this article on planning a year of ministry<\/a>.)<\/p>\nWhen planning an annual teaching strategy, the most important thing you’ll need to do is to establish your scope and sequence\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 a fancy term for what you’ll teach (the scope) and when you’ll teach it (the sequence).\u00a0Because kids and teenagers learn differently and have different needs, we suggest approaching your annual teaching strategy differently between kids and students. Here’s how…<\/p>\nFOR KIDS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nSince preschoolers and elementary-aged kids are more likely to remember stories about God rather than abstract principles or ideas about God, it’s so important to structure our scope and sequence around biblical stories.\u00a0<\/strong>We suggest some chronology in the order in which you teach your Bible stories, but with an equal balance between the Old Testament and New Testament each year, doing series that are primarily book studies or character studies. We recommend splitting it up like this:<\/p>\n\n- DECEMBER \u2014 MAY: <\/strong>Spend 6 months in the New Testament, beginning with the birth of Jesus and continuing chronologically through the epistles and stories of the early church. Repeat this every year, using different stories and passages each year until you run out of stories. If you’re following the Grow Kids scope and sequence, you’ll cover all of the major stories and passages in the New Testament in three years \u2014 at that point, you’ll start over again.<\/li>\n
- JUNE \u2014 NOVEMBER:\u00a0<\/strong>Spend 6 months in the Old Testament, beginning with creation and continuing chronologically through the entire Old Testament. This should take a few years! (Oh, and here’s a tip \u2014 when you’re studying the Old Testament, always try to use supplementary passages from the New Testament to help kids connect the stories of God in the Old Testament with Jesus.) If you’re following the Grow Kids scope and sequence, you’ll cover all of the major stories and kid-friendly passages in the Old Testament in three years \u2014 at that point, you’ll start over again.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
FOR STUDENTS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nSince teenagers are capable of thinking much more abstractly than kids, you can teach more abstract ideas and in more abstract ways.<\/p>\n
\n- Instead of primarily teaching Bible stories, you can teach more principles and ideas.<\/li>\n
- Instead of teaching chronologically, you can combine passages from the Old and New Testaments, and even multiple books, to show students how very different parts of Scripture come together to show us what God is like.<\/li>\n
- Instead of doing primarily book studies or character studies, you can also do more topical studies that introduce students to a variety of characters, books, or both. We suggest doing a combination of book studies, character studeis, and topical studies each year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
With that in mind, we recommend structuring your scope and sequence for teenagers around a few key subjects students want and need to hear about. But just because your scope and sequence is structured topically doesn’t mean every series needs to be topical! You might do a study in Ephesians through the lens of friendship,<\/strong> or a series on Moses through the lens of identity,\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0a study on the Exodus through the lens of hurt and pain.\u00a0<\/strong>Keep that in mind as you read through this list of subjects we suggest you cover in your scope and sequence, either every year or every other year.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/h1>\n\n- AUTHORITY:<\/strong> A series on responding to authority figures and examining who (or what) we allow to have authority in our lives.<\/li>\n
- CHRISTMAS:<\/strong> A series on the Christmas season or story. Schedule this series every December.<\/li>\n
- DOUBT & QUESTIONS:<\/strong> A series on approaching tough faith questions. Schedule this for the spring or summer, after you’ve had time to build plenty of trust with your students.<\/li>\n
- EASTER:<\/strong> A series on the Easter story. Schedule this for the one or two weeks leading up to Easter, depending on your calendar and preferences.<\/li>\n
- EVANGELISM:<\/strong> A series to help students hear and share the good news of Jesus. Schedule this in the summer to align with the discipleship focus of sharing your story.<\/li>\n
- FAMILY:<\/strong> A series on building healthy relationships and navigating conflict with our families. Schedule this for the spring in preparation for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.<\/li>\n
- FRIENDSHIP:<\/strong> A series on developing healthy friendships. Schedule this in the beginning of the school year to help students get off to a great start in their relationships.<\/li>\n
- HURT & PAIN:<\/strong> A series on trusting God during times of crisis.<\/li>\n
- IDENTITY:<\/strong> A series on discovering who God created us to be. Schedule this in the fall or winter to support the winter discipleship focus on knowing and using your gifts.<\/li>\n
- JESUS:<\/strong> A 4-week series on the life and message of Jesus. Schedule this near Easter.<\/li>\n
- JUSTICE:<\/strong> A 4-week series on biblical justice.<\/li>\n
- OTHERS:<\/strong> A series on loving or serving others. Schedule this in November to give students an opportunity to serve others during the holiday season.<\/li>\n
- SPIRITUAL HABITS:<\/strong> Each year, we schedule at least one series on our four spiritual habits: spending time with God, spending time with others, using your gifts, and sharing your story. Schedule this anytime, but especially in the spring to align with the spring discipleship focus of spending time with God.<\/li>\n
- WISDOM:<\/strong> A series on making wise choices in general or in a specific area (dating, social media, peer pressure, etc.).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And hey, if you’re using Grow Curriculum, we’ve already done this work for you. For every week of every year, we provide teaching content designed by real in-the-trenches youth and kids pastors who understand how to teach kids and teenagers effectively. And we give you everything you need to make it happen!<\/p>\n
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WHAT’S INCLUDED IN GROW CURRICULUM<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ header_font=”Roboto Condensed|700|on|on|||||” header_font_size=”38px” header_line_height=”1.2em” header_2_font=”Roboto Condensed|700||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”38px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” header_3_font=”Roboto Condensed|700|on|on|||||” header_3_font_size=”26px” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” header_4_font=”Roboto Condensed|700||on|||||” header_4_font_size=”26px” header_4_line_height=”1.2em” header_5_font=”Roboto Condensed|700|on|on|||||” header_5_font_size=”18px” header_5_line_height=”1.2em” header_6_font=”Roboto Condensed|700||on|||||” header_6_font_size=”18px” header_6_line_height=”1.2em” header_font_size_tablet=”” header_font_size_phone=”28px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”” header_2_font_size_phone=”28px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_3_font_size_tablet=”” header_3_font_size_phone=”23px” header_3_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_4_font_size_tablet=”” header_4_font_size_phone=”23px” header_4_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone”]<\/p>\n
If you’re looking for resources to help you strategize your teaching plan, here’s what’s included in every volume of Grow Curriculum and Strategy.<\/p>\n
FOR KIDS<\/em><\/h1>\nTEACHING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Weekly\u00a0elementary teaching videos\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n
- <\/strong>Weekly preschool teaching videos<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Access to the Grow Message Builder Library<\/strong> where all of your messages can be created, edited, viewed, and printed online<\/li>\n
- Elementary lesson guides<\/strong> for each week in PDF, DOC, and Message Builder formats<\/li>\n
- Preschool lesson guides<\/strong> for each week in PDF, DOC, and Message Builder formats<\/li>\n
- Elementary\u00a0<\/b><\/span>small group guides<\/strong> for each week in PDF and DOC formats, as well as in the Grow App<\/li>\n
- Activities, object lessons, music, reflection, response, and more<\/strong> in every week of teaching<\/li>\n
- Hacks for toddlers<\/strong> to help you customize each series for a toddler-specific context<\/span><\/li>\n
- Hacks for preteens<\/strong> to help you customize each series for a preteen-specific context<\/span><\/li>\n
- Hacks for teenagers<\/strong> with special needs<\/strong> to help you customize each series to include students with different levels of physical, developmental, or learning abilities<\/span><\/li>\n
- Weekly\u00a0coloring pages\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0printables<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
COMMUNICATION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Weekly volunteer huddle guides\u00a0<\/strong>in PDF format<\/li>\n
- Weekly volunteer emails<\/strong> in plain text, MailChimp, and HTML formats<\/li>\n
- Monthly parent emails<\/strong> in plain text, MailChimp, and HTML formats<\/li>\n
- Weekly and monthly parent handouts\u00a0<\/strong>in PDF and DOC formats<\/li>\n
- A social media plan<\/strong> for students, parents, and volunteers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
GRAPHICS & VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 60-second bumper videos<\/strong> for every series<\/li>\n
- Countdown videos<\/strong> for every series<\/li>\n
- Editable series graphics<\/strong> in PSD format<\/li>\n
- Series title slide images<\/strong> in horizontal, vertical, and square formats, so you can use them easily on all print, online, and social media platforms<\/li>\n
- Series background slide images<\/strong> in horizontal, vertical, and square formats, so you can create your own slides and use them easily on all print, online, and social media platforms<\/li>\n
- Big Idea images<\/strong> for every week of teaching, in horizontal, vertical, and square formats, so you can use them easily on all print, online, and social media platforms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
EVEN MORE STUFF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Decorating ideas<\/strong> to complement each series’ theme<\/li>\n
- Worship song suggestions<\/strong> to complement each week of each series<\/li>\n
- A font list<\/strong> of every font used during the year<\/li>\n
- A shopping list<\/strong> of every item we suggest you purchase for your messages during the year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
FOR STUDENTS<\/em><\/h1>\nTEACHING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Access to the Grow Message Builder Library<\/strong> where all of your messages can be created, edited, viewed, and printed online<\/li>\n
- Sermon guides<\/strong> for each week in PDF, DOC, and Message Builder formats<\/li>\n
- Middle school small group guides<\/strong> for each week in PDF and DOC formats, as well as in the Grow App<\/li>\n
- High school small group guides<\/strong> for each week in PDF and DOC formats, as well as in the Grow App<\/li>\n
- Hybrid guides<\/strong> for each week in PDF, DOC, and Message Builder formats<\/span><\/li>\n
- Activities, object lessons, music, reflection, response, and more<\/strong> in every week of teaching<\/span><\/li>\n
- Hacks for middle schoolers<\/strong> to help you customize each series for a middle school specific context<\/span><\/li>\n
- Hacks for high schoolers<\/strong> to help you customize each series for a high school specific context<\/span><\/li>\n
- Hacks for teenagers<\/strong> with special needs<\/strong> to help you customize each series to include students with different levels of physical, developmental, or learning abilities<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
COMMUNICATION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Weekly volunteer emails<\/strong> in plain text, MailChimp, and HTML formats<\/li>\n
- Monthly parent emails<\/strong> in plain text, MailChimp, and HTML formats<\/li>\n
- Weekly one-minute sermons<\/strong>, summarizing each week of teaching into a script you can use for social media recap videos<\/li>\n
- A social media plan<\/strong> for students, parents, and volunteers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
GRAPHICS & VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 60-second bumper videos<\/strong> for every series<\/li>\n
- Countdown videos<\/strong> for every series<\/li>\n
- Editable series graphics<\/strong> in PSD format<\/li>\n
- Series title slide images<\/strong> in horizontal, vertical, and square formats, so you can use them easily on all print, online, and social media platforms<\/li>\n
- Series background slide images<\/strong> in horizontal, vertical, and square formats, so you can create your own slides and use them easily on all print, online, and social media platforms<\/li>\n
- Big Idea images<\/strong> for every week of teaching, in horizontal, vertical, and square formats, so you can use them easily on all print, online, and social media platforms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
EVEN MORE STUFF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Room or stage design ideas<\/strong> to complement each series’ theme<\/li>\n