This is a guest post from our friend Pastor Curt at Spyence.com. Like me, he’s passionate about teaching theology to kids in engaging ways. He’s written an entire Systematic Theology curriculum for kids and I asked him to share some tips for teaching theological concepts to kids.
“If I can’t see God, how do I know He’s really there?”
That’s a good question! So how do you help an elementary-school kid think through that question without settling for, “Well… you just have to have faith”? How do you teach theology to kids? One way is to help them become spiritual detectives who look for evidence, or clues, that God is real and how God has worked throughout history.
“No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian is a theologian. Perhaps not a theologian in the technical or professional sense, but a theologian nevertheless. The issue for Christians is not whether we are going to be theologians but whether we are going to be good theologians.” — R.C. Sproul
Good theology is especially important for kids and teens. Why? Because they’re right in the thick of forming their worldview and identity — a process that forces them to contemplate big questions about God. I want to share three tips for planning to teach kids about theology, plus some ideas on how to make systematic theology for kids fun, exciting, practical, and memorable. But first, here are the three essential tips for teaching theology in a Bible lesson:
- Introduce the theology concept and a simple definition
- Provide a biblical explanation
- Connect it to a key Bible verse or passage
Here’s an example of how those elements look in action, using a lesson from the Spyence systematic theology curriculum for kids — specifically a lesson on evidence for God’s existence from the unit on Theology Proper:
1. Introduce the Theology Concept and a Simple Definition
Talk about how detectives use evidence to come to conclusions and solve a case. “Spiritual detectives” do the same thing — they look for evidence that God is real.
2. Provide a Biblical Explanation
Discuss some of the “clues that God is real” from the Bible: the beautiful world He created (Psalm 19:1–4), the miracles Jesus performed (Mark 4:39–41), the vastness of our universe (Isaiah 40:25–26), and the resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3–8).
3. Connect It to a Key Bible Verse or Passage
Walk kids through Romans 1:20, where Paul says that even though God is invisible, you can see evidence for Him from what He has made.
Follow those three steps and introduce your kids to a robust set of theology terms — justification, sanctification, revelation, inspiration, transcendence, mercy, grace — and you’ll be doing them a huge favor. But those are just the essentials. You can add some extra fun and activties and make these important truths even more memorable.
Editor’s Note: If you’ve used curriculum from Kids Enjoying Jesus, these three tips may feel familiar because our curriculum uses this same method to introduce kids to theological concepts. Our FREE series, “God’s Attributes for Kids!” incorporates this basic format in each lesson along with simple object lessons and fun games to teach theology to kids. It’s a tried and true method and I was glad to see that Curt implemented it in his Spyence curriculum. Ok, now back to Curt…
That’s the idea behind one of my favorite Spyence Kids’ Church lessons, and you can download the entire lesson free (including the Bible teaching, intro videos, opening game, memory verse activity, hands-on science experiment, small-group discussion questions, and take-home activity sheet). Click for the Evidence that God Exists Kids Church Lesson.
Here’s how the lesson is designed.
Start With a Theology Word/Concept Kids Can Actually Understand
One thing I love about each Spyence lesson is the Top-Secret Theology Codeword. For example, in this lesson, kids learn that (in the context of theology) the term “Evidence” means “clues that God is real.” So instead of asking, “Can I see God?”, they begin asking, “What evidence can I see that points to God?”
Provide A Biblical Explanation
The lesson then walks kids through several examples from Scripture and creation: the world God made, Jesus’ miracles, Jesus’ resurrection, and the gigantic size of the planets and stars in our universe. Each becomes another “clue” for the spiritual detectives to investigate.
The downloadable lesson gives you the complete teaching script to discuss each of those four examples with your kids.
Then you tie all of those examples to one key Bible passage:
Romans 1:20 “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…”
In this verse, Paul explains that although God Himself is invisible, His qualities can be understood from what He has made. That gives kids an important truth: Even though I can’t see God, there are still many reasons to believe that He is real. Then you help kids memorize Romans 1:20 with hand motions that they help create themselves. The lesson offers suggestions, but then lets the class decide whether to use them or come up with a more creative solution. For example, when the verse says, “God’s invisible qualities,” the lesson suggests covering your eyes, feeling around in front of you, and saying: “God? God? Are You there?” It’s goofy. It’s memorable. And that’s exactly the point. And then comes the part kids can actually hold in their hands. It’s Twirly-Wirly time!
Editor’s Note: In addition to Curt’s ideas above, we’ve also got a simple memory verse song from Kids Enjoying Jesus with motions which you can use to help kids memorize this verse is a fun and engaging way. Check it out!
The Twirly-Whirly Experiment Makes an Invisible Idea Visible
This is where the Twirly-Whirly comes in.
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It’s a simple paper science experiment that spins as it falls through the air. The fun part is that kids CANNOT see the air making it spin. But you can see the effect the air has on the falling Twirly-Whirly. And suddenly an abstract theological idea becomes something kids can picture:
You can’t see the air, but you can see evidence that it is there.
In the same way…
You can’t see God, but you can see evidence that He is real.
Each kid gets to make a Twirly-Whirly to take home. They are encouraged to show the Twirly-Whirly to their parents and explain today’s Bible lesson to them. They’re also encouraged to show the Twirly-Whirly to a friend at school and invite them to church next week.
Everything you need for the Twirly-Whirly experiment is included in the free Evidence that God Exists Kids Church Lesson, so you don’t have to reverse-engineer a science experiment early Sunday morning while you’re setting up for Kid’s church.
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Want the Whole Lesson? It’s Free.
Everything I’ve described – the theology teaching, the graphics, the Twirly-Whirly experiment, and the memory verse motions – it’s all included in the free lesson download. There’s even a free video that’s silly and fun that helps kids consider the evidence about God!
In the Spyence video, there’s an invisible Evil Robot loose inside Spyence Headquarters. The Spyence Secret Agents can’t see the robot directly, so they have to follow clues to figure out where it is. In fact, one of them even says, “I can’t see the robot, but I can see clues that point to him.”
The videos, teacher’s script, graphics, memory verse, and hands-on science experiment all reinforce the same theological truth. That way, kids encounter the idea in several different ways, which helps lock it into long-term memory.
Download the complete lesson for free.
Do Kids Really Need Theology Lessons?
Yes! If you think about it, even a simple question like, “If I can’t see God, how do I know He’s there?” is really a theology question. And kids’ theology questions deserve solid theological answers, even if that answer involves a Twirly-Whirly.
So, if you’re a children’s pastor, Sunday school teacher, or ministry leader who wants to go deeper into teaching systematic theology to kids, I’ve written a much more complete guide explaining why theology matters and how to make deep theological truths understandable, engaging, and memorable for kids. Check it out.
Read the full article on teaching systematic theology to kids.
Curt Nelson writes Spyence, a Sunday School / Kids Church curriculum for elementary-age kids where Gospel-centered Systematic Theology collides, in the best way, with laughter, science experiments, spy-themed storytelling, and the occasional evil robot trying to ruin everybody’s day. Learn more at Spyence.com.
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