Anyone who has worked in children’s ministry knows that catchy object lessons can be one of the most valuable resources of teaching. Not only do object lessons help demonstrate the concept, but they stay with the student, helping them remember the lesson, often for years to come.

Top 50 Object Lessons, Games, and Activities is a refreshing new book filled with creative ideas for teachers looking to help their students understand Bible lessons and develop Godly character.  The lessons are organized and listed several ways: topically, by materials needed, by holidays, and by the Bible story or verse that they can be used for. Using these easy lists aids the teacher in quickly finding the exact illustration to accompany their lesson.

This book contains a wide variety of object lessons ranging from very simple stories to messy science experiments, and everything in between. Some use food items, but most use everyday items that can be found around the house, making it easy to grab an object lesson and add it to your story. For the games or object lessons that do use special products, most can be found at the local dollar store.

A typical object lesson in this book gives enough material to allow a teacher to use it as their sole source of lesson preparation. Teachers can adapt the lessons to fit their needs, using all the material or just the applicable portion. Each lesson lists the topic, a Scripture verse, a purpose, easy preparation steps, the presentation of the lesson, discussion questions, and a life application. There are suggestions for further expansion of the lesson with additional Biblical examples if needed. The lesson is laid out simply enough for beginners or young people who are just starting out in children’s ministry to use the material. Each step of the object lesson performance is accompanied by a sentence telling the teacher what to say, which can really help a new or inexperienced teacher connect the visual to the story.

Our entire family has been involved in children’s ministry for many years. We own a shelf full of object lesson books, but I have to say that this book quickly rose to the top as a valued resource mainly because of the wide variety of creative ideas, and the simplicity of the layout. It is so easy to quickly find exactly what you are looking for and the lessons are flexible enough to adapt to almost any circumstance. My teenagers who are just starting out in children’s ministry found this book very user friendly and got many great ideas from it. What we love the most is the way the entire lesson is laid out to help the teacher be most effective and teach in a way that the student can relate to and apply to their life. While the title says “Top 50” there is closer to 90 different lessons contained in this book! Every lesson that we have tried so far has been a remarkable success. The teacher tips included with the lessons have helped even us seasoned teachers make the illustration really hit home with the students.

Top 50 Object Lessons, Games, and Activities is a creative book that would be a great benefit to anyone involved in teaching the Bible and character development to young people. It has been a wonderful addition to our ministry, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to add some excitement to their ministry as well. This softcover, 205-page book is currently selling on the publisher’s website for $19.95. With the purchase of the book comes permission from the publisher to reproduce any of the pages for use in your own personal ministry work.

-Product review by Erica Beyea, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July, 2018