1. Match The Curriculum To Your Age Groups
Kids learn differently at two and at ten. A good curriculum separates content by developmental stage instead of stretching one lesson across every age.
The Park serves two distinct age groups: Early Childhood (approx. ages 2–Pre-K) and Elementary (approx. Kindergarten–5th grade). For Early Childhood, lessons focus on God’s love, His creation, and foundational stories of Jesus, keeping themes concrete and gentle. In Elementary, lessons begin to introduce more complex narratives and themes of sin, consequence, and redemption, always pointing back to God’s grace.
If you run both rooms, check whether they share a theme. In The Park, Preschool and Elementary have the same themes and verse, so families can talk about one big idea at home.
2. Look At The Lesson Resources You Actually Get
List what your volunteers need each week, then compare it to what's included.
For Early Childhood, The Park includes storybook-style video lessons, crafts, coloring pages, and hands-on sensory activities that reinforce the weekly truth. For Elementary, it includes Bible lesson videos, live teaching guides, and small group materials with discussion questions and activities.
Teaching styles vary, so look for options. With The Park, your team can review videos and teaching resources together and choose the approach that fits their style and classroom.
3. Be Honest About Preparation Time
If your volunteers are putting materials together the night before, the curriculum is costing you more than its price. Ask how early lessons are released and how much setup they need.
New Park curriculum is released two months before it is needed, so leaders have time to plan, schedule volunteers, and prepare rooms. The preschool “one sheet” lesson guide puts all the activities and games in one place.
4. Check That It Can Adapt To Your Church
Every church is different. Look for editable materials, flexible formats, and resources that work with limited volunteers or mixed-age classrooms.
The Park’s live teaching scripts, small group guides, and parent resources come in editable formats like Word or Google Docs. It works for children's church, Sunday school, and other weekly kids ministry settings, and it's built to be low-prep for small churches and church plants.
5. Confirm The Theology And Bible Translation
Make sure the curriculum’s beliefs match your church. The Park holds to historic, orthodox Christian beliefs as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed and is designed for a wide range of evangelical, gospel-centered churches.
It primarily uses the New Living Translation (NLT). Because lesson guides and presentation slides are editable, you can switch to your preferred translation.
6. Decide Between Digital And Physical
The Park is entirely digital. Once you subscribe, you can download all videos, lesson guides, printables, and presentation assets from the online platform. Physical curriculum boxes are not shipped.
See If The Park Fits Your Ministry
Try sample lessons with your team, or subscribe to the Early Childhood & Elementary bundle.