The Teacher Zone
Miscellaneous Tips
Written by Tim and Lisa Deam
Draw the Verse
This idea is great for reviewing verses. Divide the class into teams and assign each team a previously learned memory verse. Give each team a large piece of drawing paper and give them five minutes to draw symbols or pictures that help them remember the words or phrases of the verse. Have each group show their verse drawing to the entire class. Then have the children repeat the verse in unison. Use the verse drawing in future classes to review the verses.

Tips for teaching the scripture memory verse
- Quality vs. Quantity
If the kids in your class are not memorizing their verses, try teaching one new verse every two weeks. Spend the second week helping the kids memorize the verse and really understand its meaning.
- Break up the verse into smaller phrases and help the kids understand what the phrases mean.
- Look for repeated words, lists or how the words are grouped and point this out to the children to aid them in memorizing.
- Teach the kids motions or sign language to help them remember phrases or specific words in the verse.
- When playing a review game, have the winning team recite the memory verse to earn bonus points.
Songs in the Classroom
Think of new ways to sing an old song
Have you ever wanted to use a song because it had great words and teaching, but were concerned that the
kids wouldn’t like it because the melody was outdated? It’s time to give that old tune new life!
Ideas:
- Speed up the song, and sing it with enthusiasm.
- Sing the song with a syncopated rhythm.
- Add “claps” if there are consistent breaks in the song.
- Make the song into a chant.
- Teach the children some sign language to “sign” while singing the song.
- Have the children make percussion instruments to use while singing the song.

Review Games -- Tips for playing games in the classroom
- Always review the rules before playing, even when playing a familiar game.
- Put a new twist on a favorite game by changing the rules to make it even more exciting and to renew interest.
- Give lots of points—they’re free! Instead of giving 100 points for each correct answer, give one million!
- Remember the three “F’s” for game time: fast-paced, fully alive and fun-tastic!
Draw a Bible story
Materials needed: Two marker boards or drawing pads, dry erase markers or other markers and index cards on which Bible story titles are written. It is beneficial to use stories that have been recently taught and use this game as a form of review.
To play: Divide the class into two teams. One child from each team comes to the front and the teacher shows the children a card revealing a Bible story title. Each child draws a picture of the story while his team is watching. The first team to name the story gets one million points. Quickly review the main teaching from that story before the next team members take their turn. Continue as time allows.
(If you would like to download this article as a .pdf file, please click
here.)