Build on the Foundation: Challenge Children!

I wrote about not underestimating children, so today I want to build on this and talk about challenging children. I truly do believe children live up or down to our expectations. If we treat them like they are not capable of really digging into God's Word, understanding it, and living it, they will believe those things are true.  

While preschool is a foundational time where children are learning the basics of God's Word, elementary is different. As children learn to read and have a foundation of solid Bible knowledge, it is time to build on this foundation and help children go deep and wide into God's Word so they are able to understand and live it!

So, how do we do this? We can involve children in researching and discovering specific things - look up information about Bible people, places, and topics and then have meaningful conversations with them so they understand what God's Word says. Children are capable of doing this - we just need to guide and give them the opportunity to discover how God's Word is for them! 

When we treat the elementary ages like preschool and continue to just lay the foundation, we end up boring children. They decide they have, "heard that story before" and they stop listening. They end up believing God's Word is not for them; it is just a book they carry to church with them and leave in the van all week. 

God's Word IS for children! Engage them! Challenge them! Get them to see how exciting it is to research and discover the Adventure in God's Word and how it has the answers they are looking for! Do not underestimate children! (Get Deeper In for Children curriculum to use in your church as it does not underestimate children - quite the opposite! It gets them to go deeper into God's Word and learn how they are able to live it! You will find more at this link!)