One method for teaching the beatitudes to the early elementary aged children (6-9) is to use children's literature. We chose 4 texts to be our touchstones that would supplement our Bible study and related activities. They are:
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partidge by Mem Fox the story of the interactions between a little boy and his friend that is suffering from Alzheimer's type symptoms
Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier the story of a young girl and her family in Uganda, who are the recipients of a goat from the Heifer Project
Thank You, Mr. Faulkner by Patricia Polacco the autobiographical story of the author as she dealt with learning difficulties and her relationship with her peers and the teacher who changed everything
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli the story of how love changes the life of a lonely man
We began each session with a Bible reading that focus on the beatitudes. We would allow time for discussion and questions before reading one of the above stories. As we would read, we would ask the children how what they were hearing was related to the beatitudes. (We had a bulletin board that the children made, hanging up with the different beatitudes for ready reference.) Discussions always followed, along with a craft or drawing time to allow for retelling of the points made.
There are advantages to using children's literature that is often thought of as secular. Children have easy access to these works; they are prevalent in their school classrooms, libraries, and homes. They have probably been exposed to them before or will be in the near future. This is particularly advantageous because the children have additional opportunities to make connections or add to their fount of experience. They also see that their Christian Education is not just something that happens at church and home.
What are some texts that you have found useful for the early elementary set in this particular subject area?
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