Flexible Lesson Planning

While planning is important, being flexible and adaptable has its benefits. I’ve realized that some of the best classes with my students have happened when I changed my plan on the fly. So, I thought I’d share a few instances and examples where adjusting my plan has enabled the students to learn and enjoy class even better.

New students: I always want new or visiting students to feel welcome. If new students show up, I might change my plan to start class with an icebreaker game so we can all get to know each other. Two of my favorite games are A Great Wind Blows and Beach-Ball Get to Know You, which you can find instructions for online. Giving students opportunities to share something about themselves, such as their favorite animal or favorite thing to do in their free time, is fun. My students also love drawing a picture on the board of something they did that week for everyone to guess.

Energy level: If the students are excited and full of energy at the beginning of class, I try to use that energy for something productive, such as singing memory verse songs with motions or playing an active memory verse game, like Popcorn. My students have enjoyed relays using books of the Bible flashcards and a jumping game where they line up on a piece of tape and jump to the Old Testament or New Testament side based on the book I call out. Our latest class favorite is jumping rope while we say a book of the Bible for each jump.

Reading/writing ability: When students have a tough time reading or writing, I ask for volunteers to read the verses, or I read more of them myself during the lesson. If the Class Notes worksheet for that day requires more writing (such as a crossword or fill-in-the-blank), I like to show the PowerPoint slides so the class can give the answers verbally rather than waiting for everyone to write them out individually. This takes the pressure off students who may struggle to keep up.

Spiritual/intellectual maturity: Some lessons the kids seem to follow well and ask good questions. But other lessons can be a struggle. I’ve learned that it’s okay to slow down and emphasize one or two points in a lesson rather than pushing to get through all the content. Good questions are always worth stopping to answer and discuss. I want my students to ask questions and know that the Bible has the answers! I will not always know all the answers. That’s when I say, “What a great question! I want to study a bit more so I can find the best answer. Let’s remember to talk about this next week.” Then I can research and respond to the question later.

Game plan: I have often changed my review game for the day based on my class size and energy level. With a larger class, I may opt for a game that keeps everyone seated, such as Draw Dice or Oh No! With a class that seems antsy, I may switch to a more active game. Other times, I may change up the game so the teams can answer questions together. This works well when I have new students, shy kids, or a student with special needs who would feel uncomfortable answering a question individually. While I love playing competitive team games, sometimes I have kids who are overly competitive. This is a good time to have everyone work together as one team or play “class versus teacher” so there are no hard feelings between the students.

I hope these ideas are helpful as you plan your lessons, then adapt your plans as needed. One of the benefits of Answers Bible Curriculum is the number of options you have for your class time. These options give you flexibility to tailor your lesson, activities, and games to best fit your students.