Suggested Study Plan for God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers (Scope and Sequence)

The backbone of any Bible curriculum resource is its study plan or what is often called its “scope and sequence.” Scope refers to WHAT is being studied while sequence is just that, the sequencing of the content or when each story is to be studied. The Suggested Study Plan for God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers (its scope and sequence) can be downloaded as a PDF.

What Is Its Scope?

The “scope” of God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers is a series of more than 100 stories from the Bible. Roughly half of those stories are from the Old Testament and half are from the New Testament. We say “roughly” because we include some Christmas stories from the New Testament in the Old Testament study plan (as well as one lesson for Resurrection Sunday) and three of the suggested lessons in the New Testament are about the larger biblical story so those lessons include elements from both the Old and New Testaments.

What Is Its Sequence?

The suggested “sequence” of study for the curriculum is roughly a chronological study of the biblical story. There are a few places where the dating of certain stories is uncertain and we offer seasonal lessons (Christmas and Easter) to be studied at the appropriate time, but generally speaking, kids will study stories beginning with creation and going through eternity in heaven as revealed in Revelation.

The Suggested Study Plan is built for two years. A year is spent in the Old Testament and a year is spent in the New Testament. This allows the child to experience the flow of the entire story and it avoids bouncing back and forth between the Old and New Testaments.

Is the Study Plan Flexible?

All of the lessons in God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers are undated. That means you can study any lesson during any week. The Suggested Study Plan provides the ideal sequence if you wish to carry your kids through the biblical story in chronological order.

Is It Just for Sundays?

Most churches will choose to use God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers on Sundays, but some are using it on other days of the week as an alternative. Each lesson contains an Hour A lesson plan and an Hour B lesson plan. So in the course of the entire plan, the church is receiving more than 400 hours of lesson plans. Some churches may choose to teach Hour A on Sunday morning and reinforce the study with Hour B on Wednesday evening.

What Ties It Together?

Each lesson plan encourages teachers to review the six narrative elements of God’s Unfolding Story. This means each story is always connected to the broader biblical story. Children will quickly learn there’s a bigger story taking place within which the weekly story fits. They also will begin to learn that the biblical story continues to unfold even today and they have a place in it!

As you can see, God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers is both strategic and flexible. If you have questions about the curriculum, simply contact us. You can also find additional articles about it on the site.