The ABC's of God — An Introduction for Parents
Curriculum Overview
Children are full of questions. They have a God-given curiosity to find out the “How?” and ‘Why?” of everything around them. As adults, it is our responsibility to direct them to the most important questions of all: Who is God? What is He like? How should I act toward God? These are the questions your child will be asking each week as we study The ABC’s of God.
As with any question, where we discover the answer is of utmost importance. God has revealed Himself in all He has made (Romans 1:20) and through His WORD: written in human form as Jesus; recorded in human language in the`Bible; going out and bringing forth the fruit of saving faith (Romans 1O:17). He is the Alpha and Omega (the “A” through “Z”), the beginning and the end, the completion of all things: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:36)
For that reason, every lesson in The ABC’s of God is based on the Bible. Encourage your child to bring a Bible to class each week. Not only will we use it to look up answers to our questions about God, children will work through the year on important Bible study skills like using the Bible's Table of Contents to find a book, and learning to use chapter and verse references.
Resources for Parents
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Under God, parents are the most important teachers in a child's life. For that reason, we've prepared a Parents' "Resource Page for each lesson in The ABC’s of God. These Resource Pages will be sent home with your child each week and contain the following information:
LESSON TITLE AND NUMBER appear above a box at the top of each page. Rather than start with a lesson on the letter “A,” the curriculum is arranged to logically unfold God's character. For example, the fifth lesson is “'C' is for Creator”, followed by “‘G' is for Glorious", acknowledging first God's creation of all things, and secondly, His purpose: to magnify the greatness and worth of His name. By the end of the curriculum, children will; have studied at least one attribute of God for every letter of the alphabet.
KEY THEME: The key theme is the definition of the key word used in the lesson. This definition is not intended to capture every theological nuance of the word as it is used in the Bible. Rather, it is a simple definition easily learned by children, a foundation concept in a vocabulary about God that they will build upon for the rest of their lives.
KEY VERSE: This is a key Bible verse used in the lesson and is also the memory verse for the week. Because most children's Bibles use the New International Version, verses are listed here in the NIV translation unless otherwise noted. Your child may memorize these verses in another translation if you prefer. The ABC's of God Verse Cards, a complete set of verse cards bound on a loose-leaf ring, is also available for use at home. Check with your child's teacher or department leader for details. `
LESSON SUMMARY: This is a summary of the main themes of the lesson. Some lesson themes may be new to parents. For example, many of us learned as children that God created people because He was lonely and wanted someone to love. That God's foremost purpose in creation and everything else He does is to glorify Himself is quite different and new for some. For a biblical exposition of these themes on an adult level, we recommend Dr. John Piper's book, The Pleasures of God (Multnomah Press, 1991).
Who is God? What' is He like?
Based on the lesson, the questions in this section are designed to be conversation starters about the lesson, both as review and to give children an opportunity to ask questions they may have. The questions are similar from week to week for two reasons. First, this allows parents to interact with their children while doing something else like driving home from church. Second, the repetition helps children learn to listen for and identify the most important ideas, rather than simply the most memorable illustrations!
How should I act toward God?
“How can I respond to God?” is one of the most significant questions anyone,can ask. The application ideas in this section are ways parents can help children reflect on each lesson and begin to put into practice the truths they have learned. They are designed to be engaging early in the curriculum as children develop a habit of reflecting on the material and become more challenging as the year progresses. Simple games based on the curriculum are also included. God-centered games not only help children hide truths about God in their hearts, they 'are also a way to respond toGod: by enjoying Him!
Although geared toward early-elementary aged children, this curriculum is deliberately not grade-specific. If an application idea seems too easy or too difficult for your child, feel free to adapt it. Challenge your children to look to God's Word for answers to their questions and support and encourage them as they discover the riches it contains!
Workbook: Rather than the more typical craft or activity sheet, your child will be working on a workbook each week in class that he or she will bring home at the end of the year. The workbook is intended to be an enduring reminder of the greatness and worth of God that you and your child may use for many years. The workbook will stay in the classroom until the last lesson of The ABC’s of God.