Begin your lesson preparation with prayer, asking God, "What ONE key principle do the boys and girls in my class need to assimilate in their lives?"
This becomes your lesson aim. Sometimes teachers just open their lesson and find out what the Bible story is on for that week, then back up and find out what the supporting activities are. They haphazardly get the materials together, do the lesson and say, "Whew...over with for another week."
Some teachers say, "There's just too much stuff in this lesson. We don't have time." Other teachers complain, "There's not enjoy stuff in this lesson. What do we do?"
Most published curriculum, right at the beginning of each lesson gives you their purpose -- their focus. This is the lesson aim.
You KNOW the pupils in your class better than the editor who wrote these lessons. Will the suggested aim work in your situation? Your curriculum writers may have listed several lesson aims. You may study the supportive scripture and read through the suggested story - you may not be able to figure out what that lesson writer was thinking when that particular aim was chosen! So you go into your class confused -- fuzzy in your thinking - no clear focus. Then we wonder why the pupils are not learning!
Ask God what HE wants to happen in your class each week - I don't care if you teach 2-year-olds or sixth grade. If you want to make a difference in lives -- you must know your lesson focus. Personalize it. Write it down.
Example: If your lesson focuses on the story of Abraham and Sarah and baby Isaac, the Lord may say to you that the children in your class need to firmly understand: I can trust God to keep His promises. It needs to be personalized because during the one hour you teach -- you want your class to say this over and over and over -- so they leave with one key concept that can make a difference in their lives in the tomorrow's.