Making it multisensory

Be creative about adapting activities/ideas, thinking about all the children in the group. Take a multi-sensory approach to your sessions - this will help many children. Have relevant and motivating things to look at, feel, listen to, smell and taste. Here are some ideas:

Visual material, such as puppets, can capture attention and imagination as well as bring to life spoken words. Think about the size of puppets so that they can be seen but are not frightening. Carefully chosen pictures, posters and photos can all help to make spoken language clearer. Children can participate in telling stories using pictures on a magnetic board or fixed with Velcro or Blu-tack.

For children with visual impairment and/or profound disability the use of objects and tactile aids can help them to make sense of what is happening. Object cues can be used to let them know what is happening, eg a tambourine may be given to them when it is time to sing, or a Duplo house when it’s time for them to be collected by their parent/carer.

Craftwork and banners may be tactile. Or you could use different smells. Be creative – if mum uses a certain perfume this could be what is used to associate with mum. Perhaps the children could decide on a favourite smell to signify God who is love. If using aromatherapy oils please check which ones are safe to use with your group.

Building story boxes to go with Bible stories could bring stories alive for many children. For instance a box made for the story of Noah could include: a hammer, wood and nails, a boat, people, pairs of various animals, water spray, a bird, a leaf, a globe. When the story is told the props and sound effects can be used to create the environment.

Many children with learning disability enjoy music and will like joining in singing times. Some may like to just ‘sing’, others may like to play an instrument such as a shaker or wave a flag. For many, action songs are good as they can participate even if they cannot sing well. Songs with repetition and echoed lines can work well and can be a great teaching tool for helping children remember God’s truths. Make sure action songs are age appropriate for older children, perhaps using recognised signs from British Sign Language or the Makaton signing system that is used in many special schools.

Using food at relevant times can make Bible stories more memorable and provide aids to learning, for instance, when telling of the feeding of the 5,000 have fish and bread. For another appropriate Bible passage you could make bread! Be aware of any food allergies the children have though.

There are times in the Bible that illustrate to us the importance of human touch. Jesus touched people who would have been shunned by society. At appropriate times in your programme think about if touch could be used to illustrate your session. For instance, could group members wash each other’s feet like Jesus washed the feet of his disciples? You know your group and whether these sort of activities are appropriate and would work. This needs careful thought in light of child protection concerns that surround us these days.