What?

What if I have a small group of children?

• The lessons include a range of activities for groups of different sizes and have activities and suggestions that will be suitable for those even with a small group of children.
• You can use most of the material (sometimes with a little tweaking) with even one child.
• You have the freedom to be creative and flexible with what is provided so that it fits your group or the environment you have available.

What passport is the best for a specific child? What passport level does a child need to start on?

• The passports have been created to not be age specific; they are focused more on the child’s experience of spiritual disciplines and where they are on their faith journey with Jesus.
• For most children, the best place for a child to begin is at the start, however, this is at your discretion. Spending time with the passports and learning and practicing spiritual disciplines helps a child to grow these disciplines as part of the natural rhythm of their everyday life, rather than just doing the exercises to be able to tick a box.
• If you have start a child on a level and then decide they should possibly be on the level above, it would be good to let them work through the lower level first to help develop that area of spiritual discipline in a deeper way.
• If you need further help with making this decision, it would be great for you to chat with your divisional children’s representative.
• You can refer to the notes about the passports provided on the website for leaders.

What happens if an older child starts Junior Soldiers? What passport do they start with?

• As mentioned in the previous question, the passports are not age specific.
• It is important to spend time with the child, looking at the sections in the first passport and asking some questions that will help you to get a feel for where they are on their spiritual journey.
• If you have start a child on a level and then decide they should possibly be on the level above, it would be good to let them work through the lower level first to help develop that area of spiritual discipline in a deeper way.
• If you need further help with making this decision, it would be great for you to chat with your divisional children’s representative.
• You can refer to the notes about the passports provided on the website for leaders.

What happens if I run out of time? (Do I need to do everything included in the lesson?)

• The lessons are full of lots of great options for you to choose from. You do not need to do all that is provided in each lesson (otherwise you might be there all day!). Choose an activity that will suit your group from the suggestions in each of the sections, consider the time you have available, the environment you are working in etc.
• If your time is limited, make sure that you at least do the ‘Main Thing’ section—the crux of the lesson; this will include the key theme that you want the children to explore.

What does a young person need to do before they get enrolled?

• They should have worked through the preparation material so that they understand what a Junior Soldier is, what it means to be a follower of Jesus, what it means to be a part of The Salvation Army and what is included in the Junior Soldier promise.
• They should have made a decision to follow Jesus and commit to the Junior Soldier promise.
• They should have made a decision to be a part of a Salvation Army faith community.

What do I do when I have finished all twelve units of lessons?

• The Junior Soldier lessons are all provided on the website; you will find the lessons divided into 12 units, or you can also access them in topics/themes if you are looking for something specific.
• If you have been through and finished all the twelve units, go back and start again! Young people will benefit from repeating the lessons at a different stage in their intellectual, emotional and spiritual development.
• As you go through the material, keep a list of what you have done. Go back and do the lessons you have missed to make sure the children get a rounded coverage of all key topics.
• There may have been options that you didn’t use the last time around or you may have some ideas to add in for activities that will support the material and add some variety to the lesson.
• The lessons on the website will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, so there may be things that are added or altered that are new in the lessons since you saw them last time.