The summer time is the normal period where Sunday School Superintendents, Christian Education Coordinators, pastors, teachers and parents make their decisions concerning the curriculum for the new year in their church or home devotions.

This year, why not make a decision that will permanently impact your children through the use of a visual curriculum for 4-12 year olds. This material will help to avoid the main2 complaints of much Sunday School or home curriculum which usually are:

1. Boring, non-interactive, the Bible verses never come alive and the lessons are irrelevant to their young lives.
2. Lessons do not build on each other, each one stands by itself and falls by itself.
3. The systematic truths of the Bible are not built upon. They are only stories from the Bible that the child cannot place in context or relate to Biblical doctrine and truth in their own lives.
4. Does not prepare the child for church membership because he or she knows little more than Jesus died for sinners (hopefully relating that to themselves) and the Bible is the Word of God with lots of interesting stories.

Children's Ministry International (CMI) found that teachers desired materials that could teach the truth and that the children would retain and use in their lives. We also found that teachers wanted materials that weren't consumable and were capable of being taught to various/mixed age groups. We knew that children retain 10% what they hear, 60% of what they hear and see and 80% of what they hear, see and do.

The answer to the problem was right under our noses. Over a hundred years ago the "Catechism for Young Children" consisting of 145 questions and answers was written by a Bible believing Presbyterian who wanted to ensure the children in his church would retain the basics and build upon them. He patterned the questions and answers after the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession of faith.

These questions and answers of the Children's Catechism had never been visualized or put in Bible lesson form along with songs and crafts to underscore the truths. An experienced Sunday School woman teacher on CMI staff, Dot Musante from Milton, Florida, came up with the idea and began to prepare visuals for each question and answer. Today all 145 questions and answers have been completed.

Each lesson consists of the same five parts:

1. Teaching The Question: The Text Book offers an explanation of the meaning of the question or questions being studied. These are visualized in color and become a visual aid in learning. Even children who have not yet learned to read words are able to "read" the pictures.
2. Teaching The Memory Verse: The Bible verse chosen directly relates to the question and answer. In the case for the first question, Genesis 2:24, "God created man in His own image, male and female He created them". This too is fully visualized with an explanation the children can relate to. The Bible text is put in a song that helps the child remember the verse. There is also a theme verse for the entire series.
3. A Bible lesson is then taught relating a Biblical story to the concept of God making us in His image. In this case mirrors are used as image reminders, a cracked mirror for what sin has done to our image and how Jesus "repaired the mirror" with His free gift of salvation, Bible texts from Genesis and the Gospels are used.

4. Many types of review games (tic-tac-toe/ concentration/ toss the ball) are then played that help the child remember the question, answer, Bible verse, elements of truth in the Bible story that relate to the concept. The review games are sometimes the most fun as children get excited about what they learned!
5. The creative expression or craft, the take-home craft again directly relates to what has been taught, the truths learned and a keepsake reminder of the importance of the lesson.

A typical lesson (for instance Series A: "The Who, What, Why and How of Creation") can be taught in three sessions: the first session teaching the question, answer, memory verse and song; the second session reviewing the 1st week, repeating the memory verse and song and then teaching the Bible lesson; and the third session reviewing the 1st and 2nd weeks, playing the review game, doing the creative expression and of course singing the songs. Therefore the typical series can easily last a quarter.

Below is a eight-year plan for introducing "The Bible Building Blocks of the Faith" into your church or home.

For families which desire to teach the lessons at home we have another schedule available.

Can you imagine having your 5th and 6th graders knowing all the important doctrines of the Bible? This includes the attributes of God, the books of the Bible, how the Holy Spirit works, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacraments, Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King, how to fight the devil, Christ's coming again, atonement, sanctification, justification and glorification, and this is just a start. Yes, it can happen; the curriculum exist today for you to start.