9th in a Series on Engaging Children and Motivating Them to Learn
Marrena Ralph & Jonita Barram
The memory techniques you use to help children learn are key, but there is a “secret weapon” in your room that can sink engagement and learning or can help you win the day. Read on to find out more! Everything you have read in this series that applies to you applies to the adult or youth volunteers in your club. Here is a recap from the perspective of the workers themselves:
- Pray for the kids, the leader, the other workers, and yourself.
- Be excited about being with the children and about God and His Word.
- Talk to the kids and get to know them.
- Help the teacher/leader prepare the room to make it kid friendly.
- Know the safety procedures for your church and the discipline and first aid procedures for you Kids4Truth Clubs.
- Do the memory work yourself and demonstrate to the children that you know what they are learning.
- Listen during main teaching times.
- Don’t stand around talking to other workers or leaders. Rather, be totally engaged with the students and with the Bible lesson during teaching time.
- Reward children verbally (e.g., good job, good work, I’m proud of you).
- Never belittle a child or a parent. When speaking to the leader or another worker about a child’s needs, always remain positive; never speak disparagingly.
- Appreciate the use of patches and let kids know you think they’re great.
- Cheer students during review games.
- Become familiar with the various needs that the children in your club could have.
- If you help students with their memory work, know how to use effective memory techniques.
- Pray.
Leader, involving your workers will encourage them to share in the excitement. Start by providing shirts with your club logo for them to wear. You can discourage workers by coming up with all the ideas yourself and expecting them to carry out your plans without ever involving them in the planning or design. Let them be creative. Include them in planning, and ask them to design and make banners or posters or to decorate the room. Have them facilitate games, crafts, and events, or add them to your teaching rotation. The results may differ from what you would have done; they may not have the quality you had hoped for (or the opposite; they’ll be better); but when workers own the ministry along with you, you are on your way to engaging children and motivating them to learn.
Marrena Ralph is the clubs program specialist at Regular Baptist Press. She is available for consultation and workshops. Contact her at 866.754.4272 or Marrena@Kids4Truth.com.
Only one thing will help you put together all the components that make possible engaging children and motivating them to learn—prayer. Don’t miss the last article in this series: “Engaging Children and Motivating Them to Learn: Pray!”
