Before you choose a Sunday School curriculum:

Consider that Christian formation happens in many places besides the Sunday School classroom. The curriculum decision is just one part of your parish education plan. The following books are helpful in identifying what kind of curricula your parish needs in the broader parish context:

Basics of Christian Education, by Karen B. Tye, Chalice Press, 2000, 142 pages. Chapter 4 on “Content: what do we need to know?” will be particularly applicable. It includes an Evaluation Checklist.

Fashion Me A People: Curriculum in the Church, by Maria Harris, Westminster John Knox Press, 1989, 204 pages. Chapter 3, “Curriculum: the Course of the Church’s Life,” and chapter 6, “Didache: the Curriculum of Teaching” will be particularly applicable.

Both books are readily available from amazon.com or other sources. They are also available for loan from the CMT.


How to compare & evaluate curricula

As you review curricula, you will find it helpful to have some kind of tool that applies the same factors to each curriculum you examine. We are providing this suggested Key Questions here for that purpose.

Pondering the key questions about Curriculum Goal, Theological Content, Learning theory/Methodology, and Format will enable you to compare curricula which are quite disparate in format or theological foundation. A form to compile this information about curricula you are considering is available here. This information will generate insightful discussion among members of your reviewing group.

What’s included in our website’s curriculum lists?

CMT’s curriculum collection of over 100 titles is broad and ecumenical, representing major Christian denominations and independent Christian publishers.  The curriculum titles selected for our web lists are recommended for your first consideration.  Contact us if you don't see what you need.

The children’s titles in this collection are designed for Sunday School, with enough material for a fall-thru-spring academic year, usually 34-36 sessions. The youth and adult titles in the curriculum collection are either designed for Sunday School or are a general presentation of the Christian faith in at least 8-10 sessions. If you are searching for a curriculum on a particular topic, such as peace or prayer, please contact us. You will not find them in this list, but our general book collection has such curricula, which usually run 4-6 sessions each.

Types of children’s curriculum

In searching for a children’s curriculum, you will need to decide which type is best for your parish. Clicking the types in the list below will give you descriptions of them. Our web list of children’s curricula identifies each title by its basic type.

Thematic
Lectionary-based
Rotation
Montessori-based

Curriculum for small churches

Any of the four basic curriculum types above can be configured for small churches, in which children of varying ages are often taught by one teacher in one room. Some curricula are designed especially for this situation, and others offer a version of their standard curriculum that is suitable for small churches called "multi-age."