Selecting the right curriculum for your children's ministry can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and make decisions based on marketing, convenience, or pressure, rather than thoughtful evaluation. This post provides a comprehensive guide to help churches navigate the curriculum selection process, ensuring that the chosen materials align with their theological distinctives, ministry goals, and the needs of their children.
With the shift to online learning in today’s schools, we know that the technologies and curriculum used in the church need to evolve and modernize too. Ditch loading up the USB sticks and struggling with old software – with Playlister or ProPresenter, you can send resources simply and reliably to classrooms in church, or to families at home. But which kids' ministry curriculum should you choose? Choosing the ‘best’ children’s ministry curriculum can be tough, as there are a wide variety of options out there. That’s why we’ve created this handy guide, to make your choice that little bit easier!
Common Pitfalls in Curriculum Selection
Many churches fall into common traps when choosing curriculum, leading to frustration, inconsistency, and ultimately, a less effective children's ministry. Some of these pitfalls include:
- Choosing based on marketing: Flashy brochures and persuasive sales pitches can be tempting, but they don't always reflect the quality or effectiveness of the curriculum.
- Sticking with "what we've always used": While familiarity and tradition have their place, clinging to outdated or ineffective curriculum simply because it's what you've always known can hinder spiritual growth.
- Giving in to pressure: Whether from parents with strong opinions or influential members, succumbing to pressure without proper evaluation can lead to misaligned curriculum and discontent.
- Relying solely on peer recommendations: While seeking advice from other churches can be helpful, it shouldn't replace thorough research and evaluation within your own context.
Key Considerations for Curriculum Selection
To avoid these pitfalls, churches should approach curriculum selection with a strategic and discerning mindset. Here are some key considerations:
- Doctrinal Integrity: Does the curriculum align with your church's theological distinctives and doctrinal statement?
- Developmental Appropriateness: Is the content presented in a way that is engaging and understandable for the specific age group?
- Customization: Can the curriculum be adapted to fit your church's unique context, ministry goals, and available resources?
- Engagement: Does the curriculum utilize a variety of teaching methods and activities to keep children interested and involved?
- Support: Does the publisher offer adequate support materials, training, and resources for teachers and leaders?
- Cost-Effectiveness: Is the curriculum affordable and sustainable within your church's budget?
Streamlining the Selection Process
The process of evaluating and selecting curriculum can be time-consuming, but it's crucial for the effectiveness of your children's ministry. Here are some steps to streamline the process:
- Form a Curriculum Committee: Include clergy, Christian education leaders, teachers, and even parents in the process to ensure diverse perspectives and buy-in.
- Define Your Goals and Priorities: Clearly articulate the desired outcomes for your children's ministry and the specific areas of spiritual growth you want to emphasize.
- Research and Gather Information: Explore various curriculum options from different publishers, read reviews, and request sample materials.
- Evaluate and Compare: Use a standardized evaluation tool or rubric to assess each curriculum based on the key considerations mentioned earlier.
- Pilot and Gather Feedback: Implement a pilot program with a small group of children and gather feedback from teachers, parents, and the children themselves.
- Make an Informed Decision: Based on the evaluation, feedback, and your church's specific needs, make a decision that aligns with your goals and priorities.
When selecting your children’s church curriculum, it’s important to think about your specific goals, the age of the children you teach, and what works best for you. Whether you are wanting to shift toward online-only classes, focus on in-person gospel, or streamline your Sunday school operations with smart software, you can find the right children’s church curriculum here for you and the kids in your ministry.
Top Five Children’s Church Curriculum
1) HyFi (Lifeway)
2) The Gospel Project (Lifeway)
3) CKids (Church-to-Church via Playlister)
4) Grow
5) Brite (Awana)
1. HyFi Curriculum
When you think about the core things you'd want any youngster to grasp about Christianity, what comes to mind? Well, HyFi hones in on twelve central biblical truths, and they've got a good reason for it. They’re like the spine of Christian belief, the guiding stars for a youngster's journey in faith.
Picture a young kid, flooded with all sorts of questions about who they are and where they fit in—that’s where these truths come in handy. With truths like God's never-ending love, Jesus' sacrifice, and the special place humans have in this grand cosmic tale, kids begin to see themselves differently. It's like giving them a map where they can pinpoint exactly where they stand in this vast, complex universe. HyFi is onto something here. They're not just handing out facts and stories; they're giving kids the tools to say, "Hey, I get it. I'm part of something bigger. I matter." And that? Well, that’s a game-changer in helping them figure out their place as part of God’s big family.
Lifeway curriculum takes an innovative approach to teaching biblical truths, pairing each foundational lesson with a corresponding "I am" statement. This method serves a dual purpose: it grounds biblical teachings in personal identity while emphasizing the relevance of these truths in the daily lives of young learners. In essence, Lifeway's method transforms abstract concepts into tangible affirmations, ensuring that kids grasp the profound connection between their personal identities and the timeless teachings of the Bible.
Pricing for HyFi
2. LifeWay Sunday School Curriculum
Lifeway is a Sunday school curriculum for kids that places emphasis on tackling real-life issues alongside practicing faith and worship. Perfect for learning from anywhere and everywhere, this ministry curriculum prioritizes providing the tools to help you continue practicing discipleship from your home. Through focusing on bible study, the story of redemption, and spiritual conversations, your kids’ will dig deep into scripture, and their understanding will transform forever. Lifeway also offers a 2-minute study assessment quiz to help you choose which study is right for you.
Pricing for LifeWay Sunday School Curriculum
More adaptable, with specifics for the number of groups and team leaders at your church, choosing Lifeway could save you some money. While it doesn’t offer the ease and simplicity of simply purchasing a bundle with everything you need, you can decide if certain elements are suited to your kids. These prices vary based on which specific curriculum you want, as there are numerous different options: Concrete and Cranes, ZIP for Kids, Destination Dig, God’s Brave Girl, and so much more. Prices would add up if any of these are selected together. We prefer more all-inclusive options that save us the worry of working it all out, as browsing through the curriculum options felt somewhat overwhelming here.
The Gospel Project Children’s Church Curriculum
Immersing kids and preschoolers in the gospel can be the perfect way to teach them the stories and theological concepts of the Bible. This program seeks to target both hearts and minds, teaching children that the Bible is more than just a collection of stories, but one unified story – that of God. Brought to life through exciting methods, this program spends equal time in the Old and NewTestaments and includes family resources for great dinner-time discussions at home. Your whole family can grow in gospel together!
Pricing for The Gospel Project Children’s Curriculum
Working out pricing is slightly more difficult, as you can choose as many add-ons and volumes as you like! For example, the kids' ministry starter kit, volume 1, costs $94.99 but only covers the opening part of the Bible – Genesis. Adding a leader guide pack costs $7.99 and additional kids activity packs are around $3-5. This is a great option for those who want freedom within the curriculum they choose for their kids, but it doesn't have the ease of an all-in-one pack. Their website offers a user-friendly way to explore your options, so you can compare the costs against your needs. You can input exactly how many kids you have in each age group of classes, so you won’t have to pay more than you need.
3. CKids (Church-to-Church via Playlister)
CKids represents something genuinely different — a curriculum model where churches build and share complete lessons with each other through Playlister's Church-to-Church platform. Instead of buying content from a publishing company, you're importing ready-to-run lessons created by other children's ministry teams.
Here's how it works: a church assembles a full lesson inside Playlister — videos, slides, transitions, background music, the entire playlist — and publishes it. Any other church on Playlister can browse the lesson, preview it, and import it into their own account with one click. You can run it as-is or customize it by swapping out videos, adding your own announcements, or rearranging the order.
CKids launched in May 2026 and 28 churches signed up in the first 24 hours. The model is compelling for a few reasons: there's no annual licensing fee (it's included with your Playlister subscription), the content is built by practitioners who are actually running kids' rooms every Sunday, and you can mix CKids lessons with content from any other provider. Use CKids for one age group and Orange for another — Playlister doesn't care where the content comes from.
The vision behind Church-to-Church is larger than a single curriculum. As more churches publish lessons, the library grows organically. A church in Atlanta builds a VBS series. A church in Dallas shares their special needs ministry content. A church in Minneapolis imports both and runs them the following weekend. It's collaborative rather than transactional.
Get your free APPLE TV to present your curriculum
Sign up for Playlister and we'll send a free Apple TV when you enter the promo code: apple at checkout. Get free Apple TV.
4. Grow Curriculum
The Grow curriculum is entirely digital, meaning you can get started straight away without waiting for physical materials to be shipped to you! Not only does this care for the planet by saving on resources, but it also means it can be downloaded anywhere and at any time. Offering a curriculum for kids, students and adults, Grow knows and understands that the quality of kids' church lessons depends on their adult guides too! Their handy feature will help to maximize effectiveness and time, empowering you to invest in your people rather than resources, and build discipleship across every age group.
Pricing for Grow Curriculum
With this curriculum, you definitely don’t need a large church network or a huge pool of volunteers and workers. Grow prioritizes the smaller church, and is built to be accessible to every church, no matter the size. Complete with church management software features like to-do lists, calendars, and meeting kits, Grow is a great option for those who are just starting. Plus, it offers a full 52 weeks of learning, for preschool and elementary students combined. With a set price of $997 a year, or $289 quarterly, this option will have you ready to start learning in seconds.
If you don’t need the organizational aspects, volunteer guides, and email templates, you can save some money by opting for the basic package. Coming in at $597 a year, this option is great for those who are working within a budget. While you would need a separate package for the older students in middle school and high school, the pricing is the same. So, depending on the range of students at your Sunday school, you might be paying just shy of $2,000 annually for everyone to be included.
5. Brite (Awana)
Brite is Awana's entry into the weekly curriculum space, and it brings a distinctive discipleship framework organized around three stages: Belong, Believe, and Become. Rather than teaching isolated Bible stories, Brite connects every lesson to a larger formation pathway. The curriculum is digital-first and designed to be easy for new volunteers to pick up and teach. For churches already running Awana midweek programs, Brite creates a natural continuity between Sunday and Wednesday content. Brite is still relatively new compared to Orange or Gospel Project, so the lesson library isn't as deep yet. But the foundation is solid, and Awana's track record in discipleship-focused programming gives it credibility.
Picking a Children’s Church Curriculum is hard!
The right curriculum depends on your theology, your team, your budget, and your rooms. If you want premium production and a proven system, Orange and Gospel Project are safe bets. If you want flexibility and modern design, Grow and HyFi are strong. If you want simplicity and low prep, Wonder Ink and Brite deliver. And if you want to tap into what other churches are actually building and running every week — with zero additional subscription cost — CKids through Playlister is worth trying.
No matter which curriculum you choose, the content still needs to get to your screens. That's the part Playlister handles — one upload, every room, every campus, every Sunday.
After I pick how can I present my curriculum in the classroom?
There are three ways to present a curriculum:
1. USB Sticks
2. ProPresenter with a computer
3. Playlister with an Apple TV
Playlister
PRO = cost-efficient compared to using a computer
CON = if you have fewer than 3 kids rooms. Read more about why NOT to use Playlister.
Playlister uses Apple TVs to present the above kids church curriculum in churches all over the world. Here are the top 5 ways your church should use an Apple TV to present kids ministry curriculum. Apple TVs have hard drives to save up to 32 GB of content allowing you to play your curriculum offline. And an excellent remote which makes training volunteers take less than 15 seconds. Schedule a time below to see how Playlister can help you teach like a hero. We love talking with church leaders!
Get your free Apple TV to present your curriculum
Sign up for Playlister and we'll send a free Apple TV when you enter the promo code: apple at checkout. Get free Apple TV.