Swap Shop is a place to exchange ideas for activities in Sunday school; share your success stories in teaching the Bible to children; and provide ways to foster a love for the Bible.

Swap Shop

When working on reviews of Bible people, it helps to have the students get inside the different characters. Often we don’t know much about what a Bible character is thinking, but we can easily imagine. This activity also gives the teacher an opportunity to straighten out any misconceptions the children might have about the specific Bible person. These introspective discussions give plenty of insight into what the pupil is learning.

After studying different stories, ask the students to discuss what it must have been like being Daniel. Would they have continued to pray in public if it meant being thrown into a den of lions?

Students have written prayers they thought Daniel might have said to God. One group wanted to create the kind of grace that Bible characters might have said before dinner. Esau’s grace was very different from Jacob’s.

Esau:
God, thanks for giving me the fastness to grab and wrestle our dinner. Amen. [hmmm – maybe this form of fast food preceded McDonalds!]

Jacob:
Oh, help me eat this animal my brother killed. Amen. [the girl who wrote the prayer was a vegetarian]

Ask older classes to write introspective essays about what it was like to be Ishmael, Hagar, Isaac, Abigail, Bathsheba, Ruth, Job, Saul, and so on. The key is to make certain the students understand the living conditions of the time and the biblical information that is available.

Writing prayers for each character is also insightful. You can see how well they understand the story by just reading or hearing their prayers. For example, have the students write prayers for Hagar when she is thrown out of Abraham’s household by Sarah; or for Isaac when he was to be sacrificed; for Joseph in the pit; for Hannah in the temple; for Bathsheba after losing her child; and so on.

This is also an excellent activity for Bible study groups. One such essay was written by a woman about Dorcas. She said, “Oh what is all the commotion? Can’t anyone just take a nap without everyone needing something? Is that Peter calling me? What is he doing here and why are all my clothes I’ve made everywhere in the room? I suppose Peter is hungry and I need to get up and fix him a meal. Would be nice to catch a nap once in awhile!” A very different perspective! Obviously, Dorcas never believed she died.

Deepen your understanding of the characters in the Bible, by digging into Bible dictionaries and commentaries. Learn as much as you can about a character before creating one of their prayers or an introspective essay.

GAL

Email BibleWise your Sunday school success stories. We are always interested.