Because of my busy life, I don't always learn the Bible story before class. I know that it's best to tell the story from memory. What suggestions do you have that could help me learn the stories quickly?
Signed: Busy Mom

Dear Busy Mom:
As you know, the Bible stories are the heart of these sessions. You don't have to memorize the stories, but it is important to tell them well. Here are some tips for working Sunday school preparation into your daily routine.

Start early. As your group leaves, take a minute or two to scan next week's session. Read the Bible story carefully. (This is also a good opportunity to jot down a list of any supplies you'll need to locate for next week.)

Take your teacher's guide with you wherever you go during the week. Read it over while standing in line or waiting at the doctor's office. Practice saying it aloud during coffee breaks, at mealtime, and at bedtime. Pick out key words and phrases to remember. You'll be surprised at how well you know it by the time you are ready to lead your session.

I am a fan of the Talkabout. Thank you for being so creative in helping my family talk about our faith. How can I encourage other parents to take advantage of this wonderful faith tool?
Signed: Talkabout Teacher

Dear Talkabout Teacher:
The quarterly Talkabout is a great resource to help family members connect with each other and explore their faith together. It offers engaging discussion starters, fun family activities, and interesting Bible trivia based on the weekly Bible stories. I'm glad you've enjoyed using it.

There's no substitute for a good personal story. Tell other parents and church leaders about the good experiences your family has had using the Talkabout. In adult Sunday school classes, ask for a few minutes each quarter to display the current Talkabout and demonstrate what to do with it. Ask others to share their experiences. Be open to work with parents who want to improve their faith-talk skills.

Encourage church leaders to purchase Talkabouts for all families with children as a way to promote connection between church and home. It's also a good idea to have one in each room so that teachers are familiar with the primary home connection piece for the quarter. They may also enjoy adapting some of the ideas for use in their groups.

Some of our older children and youth have such low self-esteem. I want to help them feel accepted in the classroom. What tips can you give?
Signed: Youth Booster

Dear Youth Booster:
This is important! We don't want to confine our understanding of God's grace and Jesus' affirming love just to reading about it.

Building personal relationships goes a long way to increasing self-esteem in children and youth. Let them know you really care by taking time to talk with them about their life outside of church. Affirm each individual in your group with positive and genuine feedback. Find out about their interests and talents and find ways to use them during Sunday school.

Be sure that everyone knows that teasing and put-downs are not acceptable. Take youth aside privately to call them on inappropriate behaviors. Make your room a safe, welcoming, and affirming place for all.

I really like the curriculum and find it appropriate for preschool children and easy to use. I'd love to have more suggestions for telling the Bible stories, especially to the youngest children.
Signed: Storyteller

Dear Storyteller:
Young children have such short attention spans that it's helpful to tell the story a few times in each session. Children also need routine. You might want to use one regular way to tell the Bible story each week. Then use a variety of different techniques later on. Here are some suggestions:

Retell the story using story figures or puppets.

Reenact the story with dress-up clothing (have a box of long T-shirts and towels on hand).

Make stick figures from craft sticks, glue on moveable eyes, and use them in a sandbox to tell the story.

Cut out paper dolls, attach small pieces of magnetic tape, and tell the story using a metal cookie sheet.

Create your own list of ways to retell the story that work with your children. Keep the list handy as you plan each session. With such variety, the children will look forward to hearing the stories again and again. You'll have fun too.

The Gather 'Round schedule seems to be off our normal quarterly fall schedule. The children's quarter begins on the last Sunday in August but the adult quarterly begins on the first Sunday of September. This affects our attendance booklets. Can you please explain the discrepancy in the Sunday school schedules for children and adults?
Signed: Confused

Dear Confused:
The Gather 'Round curriculum has been producing 13-week quarters since the fall of 2006, so some of the quarters have become increasingly off kilter. We are making a change that will begin next summer. Beginning in 2010, the fall quarters will start on Labor Day weekend. The winter quarter will always begin on the first Sunday of Advent. Spring and Summer quarters will begin the first Sundays of March and June, respectively. This means that some quarters will have 12 or 14 sessions.

We apologize for any inconvenience our scheduling has caused you. Please check out the Bible outlines at http://www.gatherround.org/bibleoutlines.html to confirm the dates for all the quarters.