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Kids Class Seva Outline and Preparation Guide
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Purpose: To take a dive into the ocean of Gurbani Vichaar with prayer in our hearts so we may share the wisdom and love with our brothers and sisters. Not as teachers, but as humble learners.
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"I learned most, not from those who taught me, but from those who talked with me." - St. Augustine
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CLASS OUTLINE
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Do your best to get everyone seated together and not be sitting too far apart from where you will be speaking
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Speak clearly and loudly so everyone can hear you. If in an open area, try to arrange for a microphone and speaker from the Sevadaars
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Start with Simran for 3-5 minutes as everyone settles in
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Introduce the Gurbani Vichaar
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 Spend few minutes going over the title, what it means, how it relates to age groups in the room
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>Ask Questions from the class on who might know what the title might mean in Punjabi and English
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Give an overall summary that covers the entire GV or the section of the Gurbani Vichaar you’re going to talk about.
Eg: “in this section of this GV, Bauji talks about ……/in this section of his GV Bauji explains …..”
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Find examples from the GV that you would like the class to focus on or read through
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>This involves reading directly from the GV either in Punjabi and translating it into English (or having the class translate it into English for engagement purposes – (try to do this for 1 or 2 examples), or in English, that is fine too.
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Discussion
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Open Ended Questions are designed to encourage a full, meaningful answers using the
person’s own knowledge and/or feelings. It is also important to have some prepared
answers that are either guided by the GV or other spiritual material.
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This part of the class is meant to create an aura of practicality around the GV.
How is the GV applicable? How is each kid going to benefit from the GV? The purpose of
these questions are to engage the class, so kids can take part in their own spiritual
discovery and talk it out amongst peers.
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Closing Remarks
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What are 5 things we are going to take away from this class? – Asking participants to share their take-away learning.
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Leaving the class with a one-line quote or take-away piece at the very end can be a good way to tie everything up
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End with a small Ardaas of thankfulness and appreciation for the opportunity to be in this space.
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KIDS CLASS PREPARATION
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Read the ENTIRE GV
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Even if you are presenting part of the GV, reading the whole GV will make it easier for you to pick up on Bauji’s natural starting and stopping points.
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>You may find many points in a few pages of the GV or a few points in the entirety of the GV. Decide what works best for you, keeping in mind that there is about 30-40minutes of class time available.
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Different ways to approach Kids class?
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>Discourse – Speaking to the whole class, with some discussion and question/answer.
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>Small Groups – Splitting the class into groups to discuss points of the GV that you’ve prepared.
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>Powerpoint/Worksheets – Similar to discourse, but including an aid for people to follow along.
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>“Touch and Go” – Reading pre-chosen sections of the GV aloud in the class, and facilitating discussion; one point at a time.
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Think back to some of your favourite kids classes in the past. What did you like about it? What captured your attention? How can you use a similar technique to enhance your kids class seva? BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN with it! We want our peers/sangat brothers and sisters to feel value in coming to class, so we must put in the effort to deliver value as well.
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Types of Open-Ended Questions to Use about practicality of Gurbani and things we can apply to our lives
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How have you/we practiced this idea in your daily life?
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What is a way you/we WANT to practice this idea moving forward in your life?
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What challenges have you/we encountered when trying to practice this idea?
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What strategies have you/we found to be successful when trying to practice this idea?
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What changes in your/our life have you noticed as a result, positive or negative?
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Its important to not put yourself in a postion of a teacher which can be misinterpreted as being better than others or that one is talking down to others (we should be mindful that just because you have understood what Bauji is talkign about does not mean that you are now better than others or you have overcome the shortcomings that Bauji is speaking of ) We are all striving to remove our own ignorance therefore we should remain in the position of humble learner. So when you ask questions, you are also asking yourself the same question. Ask yourself does this also impact me? This is where you have to dig deep and find your own shortcoming that relate to the subject you are discussion and if you feel comfortable enough, share with the class. (Ie: directly stating it or thorugh a story, you may also omit/change names in your story for the sake of privacy)
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Types of Open-Ended Questions to Use about common experiences/consequences of being in Sadh-Sangat/reading Gurbani
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>Do you have any personal experiences you want to share? Asking the class or the speakers can share their own experiences.
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>How has participating in seva contributed to your sangat experience?
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>How does socializing impact your samagam?
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>What helps you concentrate in simran or understand gurbani more?
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>How does practicing kirtan and going to local sangat help you maintain the samagam aura when you’re at home?
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>What impact does coming to sangat have on your thoughts throughout the week or when you’re faced with a stressful situation?
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>Did you encounter a situation in your personal life that was an example of something Bauji talked about?
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>Have you been in a situation in your personal life where you remembered something from GV/Bauji’s teachings/Gurbani that helped you navigate the situation?
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>Can you relate a sakhi to the topic or example at hand?
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>What experiences in Sadhsangat or in your personal life keep bringing you back?
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>What experiences/beliefs/thoughts cause you to hesitate coming to samagams or doing seva?
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>How can we work through these experiences/beliefs/thoughts?
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Other Helpful Resources to Supplement Gurbani Vichar (NOT TO REPLACE IT)
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>Bhai Vir Singh Ji’s writings
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>Professor Puran Singh’s writings
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>Parmahansa Yogananda’s writings
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>Joel Goldsmith’s writings
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>Raghbir Singh Bir’s writings
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