Energize gives you fantastic Bible teaching materials using games, activities and drama.
The Seven to Ten age group is, among children, the most diverse age group to work with. Those at the younger end of the group are still very much children, just moving up into junior school. They might be highly dependent, needing a lot of support and explanation. At the other end your 11 year olds – and particularly the girls – are already young adults, getting ready for the transition to senior school. Many will be going through puberty already, and their attitude will have changed from thinking that you know everything to challenging you at every turn. Intellectually, the group will differ widely as well, although this is not always according to age. Some of the children will struggle to read fluently, and, especially in the younger end, many will struggle to write. You may also experience difficulties from older children who find that younger children can read better than they can. Sometimes they will play up to divert attention from the fact that they are struggling; make a point of encouraging them by commenting on the things they do well. Also, make sure that you never ask anyone to read outright – ask for volunteers, and don’t assume that the oldest children will read best. Be ready to come in with the difficult words as soon as a child begins to hesitate. When reading the Bible, especially, it is helpful to paraphrase each sentence after you have finished reading it so that children get a second chance to understand.
Need further advice about how to work with 7-10s?
Energize has a growing range of meeting plans for working with this age group. Why not take a look and see what's on offer:
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Not sure where to begin? We've developed a syllabus that allows to children to explore their growing faith, using a wide variety of games, activities and drama: