Children's class
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In Bahá'í terms, a children's class is an educational meeting arranged so that children may learn, consider or experience Bahá'í ideas. In the past, these have varied from loose, artistic or games-oriented experiences to organised rote-learning, with many variations in between. Such classes were sometimes planned just for children of Bahá'í families, with "strengthening their Bahá'í identity" as a major aim. Sometimes they were organised in such a way as to attract or include other children, perhaps friends of the Bahá'í participants.
A variation has been the introduction of "virtues classes". The use of the "Virtues Guide" and "Family Virtues Guide" of Linda Kavelin Popov reframed the purpose and direction of Bahá'í-inspired classes, to make moral and character development among the prime aims. The Virtues Project has introduced other items designed to assist in this process, such as Virtues cards.
In the early part of the twenty-first century, the phrase "children's class" has come to mean classes based on the pattern provided in the Ruhi books, notably Book 3 of the main series. These classes are in the process of further development, in that the original Book 5 of the series, "Teaching Children's Classes, Grade 2", has now been renumbered as 3A, and further materials are available in pre-publication form.
In Book 3, there is consideration of the purpose and nature of a children's class, the attitudes and skills necessary on the part of of the teacher(s), and sample lessons, which can be followed with some confidence! These lessons include elements of Bahá'í teaching, Bahá'í history and the inculcation of morals. A lesson might include learning songs relevant to the lesson of that week, a story told to illustrate the point being made, a co-operative game to reinforce the point, and a colouring activity. The Universal House of Justice has made it quite clear that these classes are to be "open to all", and should ideally be organised on a neighbourhood or village basis.
Such children's classes are viewed as one of the core activities of the current series of plans. By this means, the Bahá'ís should gradually become a major force in the local direction of the organic development of each community, leading towards greater community cohesion. As part of this coherence, it is understood that individual children who have attended these children's classes up until the age of about eleven years, can then form part of a Junior Youth Group, which in some respects differs in style and organisation from the children's class.
Within a Cluster, there may be a Co-ordinator for all of the children's classes, who may be responsible for the training and encouragement of the teachers.
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