Category Archives: About All Age Groups

Age level training should be part of a teacher training plan so teachers communicate in ways their students can understand and that makes truths relevant to the needs and issues faced at that age.

Acrostic for How to Teach in Accordance with Students’ Age Level

The following acrostic provides some tips for reaching and teaching students in ways that fit their age level:

Take some time to prayerfully evaluate your teaching using the above acrostic. — “Search me, God … lead me …” (Ps. 139:23) “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God …” (James 1:5)

• How might you teach even more in accordance with these guidelines?
• In which areas might you need more training?

For help on the kind of environment, types of methods, and ways to motivate those in each age level bracket, check out the Reaching All Age Levels Resource.

No matter how young or old a person might be, the truth of God’s Word will not seem as important to them if they fail to see its relevancy to their lives. Some basic age level understanding can help teachers make truths relevant, making age level training an important part of a Bible teacher’s training plan.

Understand What It Means to Make Truths Relevant

To be sure, God’s truth is already relevant as “all Scripture is useful” and able to “thoroughly equip” us (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Bible teachers, however, need to make certain connections with students to help them see the implications and application of God’s Word to their lives.

We’re not talking about compromising truth by changing it to fit people. We don’t add to or take away from what God has spoken in His Word but rather look at it from an angle that will tend to matter more to one’s students, that will show how it relates to their lives. The same truth, taught in different age groups, will have different slants to make it relevant to the various groups.

Order the Making Even Well-Known Truths Relevant Worksheet that uses Jesus’ coming to earth as an example showing how it relates to the various ages.

Age Level Understanding Provides a Starting Point for How to Zero in on Truth’s Relevancy to Particular Students

The best way to know how to tap into the implications and application of truth of our students’ lives is to build relationships with them and get to know what’s happening in their lives. That takes time so an understanding of age level characteristics provides Bible teachers with a starting point.

Each of the age brackets have basic needs and abilities. Make sure you understand the traits for the age you teach. This kind of training should be a part of one’s pre-service training but it is never too late to learn more. And, it doesn’t hurt for those who have been teaching for some time to gain reminders.

Order the Age Level Characteristics Resource for a glimpse into the age you teach. That link will take you to the resource that includes all age levels but you can order different age modules separately if you don’t need all age groups. It’s broken down as such:

• Early Childhood Module
• Grade School Module
• Youth (Teens) Module
• Adults Module

While some teacher training can relate to teachers of all ages, there comes a point where we need to equip teachers for teaching the age of their group. They need age level training about the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual characteristics of that age. Not to equip them with an age level developmental understanding is a disservice to your teachers and their students.

Why Age Level Training Is Important

If Bible teachers don’t understand traits typical to the age they teach, the will not know …

what to expect (normal behavior, attention span, skill levels, etc.).

Then, teachers might get frustrated or flustered by behavior that’s to be expected, by students’ lack of interest because something isn’t relevant to their lives, and when students won’t sit still because they can’t stay focused.

how to best reach their class (type & depth of content, slant, methods to use, etc.)

Then, students might get frustrated or flustered because they’re either bored, can’t understand, or are unable to do what the teacher expects.

Resources To Help Bible Teachers Learn More About Age Characteristics

Following are a few age characteristics resources available through Ministry Tools Resource Center:

In the Age Level Characteristics Resource you’ll find an article about each of the following age brackets that will help teachers understand that age group, as well a worksheet with characteristics and some implications. Teachers can assess their teaching in light of the suggested implications and determine steps for improvement.

The Age Level Characteristics Resource can be ordered for all ages or in modules that include only one of the above age brackets.

The Reaching All Age Levels Resource can be used for a group training session for teachers of all ages to come together for a short PowerPoint presentation spanning all ages. That presentation gets followed by breakout sessions based on the age being taught wherein they receive additional content through handouts on how developmental needs of that specific age affect the kind of environment students need, how they are motivated to learn, and best methods to use.

The three page Make Truths Relevant Worksheet gives teachers a broad perspective showing how the needs and interests of the different age levels changes the slant of the same truth for the various ages.

You’ll also find resource pages on the TrainBibleTeachers.com site that point to more articles and resources about age levels in general and the different age grouping. Click on the links below:

• General Age Level Development Characteristics
• Early Childhood as a Broad Group
• Infants
• Toddlers
• Pre-Primary
• Grade School as a Broad Group
• Grades 1-2 (Primary Age)
• Grades 3-6 (Junior Age)
• Preteens (Generally Grades 5-6)
• Youth/Teens as a Broad Group
• Junior High
• Senior High
• Adults as a Broad Group
• Young Adults, including College & Career
• Middle-Aged Adults
• Older Adults

Some age level issues get resolved on the teachers’ level but some are more administrative. Here are some questions that affect Bible teachers but are more relevant to Christian education directors or administrators.

Issues Related to the Administration of Teaching Various Age Levels

What is the best way to group the different ages?

The best breakdown could depend on certain factors in your particular setting. 1) the number of classrooms you have and/or the size of those classrooms – Obviously, this factor could determine how many classes you can have and the size of those classes. 2) the number of teachers you can recruit – Even if you have the space for multiple classes, you must have enough teachers. You may need to combine ages because of this factor. Whatever you do, seek to guard the teacher to student ratio. 3) the number of students in the varying age brackets – Since this can change every year, make an assessment each school year to determine how many students will fall into the various ages that year. Then, break that down to be the tightest age level fit to work with the number of classrooms and teachers you have.

Should teacher training be based on the age being taught?

As a general rule, yes, it is best to train according to the age being taught as needs, issues, methodology, and the like will differ based on age. If you have a small teaching staff, that could mean only one or two teachers per age bracket in a training session. You may need to combine teachers according to broader brackets like Early Childhood, Grade School, Youth, Adults. But, also remember that there are many ways to provide training besides group training. Check out: In a Teacher Training Rut?

Some topics, however, could relate to teachers of all ages so you could occasionally combine teachers of all ages for training. Even then, however, the specific application of these topics could vary based on the age being taught. You can accommodate for that by using breakout groups according to age levels to discuss the implications and applications.