Clearing out a bookcase last week I came across an old gem.  ‘Know How to Give a Children’s Talk’ by A. C. Capon.  It was part of a series of Know How books published by Scripture Union in London in 1963 and someone paid the princely sum of 45 cents for it.  How it came to me I can’t remember but my little paperback copy is falling apart.  The glue along the spine has become so brittle that opening the book, even a little, causes it to crack and pages fall out.  I was going to toss it but I noticed lots of scraps of paper bookmarking pages so I thought I’d give it a quick scan before putting it in the recycle bin.  I’m so glad I did.  I’d forgotten what a treasure this little book is.  It is out of print so here’s some chapter highlights.

 

What Is The Purpose of the Meeting?

• What are you trying to achieve?
• Find out as much as you can about the children.
• Then make a decision as to topic or preparation.

 

‘The most effective addresses are given by speakers who are assured that they have received their messages directly from the mouth of the Lord.  There is a freshness and vitality about such addresses that captures the interest of the children and drives the message home.’  A.C. Capon

 

Choosing Your Bible Story

• There are two more things to be decided: the story you are going to use and the particular teaching you are going to emphasize in that story.
• Ask yourself: Is the teaching of this story relevant to the age and experience of the expected audience?
• It is much easier to tell an unfamiliar story than one which the children already know well. The children will enjoy a new story and pay closer attention to it, and this means the point of your talk is more likely to get across to them.

 

The Importance of Clear Teaching

• What is your teaching point?
• The teaching point is what you use to test each part of your talk as you prepare it.

 

Aiming for a Response

• What response? A definite step forward in a child’s thinking about himself, his relationship to God, and his dealings with others.

 

How the Teaching is Developed

• Analyse the story.
• How can you use each scene of the story to develop the teaching?
• Explain what every incident in the story means.
• As the story develops the teaching must be developed with it until story and teaching are complete at the end.

 

Getting a Grasp of the Story

 

• Pray and ask for the Bible characters to ‘live’ before the children and that the message will come through clearly.
• Know your story well.
• If the story occurs in the Bible more than once, read all the different accounts. Use more than one translation of the passage so you understand events, background information and local colour which will help you tell the story.
• Action, action, action. Keep the story moving!

 

Do the Characters Really Live?

• As a story teller are the characters living people? Thinking, feeling, loving, fearing?
• A good story contains drama.
• Make the children feels as though they really know a character as a real person and recognise the character in themselves.

 

How to Present the Story

• Straight narrative
• Through the eyes of a major character
• Through the eyes of a minor character
• The ‘flashback’ method
• Unseen observers (time travellers)
• Imaginary participation e.g. a pretend journey
• Question and answers: useful with a familiar story in a small group

 

How to ‘Get Across’ the Application

• Bring your application at the moments in your story when the children are most intensely interested; that is, at the moments of excitement and suspense.

 

How Are You Going to Begin?

• Leave your introduction preparation until last. After your choice of visual aid, teaching and application have been decided.
• The aim of the introduction is to arouse the children’s interest.
• If your story is a well-known one, try to disguise it as long as you can.

 

How Are You Going to End?

• Plan your conclusion.
• Know what your final words will be; say them; then stop.

 

I’ve decided to keep my little paperback and to glue it back together, because whether it’s 1963 or 2019, the foundations of sound Bible story teaching are the same.