The question when teaching children biblical content is not what to teach. They have the same questions that everyone has. Is God real? How do we know? Did Jesus really come back to life? If God is loving why does he let all this bad stuff happen? Etc etc etc.
The difference between an average camp speaker and a great one is generally not what they teach – It’s how they teach it!
How do you tackle complex issues in a way that kids can connect with? How do you keep them interested and engaged? How do you help them to actually retain what has been taught beyond the next meal or camp activity?
Here are some pointers that we think will help you to be a GREAT camp speaker that can keep kids engaged, help them learn, and ultimately bring them closer to Jesus:
Be prepared (plan all of the sessions before camp, even if you don’t have the exact details nailed down).
Be prepared to make a fool of yourself.
Be personality plus, but still be yourself (someone once said to me that they needed to be more “American”).
Care for the kids... genuinely! They can tell if you are faking.
Seek God and prepare your heart before you speak.
Don’t be boring... or weird.
Smile.
Engage the kids. Have them involved. 8-12 year olds need to move too.
Encourage the kids.
When planning the chapel times, think about the overall message that you are communicating. What is the big message that you want them to go away with (can this be connected in some way to the theme of the camp?)? What steps do you need to take them through to consolidate that one point? Those steps are your sessions. Only tackle one point per session.
Kids like predictable structure, but unpredictable content. Structure your programme to include:
Worship – This is usually songs, but it can be prayer or something else. Make it fun but also make it intentional. We are here to learn about God, worship Him, and draw nearer to Him.
A memory verse – Choosing one memory verse for the camp is a great way to create competition and fun between cabins at the same time as imprinting the scriptures into kid’s hearts.
Something physical – A game or challenge with a teaching point that connects with the message.
Revision – Make it fun! Think about small prizes.
Teaching – Think about how to communicate your one point. Is there an analogy? Is there a science experiment? Is there an interactive skit? Be creative and include the kids if you can.
Wrap up – This is what we have talked about so far, this is what we talked about today...
Pray –
You may want to provide some notes or thoughts for cabin leaders about the content that you have covered just to help them with their discussions in the cabins.
Thinking up game, activities, and teaching examples can be challenging. Here are some places that you can find some ideas:
When you are thinking about topics, be very careful if you are considering tackling something where there is in-house debate amongst Christians. If you are going to, focus on the areas of agreement, not the areas of discord. If you are working with teenagers you may be able to present the various positions (as long as you understand them), but still emphasise the agreed, universal principles.
For example, a discussion on the creation story should not be advocating for a literal seven day creation or gap theory or symbolic seven days or an allegorical view of creation. These are all views that genuine Christians hold and the reason that there is room for disagreement is that the “correct” view is not provable. We should all be humble enough to admit that none of us really know! So what can we say? God is the creator and first cause. He is POWERFUL! He created us on purpose and for relationship with Him. He loves us. We are special and are made in His image and likeness (careful here too!). We were made to govern the earth.
Chapel time is really important during a kids camp, but it is still only part of the whole thing. Make sure that you are working with the camp coordinator to ensure a unified and consistent approach. How does the theme tie into chapel time? What is happening with leader’s devotions? Are there cabin devotions? Can you hand out cabin points during chapel time? Etc etc.
It would also be great if you can hang out with the kids a bit outside of chapel time. Relationships and trust are really important and that is hard to develop only during chapel times.
