The Biggest Story Curriculum Review by James Jeffery

The Biggest Story Curriculum is the much-anticipated complement to the recently-released The Biggest Story Bible Storybook. As a fan of Kevin DeYoung’s works, I knew this would be a valuable resource before I began reading it.

In the storybook, DeYoung summarises key episodes in the Biblical narrative from a Reformed perspective with captivating illustrations provided by Don Clark. In this presentation, the gospel of Jesus Christ is front and centre from beginning to end.

The Biggest Story Curriculum is a five-volume (1) Pentateuch, 2) History, 3) Poetry & Prophets, 4) Gospels, 5) Acts, Epistles, Revelation) teaching aid intended to be used alongside the storybook. While it could be used as a standalone, readers will find most benefit by purchasing the The Biggest Story Bible Storybook as well (or by using the online resources below).

Here are four reasons The Biggest Story Curriculum is worth buying:

It Covers the Whole Bible

In contrast to many Christian children’s resources, The Biggest Story Curriculum does not summarise large chunks of the Biblical narrative. Intended to be used over a two-year period, the curriculum includes 104 lessons. These lessons cover critical junctions in redemptive history whilst paying attention to the fine details. 

Moreover, every lesson includes a five-minute ‘Gospel Connection’ which shows where each story finds itself in the grand narrative of redemption. This makes every lesson grace-saturated and Christ-exalting, avoiding moralism and compelling children to trust in the Saviour. 

The Activity Book

The included activity book contains worksheets corresponding to each week’s conten allowing children to consolidate the material whilst having fun at the same time. This is unique, as most worksheets do not parallel the teaching content. 

One of the best things is the sheer range of activities, including craft, puzzles, mazes, cross-words, colouring in, dot-to-dot, memory verses, unscramble the words, and others. This makes the activities accessible for a range of children regardless of age and development.

Lesson Planning

While any teaching requires some preparation, The Biggest Story Curriculum lays out the fundamentals of each lesson in an easy-to-follow manner. This makes it an accessible and user-friendly resource for anyone in a teaching position. 

Liberty is given to teachers to decide how long each lesson should be according to the age, time-constraints, and maturity of children. The material also includes daily lesson plans for home-school parents and instructors, Sunday school teachers, and classrooms (see below).

Online Resources

Teachers are encouraged to use either the storybook or the free online videos alongside each week’s content. While only the videos for Pentateuch and History are currently available online, the remaining volumes will be released in the near future. 

Likewise, colouring pages, activity pages, and craft templates are available free online irrespective of whether you own the book. These resources are the same as those included in the activity book.

Additional teaching resources are available, including: a toddler version called The Biggest Story ABC, The Biggest Story Posters, The Biggest Story Verse Cards, and The Biggest Story Tracts.

The Bottom Line

Whether you are a parent, Sunday-school teacher, or teacher at a Christian school, The Biggest Story Curriculum is a resource well-worth your money. It offers Biblically faithful teaching-aids that will help you instruct the next generation in timeless gospel truths. 

(I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review).