Communicating Care | Sunday School Solutions

By Todd Hacker

Children today live in a world where they are constantly looking to be accepted. How can we, as teachers, show them that we care about them, but more importantly that God cares about them? There are hundreds of things that you could do to show children you care. Unfortunately there is not enough time to cover them all, but here are a few you can try.

One of the most important things you can do is get to know your students personally. Find out what they like or don’t like. What are their hobbies? Do you share any common interests? By finding ways to relate to each of the children you teach, not only will they sense that you care about who they are, but it will also better equip you to pray for their specific needs.

One of the most important things you can do is get to know your students personally. 

As you get to know them, look for their strengths. Ask God to help you find ways to use those strengths to get them more involved in the classroom. If you have a child who has grown up in church and knows the stories really well, have them help you act out some of the stories. If you have a shy child who doesn’t like talking during class, ask if they’d help pass things out to the other children. Simple things like this help your children feel like they belong and have a purpose.

Another thing to try is writing a handwritten letter to your kids. A lot of kids that came to my church were bused in from un-churched families. Many of them weren’t able to come during the summer due to sports, vacation, and whatever their family had going on. During this time, my wife and I made a point to write a personalized letter of encouragement to each of them, letting them know we were thinking about them and praying for them.

Another thing to try is writing a handwritten letter to your kids. 

Finally, think about what your classroom looks like. Is it clean? Are the cabinets stocked with crayons or games to play when the sermon runs long? Are the walls decorated? Some of these things you may not have control over or maybe there’s no money in the budget for it. But it’s something to consider for the future of your children’s ministry. Ask yourself, “Is this room welcoming to the kids? Does the room show I care about them?” An un-kept room can be a turn off for the children and the parents. Tell the kids how you were thinking of them when you did something in the classroom. In our class every few months or so my wife and I would try to spend the last 10 minutes of class talking with the kids about some of the activities we had done during that time. We asked them what sort of activities they enjoyed and would like to see more of and which ones really seemed to help them. They always had input to share and some of it was very helpful.