In an earlier post I talked about how fun visuals can make your teaching time much more engaging.
Personally I prefer real 3D objects over pictures (and research suggests that real objects are more memorable), but there are times when a picture is exactly what you need.
If I’m telling a story about going fishing, I’d much rather have a real fishing pole in my hand instead of just showing a picture. If, however, I’m telling a story about the first time I rode a roller coaster, then obviously a picture is what would work the best.
If you have the technology, you can show pictures using programs like ProPresenter or PowerPoint, which we do a lot in our ministry.
However, sometimes the best choice is a physical picture. For example to introduce a story I taught on courage, we played a game called “Name That Fear” using the photos pictured at the top of this post.
I told the kids I would name some things they might be afraid of and they had to yell out what it is (yes, there’s a squirrel in there which always gets a big laugh). I would hold the sign up really fast and yell, “Name that fear!” and kids would respond.
Sure I could have done that on a screen (and have for this same game) but the physical signs are way more dramatic and fun. For this game in particular I would only put it on a screen if I couldn’t get the pictures big enough for everyone in the room to see them.
Another time I might choose screen graphics over a physical picture is if I needed my hands free to tell the story. Otherwise I would with go physical pictures every time.
However, if you don’t have the capability to project screen graphics, have no fear, physical pictures work just fine (and in the case of this game are preferred).
To really make pictures pop, however, I love to mount them to black foam board or poster board using a spray adhesive. Poster board is okay (and cheaper) but I always prefer to use black foam board whenever possible. It’s stronger and doesn’t flop around. It also works great if I need to display pictures on easels instead of just holding them up with my hands.
How can you use pictures to help tell your next story? If you have the option to use screen graphics or physical pictures, which would work better for the story you’re telling? Or would is there a real object you could bring in and use in its place?
Bible Story Coach 