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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Ideas for re: Lesson ideas and plans exploring Christian faith, the Bible, special places & traditions.
Expressing Faith through the Arts
This unit of work outlines an approach to exploring how people of faith, in particular those of the Christian Faith, express their beliefs through music, art, drama and poetry.
View ideaCrosses from around the world
The intended learning outcomes for this piece of work include that pupils should be able to recognise that the symbol of the cross has a variety of meanings and to discuss the symbol of the cross for Christians.
View ideaPlaces of Christian worship
The following outline looks at what makes somewhere a special place for Christian worship, how Christian worshipers feel about these places and how Christians experience God there
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 ideaGod is so good
A simple song of Christian praise translated into many languages and sung to the same tune.
View ideaPeter and Cornelius: overcoming Prejudice
Ideas for working with the story of Peter and Cornelius, the Roman officer, as found in Acts 10, 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 ideaWriting your own Lord's Prayer
Some ideas for working with the pattern of the Lord's Prayer to encourage groups to write a version of their own.
View ideaThe Lord's Prayer Worldwide
Different translations of the first two words of the Lord's Prayer to accompany a focus on Christianity as a World Faith
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 ideaBooks in the Bible
This is a classroom activity to give an overview of the Christian's special book - the Bible.
View ideaBible anagrams
Anagrams have always been part of the regular diet of puzzles and crosswords. The following classroom quiz involves working out a series of anagrams of different Bible books. It could be a simple way into a lesson on the range and type of books that the Bible contains.
View ideaBible headlines - a classroom quiz
Have you ever wondered what some famous Bible stories might sound like reduced to such headlines or sound bites? This quiz of 'Bible Bites' is a guessing game based on characters and stories from the Old Testament and could be used to begin or conclude a lesson outline on the Bible.
View ideaBooks of the Bible - learning about chapters and verses
This is a lesson outline about how to get about the Bible and work out what is where.
View ideaFunny facts about Bible characters
The following activity could be used to introduce a session on the Bible. It has the added element of giving children a fun reason to look up verses from the Bible, making them familiar with using the contents page as well as chapter and verse references.
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 ideaJesus' baptism - water as a symbol
Jesus' baptism is a crucial moment as he receives his Father's reassurance of his identity before he faces up to the task ahead of him and starts his ministry.
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 ideaImaginative prayer
This prayer idea comes from The Lord's Prayer Unplugged in the chapter on 'Your will be done'. It picks up the idea of doing what God wants, rather than just what we want.
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 ideaAngels, Angels Everywhere
The theme is the role of the angels in the Christmas story - both their significance and their symbolism.
View ideaTalking about Christmas - a Special Birthday
The theme is a special birthday - Jesus' birthday - and how Jesus' birth is remembered and celebrated at Christmas. The key concepts here are those of remembering and celebrating.
View ideaTalking About Christmas: the Giving of Gifts
The theme is the visit of the Magi (wise men) to the baby Jesus, the gifts they bring and their possible meanings.
View ideaTalking About Easter: Easter Eggs and New Life
The aims for this unit of work are that children should be able to identify and talk about signs of new life, respond thoughtfully to signs of new life, understand that eggs are given at Easter because it is a time when Christians celebrate Jesus' resurrection, understand that eggs are a sign of new life
View ideaTalking About Easter: The Cross as a Symbol
The intended learning outcomes for this piece of work would be that the children should be able to recognise that the symbol of the cross has a variety of meanings, to discuss the symbol of the cross for Christians, to know that for Christians the empty cross is the sign that the crucifixion of Christ was not an end but a beginning, to explore how different Christian groups around the world use the symbol of the cross to express faith within their culture.
View ideaTalking about Harvest: saying thank you
This is an outline for a series of RE lessons for a Foundation class on the themes of harvest and the importance of saying thank you
View ideaTalking about prayer: what helps people pray?
The following outline looks at different ways of praying within the Christian tradition. This could be part of a wider unit of work comparing and contrasting approaches to prayer between two major world Faiths. It will explore the importance of prayer to the life of a Christian and the variety of ways prayer can be expressed and experienced.
View ideaWater as a symbol - baptism
This unit of work is an outline for exploring its meaning for Christians and in particular the sacrament of baptism
View ideaChristmas 1: The angel visits Mary
This is the first of a series of ideas that you could use for lessons in the four weeks before Christmas.
View ideaChristmas 2: Mary and Joseph's journey
This is the second of a series of ideas that you could use for lessons in the four weeks before Christmas.
View ideaChristmas 3: Jesus is born
This is the third of a series of ideas that you could use for lessons in the four weeks before Christmas.
View ideaChristmas 4: The shepherds see Jesus
This is the fourth of a series of ideas that you could use for lessons in the four weeks before Christmas.
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