The scope and sequence of a curriculum is the plan that tells what stories kids will learn and when they’ll learn them. This plan helps ministry leaders introduce children to God in age-appropriate ways as they learn to navigate life from a Biblical perspective. Plus, the scope and sequence will give you a plan for what you would like for your ministry children to know and understand by the time they leave your ministry.
With that, the scope and sequence of a curriculum will help you as you walk alongside children as they discover relationship with Jesus for themselves. It also helps align your team and keeps you on the same page as you steer for your goals.
As kids move through the three-year scope and sequence, they discover something remarkable: God loves them, leads them, and has a plan for them. And that journey of wonder is only the beginning.
Wonder Ink Scope and Sequence
Wonder Ink takes children on a journey through the Bible in three years. The full scope and sequence includes more than 150 Bible stories with a balance from the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Kids go on a faith journey of knowing God more through discovering:
- God knows me.
- Jesus loves me.
- The Holy Spirit leads me.
- I am a child of God.
Wonder Ink’s scope and sequence covers major Bible stories in age-appropriate ways, and each lesson connects to God’s Big Story of redemption as an overarching theme. It’s imperative to our team that every piece of Scripture is tied to the whole—nothing stands alone. And the true beauty of Wonder Ink emerges when you step back and see the three-year journey in its entirety.
Lessons are grouped into 4–6-week themed series, with themes centered on helping kids make connections to God’s Big Story.
While the series don’t always start and end neatly in a month, they are designed to fit the church holiday calendar (Fall Launch, Christmas, Easter, Summer) and they are designed to help children know God more. Each lesson is built to adequately teach children about who God is and who they are in Him within a series theme—not to simply follow a 4-week timeline.
For example, each Christmas and Easter season includes a 5-week series to help kids see the metanarrative of the gospel throughout Scripture, from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
From there, each year takes a unique cover-to-cover journey through Scripture while repeating some key stories and themes (such as the birth of Jesus, Jesus’ resurrection, etc.). These repetitions help kids reinforce, remember, and celebrate the important parts of God’s Big Story. Every age level will follow the same basic scope and sequence with necessary age-appropriate adaptations.
Each quarter of the year aligns with one of the four core values of Wonder Ink—God Knows Me, Jesus Loves Me, the Holy Spirit Leads Me, and I Am a Child of God. Each lesson’s theme points to a specific core value.
Rolling Scope and Sequence
The scope and sequence for Wonder Ink is a rolling scope and sequence. It doesn’t have a specific starting and stopping point: It continues in a circular motion through the Bible, which allows churches to jump in no matter where you start in the sequence.
The journey through the Bible is mostly chronological in a way that helps kids understand God’s Big Story. There are a few exceptions to the chronology—such as the Christmas and Easter series connecting Old to New Testament in one series.
Wonder Ink’s 3-year, 52-week children’s ministry curriculum offers kids space to fully find their place in God’s Big Story. Children discover they are Known by God, Loved by Jesus, and Led by the Holy Spirit.
Year 1
The first year of Wonder Ink introduces kids to the grand narrative of Scripture, beginning in Genesis with God’s family and God’s plan to bless the world through His family (starting with Abraham). It includes foundational pieces of Scripture like the journey of the Israelites from slavery to Exodus to the promised land.
Kids learn how God spoke through prophets and promised a Savior, and learn the fulfillment of those promises through Jesus’ birth.
The second half of Year 1 includes Jesus’ life and miracles, Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus’ ascension, Pentecost, and the early church—including the role of the Holy Spirit.
Summer months in every Wonder Ink year cover the epistles, the Psalms, and Proverbs to help kids make connections in the Old and New Testaments to their lives.
Year 2
Year 2 of Wonder Ink builds upon the biblical foundation established in year 1, while exposing kids to the concept of God’s mercy and redemption from sin, as well as God’s leadership (think of Cain and Abel, the Tower of Babel, Joshua and Jericho).
The fall season covers the kings and prophets of the Israelites. These series help kids understand how Jesus’ family tree from the Old to New Testament showed God’s plan of redemption from the beginning.
Kids learn about the heart of Jesus through the Sermon on the Mount and His parables, the work of the Holy Spirit, and prayer in the lives of the early Christians.
Year 3
Year 3 invites kids to see themselves as active participants in God’s ongoing story.
The fall season focuses on Scriptures that show God’s faithfulness, such as Noah’s Ark, and Moses and the 10 Commandments. Children see God’s victory through Scriptures telling of prophets, a young shepherd boy who defeated a warrior, Balaam’s donkey, and more!
Kids experience God, who is always with us, through Scriptures of Esther and Daniel in the lions’ den. And they learn how Jesus is the Forever King.
The new year invites kids to discover more of who Jesus is and how He loves us, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit in those who follow Him.
As kids are presented with opportunities to immerse themselves in God’s Word as they connect with God and respond to Him, they will be transformed as the gospel defines their identity and God writes His truth on their hearts.
The Goal
Ultimately, what is the goal? It’s our heart for children to know God, love God, and follow Him in relationship as they understand who they are as His kid. After the three years, they’ll have a deeper understanding of who God is, how each part of the Bible fits into God’s Big Story, and who they are as children of God.
Once a church has completed the three-year scope and sequence, we recommend going through it again. Repetition is a key way of learning; it’s not a bad thing. Can you imagine if schools taught addition one day and then never addressed it again? Our kids wouldn’t know how to solve problems for themselves. The same is true of Scripture. We must repeat truth over and over again.
You see, a child who learned a Bible story as a kindergartener or first grader will understand it in a completely new way as a 4th or 5th grader. And as kids are presented with opportunities to immerse themselves in God’s Word as they connect with God and respond to Him, they will be transformed as the gospel defines their identity and God writes His truth on their hearts.
Each encounter builds upon previous learning. A child may first learn that God keeps His promises, later explore examples of God’s faithfulness throughout Scripture, and eventually understand how that truth shapes their own trust in God today.
This approach helps biblical understanding move from information to transformation. At its heart, Wonder Ink is not simply about helping kids know more Bible stories. It is about helping them know and love God.
Every lesson invites children to wonder about God, discover His character, experience His love, and respond to His invitation for relationship. Wonder Ink provides a framework for lifelong faith formation—one that continually points kids toward a deeper knowledge of God and a growing relationship with Jesus.
As kids move through the three-year scope and sequence, they discover something remarkable: God loves them, leads them, and has a plan for them. And that journey of wonder is only the beginning.
