This blog gets more hits on Saturday evenings than any other time of the week. I can’t say for sure I know why that is, but I do know that most of the posts looked at during that time are for object lessons and children’s sermons. It’s great this blog provides much needed resources, but the earlier you prepare, the easier it will flow on Sunday. Here’s a few steps to make sure you’re prepared early.
Decide how much time it takes to prepare for children’s church. Once you know how much time it takes, you can work it into your schedule.
Schedule a time to prepare your lesson. Some people like to prepare the whole thing at once. Others like to divide it into bite size pieces. Whatever works for you, make sure you’re finished by Friday. If Saturday’s the only day you have to prepare, get a week ahead on preparation.
The reason for this is because if you have a game plan already in place, you can spend time praying for the students and about the lesson. Also the creative side of your brain has room to mull over what you’re doing. If you come up with some fantastic object lesson, you’ll have time to get it together and make sure you have the supplies you need. If you wait until Saturday night, you’re limited in what you can do.
Pray before you plan and after you plan. By planning early, you’ll have time to seek God about your lesson. It may be the Holy Spirit will nudge you in a certain way. But if you wait until Saturday night, God won’t be able to speak as clearly through you planning frenzy. Prepare early and give God time to work.
I definitely agree. Been there, did that. And it pays off very nicely, too.