Lesson 24: Preparing for Discover Time
Preparing for Discover Time
The Goal: It is ESSENTIAL for both the person setting up the Discover Time activity and the person leading the activity to understand the purpose of that DT. Each Discover Time activity has a very clear goal, and this is what will connect that activity to the Bible Lesson. If the set up doesn’t allow for the DT to meet the goal, or if the DT leader doesn’t understand the goal, the DT will turn into a fun, but meaningless, activity.
Take, for example, a Discover Time activity introducing the concept of trust. In this DT, students will navigate a challenging obstacle course in pairs. One student will be blindfolded while the other student can guide them only with their voice. If the obstacles are too easy, or the DT Leader allows the blindfolded student to peek or the guiding student to use their hands, then students will not need to trust each other, and they will miss the point of the activity.
We need to make sure we help kids understand how the activity connects to the lesson.
The Team: ALL classroom leaders (Lead Teacher, DT Leader, and Shepherd) are involved in the Discover Time activity. The DT Leader is responsible to thoroughly understand the activity and lead it. The Lead Teacher and the Shepherd are responsible to provide support and assistance. You can read more about this in Lesson 24: Preparing for Discover Time in the Director Manual.
Competition: Elementary DTs often include competition to keep the activity fun and engaging. This means there will typically be winners and losers. It is important not to let everyone win. If you allow everyone to win, it may seem like you are being kind to all of the students, but it actually communicates that the activity and the outcome don’t really matter. They won’t trust your instructions in the future, and it also may diminish the connection between the DT and the lesson. Also – what better place to learn how to win and lose in a God-honoring way than in the church?! This is a discipleship moment – give your students the opportunity to learn how to show the fruit of the Spirit and honor Christ through how they respond to Discover Time activities.
Note: Preschool DTs are rarely competitive, and are instead cooperative, which is developmentally appropriate for this age group.
Training your Discover Time Leaders
The best way to train your DT leaders? PRACTICE!
Provide lots of opportunities for DT leaders to see examples of excellent Discover Time activities (have them be the students and you be the leader), and then give them opportunities to practice leading.
Coach leaders to speak confidently and loudly, to plan ahead, and to keep Discover Time fun! This is the part of the morning kids most look forward to, and often what they remember best, so make sure it is engaging!
For more tips for Discover Time leaders, check out this video:
Want to share this video with your team? Send them this link: https://youtu.be/d-DAJ4UdJ8M or download and save the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mH8CYXon4Um-fifru4lsoHzSH4hXGjIK/view?usp=drive_link
BONUS: This lesson has been adapted from the “Toolbox I – Discover Time Leader Training – Basic” training. The PowerPoint and speaker notes for this training can be downloaded from the members’ area of the website.