Ideas to use
You will find on these pages a wealth of ideas for children's and all-age work. You can either use the search box above, or you can add some of the keywords on the left to find the right ideas for you.
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Compassion - a whole school assembly outline
One of a series of Core Values assemblies with Bible stories
View ideaForgiveness - a whole school assembly outline
One of a series of Core Values assemblies with Bible stories
View ideaBarnabas the Encourager: making a difference
Ideas for working with the story of Barnabas, as found in Acts 4: 36-37 for an R.E. class session at Key Stage 2.
View ideaThe Good Samaritan: showing compassion
Ideas for working with the parable of the Good Samaritan for an RE class session at Key Stage 2
View ideaThe Easter shout
On Easter morning Christian congregations in many lands and in many languages repeat the great Easter Acclamation or shout of praise. As a way of participating in this proclamation of the central truth of the Christian Faith, why not teach and use versions of this shout in other languages. In this way groups can be reminded that this Christian story has gone out around the world.
View ideaBarnabas - the Encouraging Apostle
11th June is St Barnabas Day - a saint dear to the heart of the the Barnabas Schools' Team! His real name was Joseph and he came from Cyprus. He was given the nickname Barnabas, which means 'son of encouragement' for good reasons. He made a generous gift to the first Christians in Jerusalem and later he persuaded them to accept St. Paul into their number after his dramatic conversion. He also travelled with Paul both to Cyprus and later to the area we now call Turkey in order to tell others about the story of Jesus.
View ideaChoice circus: a dramatic activity
A drama game useful for exploring the two sides of an argument or dilemma.
View ideaBig story of the Bible in mime
This is an activity which can become a presentation by a class. The aim is to have a series of 13 simple mimes for the Old Testament story and 9 for the New Testament. This represents in proportion the length of the Old to the New Testaments in terms of numbers of books. The minimum number of people involved in the whole Bible mime is 13 or 14.
View ideaHeroes: Elijah and King Ahab
This lesson outline introduces the Old Testament character of Elijah and opens up discussion on what makes a hero.
View ideaWedding at Cana (Water into wine): looking at a miracle of Jesus
Here is an outline for a classroom session on Jesus' first miracle or 'sign' in John's Gospel.
View ideaBible characters: a dramatic activity
This is a simple idea for looking at an old story in a new way.
View ideaPeople Jesus Met
This unit of work will look at different people or groups of people who encountered the teaching and ministry of Jesus. It will explore how their lives were changed and what the consequences were.
View ideaThis is the harvest that God made
Here is a simple idea for a presentation by your pupils for harvest. The truth that we are still dependent on the land for our food is becoming harder to realise for a generation that might be forgiven for believing that carrots grow in plastic bags on supermarket shelves. This piece connects the food we eat with God who made the world. It also makes visual the inter-connectedness of God's giving and the human effort needed in order to produce the food on our plates.
View ideaPentecost Power
A simple dramatic presentation for Pentecost - this sketch can be rehearsed in a very short time and requires very little line-learning.
View ideaJesus - Light of the World
Jesus calls himself the light of the world. Christians believe that this is the light that enters into the deep darkness of Easter and emerges triumphant, enabling his followers to become the children of light. From the little light in the hay in the Bethlehem stable, through the dazzling light on the Mount of Transfiguration, to the light of the resurrection morning, Jesus reflected the light of heaven on earth. This is the theme of this outline with activities linked to aspects of the life of Jesus: his birth, his healings, his transfiguration and his death and resurrection.
View ideaEvery day, a special job to do
The following outline is for an assembly and some classroom follow-up on this topic and is based around the story of the calling of the disciples by Jesus on the shores of Lake Galilee. Jesus knew what his work was and he invited others to join him in bringing in God's rule. The first disciples discovered a new goal for their everyday lives and this resource encourages children equally to discover who God wants them to be and what work he has for them to do each day.
View ideaAbraham the Patriarch
Idea for an RE lesson on the story of Abraham's call by God to go to the Promised Land
View ideaNew Beginnings with Ezekiel
Ideas for an assembly and classroom follow-up on the story of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37)
View ideaNew Beginnings with Jesus at Easter
Ideas for an assembly or the classroom on the story of Good Friday and Easter
View ideaJoshua and the spies
A Bible story and linked activities to support the summer term topic of 'changes' for the SEAL curriculum.
View ideaThe Power of the Book - William Tyndale
An idea for telling the story of William Tyndale's translation of the Bible, as a story circle
View ideaThe life of William Tyndale - a five-minute story to act out with a class
An idea for telling the story of William Tyndale's translation of the Bible, as a story circle
View ideaDependence - supporting each other
This classroom activity uses a mixture of games, simple drama and a variety of storytelling suggestions to unpack the story of Jesus healing a man who was paralysed, demonstrating how important teamwork is in sport as well as in the Christian life.
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