For Children in Grades 4 - 6
Grades K - 1
Grades 1 - 3
Grades 4 - 6
Grades 6 - 8
Grades 9 - 12
The God and Family curriculum is designed to help youth understand the importance of family and God’s role in a healthy family.
Curriculum Goals:
Pizza!
Children will compare families and “pizza.” The six steps for making pizza will give students a concrete, “hands-on” model on which to build their understanding of God’s love for their families. They will make a pizza as they study how families can grow together in God’s love, and they will choose “family projects” to be done with their family at home.
(Full requirements are found in the P.R.A.Y. Booklets)
Joshua’s Family Will Serve God – Joshua 24:14-15
Every pizza needs a crust or foundation. Families need foundations, too. Students will read passages from Deuteronomy and Matthew to learn how families need to build their foundations on God and on God’s love.
Every pizza has sauce (which has simmered over time). Like the sauce, a family’s heritage grows over time. A family’s heritage, especially its Christian heritage, is an important part of its identity. Students will learn about Ruth (how she came to faith through marriage) and Jesus (how he was brought up in the faith from infancy on) and realize that even though our faith journeys may differ, our faith in Christ is the same.
The toppings on a pizza make each pizza unique. Like the toppings, the individual members of a family bring unique gifts and talents that strengthen and make their family special. Students will read about Moses and Aaron, two brothers with very different gifts, and Timothy, a young man with the gift of faith. Students will be challenged to name their own gifts and the special gifts in each member of their family.
The cheese on a pizza covers everything and holds it together. Families need to be held together, too. Christian rules and guidelines can help families relate to each other and live together as God’s family. Students will study Jesus lost in the temple and the parable of the prodigal son and discuss WHY we need rules. They will then be required to memorize the Ten Commandments.
When pizza comes out of a hot oven, it’s better than ever! Families can be like pizza: by relying on God, families can come through the heat of tough times and be even stronger. Students will study Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and Paul and Silas in prison, and be challenged to name the “faith tools” that can help their families in tough times.
Pizza tastes good: it nourishes our bodies and satisfies our hunger. Pizza is fun to share: everybody loves a pizza party. Families are like pizza: they need to provide spiritual nourishment for family members, and they need to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those around them. Students will read about the feeding of the five thousand and the Great Commission to learn the importance of sharing God’s love with other people.
Check out the Resource Library
Teaching a class? Get God and Family promotional materials and counselor resources from our resource library.