How to Prepare a Sunday School Lesson Plan
A lesson plan is a Sunday School Teacher’s companion every lesson time. It is a guide containing detailed information on the lesson for the day. It also gives direction to the Sunday School Teacher and affirms the teacher’s preparedness for a class.
An effective Sunday School lesson plan has the following key sections.
- Lesson Title
- Bible Verses or Scripture References
- Aim/ Purpose/Emphasis or Theme
- Welcome Activities
- Review of Previous Lesson
- Introductory Story or Attention Activity
- Tell the Story
- Lesson Activities
- Review
- Conclusion
1. Lesson Title
This is the main subject of the lesson. Every Sunday School lesson needs a title. The title inspires the rest of the lesson plan. Some examples of a title include Joseph and His Brothers, Jesus Raised Lazarus, The Creation etc.
2. Bible Verses or Scripture References
These are the bible verses a teacher will need to tell the Bible story to the children. From the Bible verse and passage, the teacher can also get the memory verse for the lesson.
3. Aim/ Purpose/Emphasis or Theme
This is the main take-home point or lesson the teacher wants the children to know at the end of the lesson. The aim of the lesson could be ‘God wants you to trust him in all circumstances,’ ‘God wants you to tell others about His word’, etc.
4. Welcome Activities
A welcome activity prepares the children for what is to come. The teacher can connect with the children before the lesson by having a welcome activity. Welcome activities inspire guesses among the children and the urge to find out what the lesson is about. A welcome activity could be how the teacher dresses concerning the lesson. It could be a short game. It could be the songs you sing before the lesson, and it even could be how you decorate the Sunday school class.
5. Review of Previous Lesson
It is important to spend some time recapping previous lessons, especially if the current lesson is a continuation. Put together at most five questions to ask. It could be asking the children to complete a statement you make, etc.
6. Introductory Story or Attention Activity
The intro story or attention activity stirs the curiosity and interest of the children before the main lesson passage. The intro could be a short creative story made up by the teacher. It could be a skit done with the children or a demonstration. Example: (Story) What would you do if you were Asher? Asher was alone at home… (Activity) An activity could be giving the children a cup of water and asking them to turn it into wine (Jesus at the Wedding).
7. Tell the Story
Outline the sequence of the story and decide how you want to present it. Use a timeline to avoid missing any vital point in the story. Decide to use picture cards, demonstrations, drama, and others to tell the Bible story. Remember not to go off from what is written in the Bible.
8. Lesson Activities
Plan what lesson activities you want the children to do after the lesson. Lesson activities reinforce the aim of the lesson and the passage to the kids. This could be games, crafts, artwork etc. Always ensure the lesson activity relates to the lesson.
9. Review
Reviews are one of the ways to reinforce the lesson again for a short period. Review the lesson by repeating key points in the passage and repeating the lesson’s aim. You can make a statement and ask the children to continue. You can show a picture card and ask the children to tell you the story by looking at the pictures.
10. Conclusion
Always conclude your lesson with a prayer. You can ask one of the children to pray and follow it with a prayer for the children. It helps to sing a song in conclusion. The song must relate to the lesson.
