Illustrations - Follow Jesus

The following Illustrations Library has been provided to help you build your own teaching sessions.

Using Illustrations

Every illustration should teach a point. In children’s ministry, you never fill time–you use every moment to the glory of God.
Don’t just say it–Show it. Children are “concrete” thinkers. They respond best when they can see, touch, feel, taste and smell what you are teaching them. Take your point and make it “come alive.”
Don’t just show it–Say it. Carefully explain your point to the children. Why did you do this illustration? What does it teach? How does this affect their lives?
Don’t lose your point in the package. The best and most memorable illustration is of little use if it doesn’t have an affect. Be careful not to get so wrapped up in the illustration that you neglect to convey your point well.
Be brief and clear when explaining an illustration to children. Make your point and move on. One memorable statement that goes home with them is better than a thousand words quickly forgotten.
Try to make your point easy to remember: For example, “God’s got a call for us all!” Or, “Of all God’s creatures great and small, God loves you the most of all.” Or, “Keep God first.” (See Control Tools for more ideas and suggestions.)
Keep it simple. Instead of doing an illustration and then explaining three things, do a different illustration for each point. Or, take the same illustration and use a different variety of it three times with teaching moments in between.
Everything around you can teach a spiritual truth–the ceiling tiles, the floor, the chairs your children are sitting on, the clock on the wall, the door, and so forth. You are always surrounded by illustrations. Choose and use what is most affective in drawing your kids closer to Christ.
Games are illustrations too, just a bit more active. Please see Games with a Point for some fast-paced, competition-oriented teaching illustrations.
Help our Illustration Library grow. Please send us specifics on illustrations that you use to impact the children in your ministry. For more details go to our Submitting Ideas and Materials section.