How do we use the student workbooks?

This varies from level to level.

Preschool-Workbook pages are useful for reviewing the story, checking the child's understanding of the story, and presenting an application "discussion." Some examples of this are included in the teacher's notebook and the Small Group Leader Guides.

Workbooks can be used with preschoolers as review tools. For example, "Who is this man?" [Nebuchadnezzar], "What is he eating?" [grass], "Why is he acting like a cow?" [God took away his thinking], "Why did God do that? What did Nebuchadnezzar think about the city that he built?" [He thought he built it by himself; He thought he was greater than God], "What did we learn about God in this story?" [God is greater than all things]

Preschoolers sometimes miss important facts, so the workbook page can be used as a means to measure what they understand about the story. For example, "Who is this man? Why did he climb up in the tree? Who is this man? What did Jesus say to Zacchaeus?"

Workbooks can be used to present application discussions. (See the "Look" ideas in the curriculum.)

Preschool students can color the workbook page. Twist-up crayons work well with the coloring page. (Other options could include markers or regular crayons.)

Early elementary-Workbook pages can be used after the application discussion. They are helpful for reviewing the lesson, applying the lesson, or giving the child further understanding of the lesson. You may be able to continue your discussion, make brief helpful comments, or ask questions while the children are working on the workbook pages. The workbooks also serve as a tool to occupy the children while you have a conversation with an individual child.

Late elementary-For the How Majestic is Your Name and the My Purpose Will Stand curricula, children should fold the workbook so the right side of the page is not showing (the workbooks are spiral-bound for durability). During the lesson, the children should take notes using the left-hand page of the workbook. These pages are not designed to be thought provoking; they are designed to aid the children in quickly recording the basic content of the lessons.

After the lesson, the small group leader may want to BRIEFLY go through the note taking page with the children. After the application discussion, students may complete the right-hand page of the workbook. These activity pages are designed to further their understanding of the content, provoke further thought and discussion, or to apply the concepts taught in the lesson. The workbooks also serve as a tool to occupy the children while you have a conversation with an individual child.