part of our teaching—not just be tacked on as an insert to the leader’s guide. So all Walk With Me sessions have been crafted, both theologically and pedagogically, from the Reformed perspective. Does that really make much difference? We think so! We take the Bible’s teachings seriously. Our deeply biblical spin on the lordship of Christ and our role as God’s covenant people are very evident in this curriculum. We believe that every story in the Bible tells us about God and that every story must be understood as part of the one story of God’s redemption and restoration of this fallen world through Jesus Christ. We aim to be faithful to Scripture and to make the Reformed faith come alive in our everyday experiences as children of God.
Kid-Friendly
Remember the old-style Sunday school classroom where everyone kept quiet and sat in rows, listening to the teacher? Some of you may have fond memories of those classes. Others remember fidgeting and missing most of the lesson. Why? Because kids learn in a variety of ways—through words, music, art, drama, and nature, and though personal reflection and interaction with others. Click here for a list of the different learning styles.
Those old-time lessons only worked well for kids who learned best through words—so some of us missed out. Because Walk With Me sessions are designed to teach all of God’s children, you will find activities that appeal to these many different learning styles in every unit. These sessions have also been carefully tested and reviewed to make sure they’re appropriate for the age level and the life experience of today’s kids. For age-level characteristics click here.
Easy-to-Use
In a perfect world every teacher might be able and willing to spend hours preparing to teach each Sunday. But guess what—that’s not usually the case! Because we know that teachers are also mothers, fathers, employees, students, community leaders, room parents, club leaders, playground monitors, bakers, house cleaners, and car pool drivers—in other words, busy—we’ve made Walk With Me sessions easy to follow and easy to teach. Every session is laid out in four easy steps, each with a goal, a time estimate, and a list of materials:
- The Hello step gives suggestions for fun, interactive things to do as kids arrive, activities that will hook their attention and make them want to learn more.
- The Know step involves presenting the Bible story or passage to the children.
- The Grow step includes activities that help the children recognize what the Bible story or passage means for their own faith and life.
- The Show step includes activities that provide ways for children to respond to what they’ve learned by acting and serving.
A typical Walk With Me Session is designed to fill 45 minutes each week. And we recommend that you plan to allow a minimum of that much class time. But we’ve included plenty of options to make it easier for teachers to “fit” the activities to their kids—and tips and suggestions for shortening or lengthening the session. You’ll discover that Walk With Me sessions are truly teacher friendly. Click here to walk through a lesson.
Grows Faith
Do we want children to know the stories of the Bible? Of course we do. But Walk With Me sessions don’t stop there. We guide children to always ask, So what? What does God’s Word mean for me now—today? And we motivate children to act on what they discover in God’s stories. Sessions are designed to touch the hearts of both leaders and kids and to encourage them to live out their faith. Leaders are encouraged to model faith for the children in their groups—and also to learn from the faith children model for them.
Builds Community
In our increasingly fractured and frantic society, kids need a safe place. It’s our hope and prayer that Walk With Me promote the kind of community building that makes Sunday school that kind of place. The curriculum encourages leaders and children to become a small group together—to care for each other, to hold each other accountable for learning and growing, to encourage one another, and to have fun together. In each small group in your program, everyone—both children of the church and children of the community who have joined you—should feel accepted, loved, and safe.
Celebrates Diversity
We place a strong value on recognizing and celebrating the diversity of God’s family—old and young, male and female, people from a variety of races, cultures, nations, and continents. Because we want children who become part of the Walk With Me family to get a sense of how exciting our differences can be, we’ve selected writers and consultants for this curriculum from a variety of races and cultures. Kids will be challenged often to see truths and hear stories in ways that may be new to them—and through their learning to grow in a love of and appreciation for all parts of God’s family.
Fun
We believe children learn best when sessions are fun and active. The gospel is good news that requires a joyful presentation and response. So Walk With Me sessions include lots of games, drama, music, and other fun activities that will keep the children in your program eager to come back for more. It’s our goal—and we hope it becomes yours—to make Sunday school a time kids don’t want to miss!
Goals
- To nurture and encourage each child to know, love, and serve God.
- To nurture the faith of children and leaders within a caring community.
- To teach children the story of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.
- To help children understand biblical/Reformed truths.
- To challenge children and leaders to live their faith.
- To equip children to share their faith and serve others in the community.
- To partner with families in the faith nurture of their children.
- To encourage children to make the church’s teachings their own.
- To help children value the rich diversity of people in God’s kingdom.
