From an email newsletter that I subscribe to:

This is boring - when can we go play?

Ouch ... Teaching kids is hard, but when they are unmotivated it's almost impossible.

This is one area where many lesson plans fall short. But how do you motivate your children to learn? While extrinsic rewards can provide some help, their effects are limited. Here are some ideas that have worked for me.

3 Steps For Motivating Children To Learn

1. Get their attention.
Children rarely come to Sunday school ready to learn. Little girls are thinking about their new shoes. Little boys are thinking about their friend's new toy.Maybe it was a rocky morning for the family - complete with parents arguing about being late! As the teacher, it's up to you to get their attention. My favorite way to do this is by telling a story. Stories capture their imagination and can set up the next step.

2. Show them a need.
Present a compelling problem or life situation. Demonstrate how important yourlesson is before you start teaching. When children see a gap in their knowledge,they often become eager learners. This step answers the "Why" question.

3. Set a goal.
Be very explicit about what the class will be learning. Say to the children,"Today, our goal is to find God's answer to this problem." If the first two steps have worked this should be a natural transition into the lesson. This step answers the "What" question.

Build relationships with your students.

Learner motivation is largely an effect of the teacher-student relationship. The old cliché is true, "Kids don't care what you know until they know how much you care."

There is no single technique or trick that can compensate for a poor student-teacher relationship. This is one reason why your attitude toward the children is so important. You must cultivate real Christian love for every child you hope to teach.