Been There, Done That!

Creative Storytelling Ideas for Reaching Preteens
© 2008 Steven James

Learn how to reach preteens with God's Word. These incredible storytelling secrets will ignite your lessons and actively involve your students. By mixing together just the right amount of goofiness, audience participation and adventure, you can tell Bible stories to preteens in ways that they'll love and relate to.

Using Humor With Preteens

1. Impersonations—Preteens will laugh at silly impersonations of cartoon characters, actors, TV personalities, or sports heroes as long as they can identify who is being impersonated. Be careful you don't make fun of people if you choose to do this!

2. Feigned stupidity—Kids will usually laugh if you act like you don't know something you should know, or mix something up that should be obvious, or pretend to forget a common name or place in the middle of the story.

3. You'll never guess!—In a story with repetition, you may come to a part where you quip, "You'll never guess what happened next! I mean you'll never guess in a million years what comes next—" They will, of course, guess correctly. Then you get to act surprised: "That's right! How on earth did you know that? Are you like a genius or something?" Have fun with this, but don't overdo it.

4. Exaggeration—Truth taken to an extreme or exaggerated can be very funny. One way to do this is to point out something that the Bible teaches that the students may never have noticed. For example, many preteens think gross things are cool, so when you tell the story of David and Goliath, you could mention that when David sliced off Goliath's head, blood went spurting all over...

5. Bizarre props—Use bizarre props to tell the story. Draw a story with whipped cream or spray paint. Use life-sized manikins, giant blow-up dolls, or cardboard, sports hero cut-outs!

6. Surprise!—The unexpected is funny. Tell the students something one way for a few times in the story and then change it. For example, you might point out several times in a story that Jesus was from Bethlehem. Then say, "By the way do you know where Jesus came from?" And they'll say "Bethlehem!" Then shake your head and respond, "No. His momma!" Let them think that they know the answer and then surprise them!

7. Involvement—It's usually funny to bring volunteers onstage, give them goofy costumes and have them act something out. When bringing children onstage, give them a specific job and keep them involved. Allow them the chance to creatively express themselves and to enjoy the role. Don't let them stand up for too long with nothing to do.

8. Non-story material - Consider using jokes, silly words, tongue twisters, riddles, conundrums, rhymes, proverbs, puns, jingles, commercial themes, or ballads either as part of your story or between the stories you tell.

What Preteens Are Like

• They're becoming more concerned about what other kids think of them.
• They're more savvy and can sense a lecture coming a mile away.
• They're beginning to think abstractly and can more easily understand longer, more complex stories and the symbolism found in many parables.
• They enjoy comedy, suspense, action, and mystery.
• They don't want to act like, or be treated like, "babies."
• They don't want to be embarrassed (especially in front of kids of the opposite sex)!
• They're very concerned about things being fair.
• BUT, they still want to have fun!

Wanted: DiscipleLand Consultants

Interested in telling fellow children's leaders about DiscipleLand curriculum over lunch? We'll supply the food; you bring the friend. We'll supply the presentation packet; you bring the passion and commitment for making disciples.

DiscipleLand is developing a select cadre of consultants who enjoy networking with other children's leaders about discipleship. We will provide training, a short powerpoint presentation, and curriculum samples—everything you need to tell other leaders why you endorse DiscipleLand. You choose the restaurant and make a presentation to a potential DiscipleLand user. We will reimburse your meal (up to $50). To further appreciate your efforts, you will receive a 10% commission on the church's first order. As a bonus, the church will receive a 10% discount on its first DiscipleLand order.

If you already love telling others about DiscipleLand, we can equip you to do a better job and reward you for making a difference in the lives of kids! For details about becoming a DiscipleLand Consultant, contact Dick Crider at 877-416-3742.

Free Desktop Image

Enjoy this image that you can use as a desktop background image (wallpaper)! Ron Forseth, creator of the piece, says: "An image I made in a moment of inspiration—and love for Jesus. After meditating on the breadth of His names found in the Bible, He's more amazing than I ever realized."

(A summary of the importance of Jesus' name can be found in Philippians 2:9-11.)

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Church Spotlight—Calvary Chapel in Burbank, California

Brian Gerlach is the Children's Ministry Pastor of the Calvary Chapel church in Burbank, California. Their church ministers to about 75 kids.

DL: Tell us about Calvary Chapel Burbank.
Brian: The work in Burbank began with lunchtime Bible studies at Disney several years ago.
Read entire article >>

Kids Need Good Friends

(Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 27:17)

The Situation: Children ask each other, "Will you be my friend?" Most kids are desperate to "belong." They are afraid of being excluded and want to fit in with their peers. But many children lack the ability to distinguish good friends from bad. They fall prey to those who do not reflect Christian values.

The Solution: God created people to enjoy a variety of relationships. The first step to having good friends is being a good friend. King Solomon summed up friendship in one sentence: "A friend loves at all times" (Proverbs 17:17). Teach a child to love, and he or she will develop solid, healthy friendships.

What You Can Do: Help your child search for good friends, just as he or she would seek valuable treasure. Discuss each phrase of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 together, substituting the word "friends" for "love." Explain that friendships take time to grow strong. Pray for your child, asking God to make him or her a good friend—and to provide many good, lasting friendships.

Discipleship Tip

Jesus ministered to the masses, but He poured His life into twelve individual men—living, working, and relating with them. Discipleship must include relationship and fellowship. Become much more than your kids' teacher—take the necessary time to learn who they are. Develop a special rapport with them. Your teaching will be more effective, and you will be more receptive to learn from your kids as you journey together.

Product Spotlight

DiscipleZone E-mail!
Our DiscipleZone website now allows kids and parents to e-mail their teachers! Class notes now show an "E-mail Teacher" button when the teacher permits e-mail sharing. The teacher's e-mail address remains private and hidden, and the e-mail is sent through our DiscipleZone server.

To set up this feature, teachers can log in to DiscipleZone and set the "E-mail Sharing Enabled" field to "Yes" on the Edit My Class Info screen. Be sure to tell your kids and parents about this new feature so they can communicate with you during the week!

Price Changes
On July 1, 2008, DiscipleLand will raise prices on most resources. This will be the first price increase in more than 5 years. Read more.

New Online Helps
DiscipleLand has just added two new links to our website-both found on the left tool bar. "Teacher Resources" links to downloadable teacher resources. We invite you to also visit the "Equipping Center" to download useful resources for your ministry.

DiscipleLand Training on the Road

We hope to see you in:

Dick Crider, DiscipleLand Training Consultant, has several weekends available for a training. Please contact him if you are interested. 877-416-3742

©2008 DiscipleLand. All Rights Reserved.