Every good Sunday School teacher has a desire to show love to his students by giving; but it seems like after the many holiday purchases that are necessary for one’s own family, there is seldom much left for others (particularly an entire group of individual “others”). What are some inexpensive ways to provide a trinket of affection for your Sunday School students that won’t end up in the floorboard of the vehicle or discarded on a dresser to be raked into the wastebasket at the next room purging by Mom?
1. Photo Ornaments – Bring your camera along to Sunday School several weeks before the intended giving of gifts, and photograph either the entire group or individual students. Then print a frame on heavy cardstock and decorate with markers, glitter, ribbons, bells, or whatever remnants are cheaply available to you (or stashed in your personal box of “junk”).
2. Memory Verse Visuals – Every good Sunday School teacher wants to instill the Word of God into the hearts of his students, so why not provide a way for them to “deck the halls” with Scripture? Choose a good verse that is applicable to your age group (Ephesians 6:1 is a favorite of all parents), and print it attractively on store-bought stationery or on cardstock using your own graphics skills.
3. Good Music – The world is beating into the ears of our children, so why not gift your Sunday School children with a variety of godly music? If you can’t afford the purchase of several CD’s or cassettes, just make your own (if your music ability will enable you) and dub copies, or enlist the help of a talented friend in the ministry. Sing some Sunday School favorites such as Jesus Loves Me, This Little Light of Mine, and The Wise Man Build His House Upon the Rock; or better yet, record several Bible verse songs to aid in scripture memory.
4. Sunday School Collage – Compile some of your craft projects throughout the year coupled with photos of church staff and friends and present your Sunday School pupils with a collage of memories that surely will make it past the waste basket into the scrapbook. Make a larger copy to hang on the bulletin board in your Sunday School classroom.
5. Personalized Ornaments – Purchase some inexpensive flat metal ornaments and engrave your Sunday School students’ names, along with the year and perhaps church initials, onto them with an etching tool.
6. Build a Web Page – For those Sunday School teachers who are web savvy, ask permission to post a page featuring your Sunday School class onto your church’s website. Your students will be proud to see themselves on the world wide web!
7. Buy a Brick – Many charities and communities have “Buy a Brick” and similar programs. Purchase one on behalf of your Sunday School class. Be sure that it is local and somewhere that your students can easily go and admire it.
8. Give Them a Memory That Will Last – Invite your Sunday School students to join you in being of service to others, whether it be working in a soup kitchen one Saturday, delivering holiday baskets to the needy, or caroling in a nursing home. Take lots of photos to hang up in your Sunday School classroom and provide to your students so that the memories will linger.
9. Have a Different Kind of Party – Have an awesome Sunday School party that will be remembered for years! Host a sleepover or scavenger hunt that will be pure excitement from the moment your Sunday School kids arrive until their parents pick them up. If you lack in the creativity department, enlist the help of a church member or friend who excels in throwing a great party. Turn to the web for a host of exciting ideas.
10. Award Everyone – Think of deserving awards to present to each student in your Sunday School class (no matter how much of a challenge some of them have been)! Print up certificates and present them at a special awards ceremony, which could be during the regular Sunday School hour, at your annual Christmas party, or at a banquet you prepare just for the purpose. Be creative in thinking up awards – “Most Serious Bible Student,” “Number One Bible Verse Memorizer,” “Most Enthusiastic,” and so forth, depending on your students.
I hope these ideas will at least help you get your creative juices flowing as to how you can frugally find a way to show your Sunday School kids how much you really care (without breaking the bank!).
