THE NEWSLETTER

Dig Into Big Ideas at Commons

Here's Why Commons is Making Its Own Kids Curriculum

We sat down with Ashley and Patricia to find out more about Commons new Kids Curriculum and why this undertaking is good for the Commons community as a whole. 

Ashley is the Kids Lead at Commons. Ashley's academic background is in Counselling/Psychology, but she has been working with youth and children in ministry for years. Ashley spent many years as a video producer and has been happy to bring those skills to her current role at Commons.

Patricia is the Kids Curriculum Developer at Commons. She has an academic background in English Literature and Theology, and enjoys channelling her creativity into the weekly kids videos and lesson plans.

Why is the Commons Kids Team creating a new kids curriculum and how does it fit with Commons' culture and values?

I think that’s a great question! There are a couple reasons:

First, we wanted to use a curriculum that reflects our core values as a community, which are to be intellectually honest, spiritually passionate, with Jesus at the centre. We also wanted the curriculum to reflect our diverse and inclusive community. While we have been blessed by using other curriculums in the past, we found it pretty difficult to find one that checks each of those boxes. By creating our own curriculum, we are now able to have a kids program that better reflects our community. We make our three-year curriculum plan available at commons.church/kids so parents and care-givers can see what’s coming up. 

Second, why not? One of the blessings of working with the staff, the leaders and the volunteers at Commons is that we are able to draw from a well of creativity. We have writers, performers, artists, technicians, teachers, musicians and video producers who serve in this community. It felt like a natural extension of using these God-given gifts for our curriculum.

What topics have you covered so far in the new curriculum? What did you enjoy about these first lessons?

Our curriculum is very Jesus-focused. The first series, called Storyteller, was on Jesus’ parables, the second, called Wonderful, was about his miracles, and this current series, called Arrival, is about Jesus’ early life. 

I enjoyed slowing down and getting to spend a whole lesson talking about one story or miracle, like the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. We were able to look at the story from different angles, and include object lessons and activities that would help the kids remember what happened. 

The next few series will be on Jesus’s ministry, what he taught, and who he encountered. It’s going to be great!

How have the kids connected with the new curriculum?

It was interesting to see how the kids responded to the last series on Jesus’ miracles. I think it has grown their imagination of who Jesus really is beyond the stories of his birth and the cross.

What can people expect to see on a Sunday morning?

On a Sunday morning, the kids flood into their respective rooms: Nursery, Toddler, Preschool & Kindergarten, Grades 1-3, and Grades 4-6. 

Once in their rooms, the volunteer leader will share what they will be doing that day, and what they will be discussing. This usually includes reading the bible story and then answering some discussion questions. The class then watches the lesson video, has more discussion and then moves into a follow up activity. 

The activity might be a craft, game, or experiment that is related to the lesson. We try to include sensory activities to help the children have memorable learning experiences.

Why does a new Commons Kids curriculum matter to the whole church? What is important about the formation of our smallest members? 

I think it’s super important we have a consistent message about who we are as a church and what values we hold in every area of our ministry. Creating our own curriculum has allowed us to communicate the teachings of Jesus and our values more organically and effectively.  We want our smallest church members to grow up knowing how very special and unconditionally they are loved by God, and that God is who they see in Jesus. That is our greatest mission.

Are you excited by this new season in Commons Kids?

Explore ways to support the Kids Team on Sunday mornings to help facilitate great experiences for Commons' smallest members.
Fill out the Join a Team form here

Find out more about the long-term plan for Commons Kids on our website: 
commons.church/kids