Interactive culture kits help kids engage with mission
By Tim Allan | International
Inspiring the next generation into mission is one of the great challenges for any mission agency and SIM’s culture kits are designed to do just that.
The kits, written by a SIM teacher and put together by a SIM graphic designer, cover four regions of the world – South Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and The Andes of South America. Other kits covering more regions of the world are in the pipeline.
The kits, which are produced in pdf format, give children a superb overview of the region. Featuring a wealth of great pictures, they begin by detailing the geography, the climate, the people groups, the faiths and the various cultures.
The designer said: “Of course, because the regions are vast we can’t cover absolutely everything. The aim is to give children a flavour of the region, in the hope it will get them thinking a little more deeply about people in other parts of the world.”
They also show children how to engage with people who may not look like them and who may not believe what they believe.
There are prayer points, recipes from the region and even introductions to some playground games. Throughout, the aim is to show children the richness of other cultures, while also teaching them that there are large parts of the world where the name of Jesus is not known.
They can be downloaded here.
The kits can be used in any setting – home school, church Sunday school, or parents learning alongside their children. They are suitable for children aged from around 6 to early teens, or perhaps even older in some cultures. The kits are highly interactive, with craft activities, maps, colouring pages and a wide range of activity pages for children of different ages.
They were produced originally by SIM USA, but have also been adapted for use in places where Commonwealth English is used. As yet, they are only available in English but if you feel a translation would be useful in your context, please let us know.
Example pages from one of the kits. Image by SIM.
They are entirely free to download, print and use. Use these kits to encourage children to follow Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations by praying for people who don't yet know him. Brainstorm creative ways to join in the great commission and remind children in your life that anyone who loves Jesus can share his good news with the people around them.
Pray
• Thank God for the gifts, effort, time and skill used to put together theses great learning tools.
• Ask that the kits would be used by many people to be inspired about the many places in the world who still need people to bring the message of the gospel.
• Ask God how you personally might be able to use these wonderful resources.
