After assessing the Blessings and Challenges in the small Sunday School, “Spicing Up Your Small Sunday School” workshop participants brainstormed strategies in order to address some of the challenges experienced in the small Sunday School.

Below is a list of some practical solutions to important challenges that may be useful for your own planning.

Challenge: Our small group has a wide range of ages. It makes it impossible to divide the children into “classes”.

Solution:   Teachers can work together to develop “intergenerational” lessons and activities in which children of all ages can participate.

Challenge: We can’t recruit very many teachers.

Solution:  Take a “team teaching” approach in which leaders can teach on alternating Sundays.

Challenge: We don’t have enough volunteers to help teachers supervise crafts and activities.

Solution 1: Invite Youth or older Sunday School children to assist adult leaders by acting as helpers for lesson activities, crafts, and games.

Solution 2: Invite the children’s parents to participate in Sunday School. They can serve as an “extra pair of hands” or even occasionally as substitute teachers (Having parents involved can also help ease “separation anxiety”!).

Challenge: On some Sundays, we do not have any teachers, substitutes, or other supervisors available for the children.

Solution:   Have “activity bags” with bible-themed picture books, colouring pages, crayons, and other appropriate (and “quiet”) materials available for those Sundays when it is not possible to schedule Sunday School teachers/subs.