New at the Media Center is the children’s curriculum Love in a Big World. For grades K-8, these lessons build character and hope in kids.
Social-Emotional Learning
This social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum is both research-based and practical. It provides the supporting resources necessary to empower students to be socially competent, emotionally healthy problem-solvers who discover and maintain a sense of purpose and make a positive difference in the world.
Customizable
By defining the structure, scope, and sequence of essential character traits, the curriculum provides meaningful activities that can be completed in as little as 15 to 30 minutes per day, but also allow you to dedicate more time depending on your students’ needs. It is designed to be customizable so you can identify and address your students’ unique needs, align activities accordingly, and ensure that instruction is age- and grade level-appropriate.
Interdisciplinary and Diverse
Each lesson includes additional interdisciplinary activities for you to choose based on the goals of your ministry and the needs of your students. This is provided to encourage differentiated instruction for your unique learning context and children. In efforts to embrace the diversity of today’s communities, the aim is to equip all students with the ability to learn from one another’s unique experiences and engage in meaningful shared experiences together.

Format
The Media Center has the leader’s guides and student journals for three of the Love in a Big World themes:
- Getting Started
- Relationship Skills
- Diversity and Social Justice
Each theme is divided into grade levels:
- K-2
- 3-5
- 6-8
Additional student journals would need to be ordered from www.loveinabigworld.org. Or you could make your own!
Leader Guide
Each grade level in each theme has its own leader guide, but all grade levels use the same themes for each session. The leader guides include these tips and activities:
- Classroom management and transitions
- Literacy
- Bible activities including memory verses
- Prayer and ministry
- Additional recommended activities such as,
- Story engagement
- Guided conversation
- Journaling
- Divine reading
- Interdisciplinary activities such as,
- Teacher story
- Games
- Art
- Kid do
- Finding out more
- Integrating technology
- Give back
Lesson Titles
Getting Started:
- Choice
- Courage
- Honesty
- Kindness
- Self-control
Relationship Skills:
- Caring
- Cooperation
- Forgiveness
- Generosity
- Love in a Big World
Diversity and Social Justice:
- Respect
- Fairness
- Kindness
- Cooperation
- Love in a Big World
More Info
The Media Center’s copies are published by Abingdon Press, a United Methodist publisher. Read more about this curriculum and its creators at www.loveinabigworld.org. You can also view a brochure, view a sneak peek, and request a sample lesson.
Additional Children’s Curriculum
For more children’s curriculum options that you can borrow from the Media Center, view our pathfinder on Children’s Sunday School Curriculum.
Request These Resources
These resources can be borrowed for free by anyone involved with a United Methodist Church in the North Carolina Conference. We will mail them to your home! All you need to do is fill out the Resource Request Form.