Lesson plans are used by teachers of Baha’i children’s classes to give structure to each lesson. Individual lesson plans generally have a particular theme or central idea, and include a number of different activities, such as memorization, songs, stories, arts, crafts, and drama, which build on that theme. Prayers and readings from the Baha’i writings may be given for children to read, as well as for the teacher’s own reference. Some lesson plans, especially those intended for younger children, may focus on virtues or spiritual qualities. Others may focus more on specific elements of good conduct, or on episodes of Baha’i history.
Lesson plans may be developed by individual teachers themselves, or they may be developed by others. Popular sources for lesson plans include the curricula developed by the Ruhi Institute, the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States (Core Curriculum), and Mr. Ali-Akbar Furutan (Baha’i Education for Children), and others. The lesson plans published on baha’i children’s classes are largely inspired by these, with various adaptations.
baha’i history & holidays
ayyám-i-há
Ayyám-i-Há (The “Days of Há”, also known as the Intercalary Days) is a festival celebrated between the 18th and 19th months of the Bahá’í calendar, from February 26 to March 1 of every year. During Ayyám-i-Há, Bahá’ís show hospitality and … Continue reading
'abdu'l-bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá is a very special person: He is the Centre of Bahá’u'lláh’s Covenant, the unerring Interpreter of His Writings, and the Perfect Exemplar of His Teachings. Continue reading
family (9th day of ridván)
Baha’u'lláh teaches us to honour our parents and show forth kindliness and charity towards them. Families are stronger when they are united. Continue reading
naw-ruz
Naw-rúz is a celebration of the Bahá’í New Year. Naw-rúz is the end of the month of fasting and the first day of the month of Bahá (Splendour). Continue reading
ridván, the king of festivals
The Festival of Ridván is one of the most important festivals for Bahá’ís; it celebrates Bahá’u'lláh’s declaration to be the Manifestation of God for this age. Continue reading
the universal house of justice
The Universal House of Justice was formed after the passing of Shoghi Effendi to protect and to serve as the head of the Bahá’í Faith. Continue reading
the guardian, shoghi effendi
Shoghi Effendi was the grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, who appointed him as the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith in His Will and Testament. Continue reading
the twin holy birthdays
The Twin Holy Birthdays refer to the Birthdays of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, Who are known as the “Twin Manifestations of God”. This important festival celebrates the birth of not one, but two Manifestations of God sent to usher in … Continue reading
the day of the covenant
‘Abdu’l-Bahá wanted Bahá’ís around the world to learn about Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant, so He chose a day for us to reflect and learn about it: the Day of the Covenant. On this day, we give thanks and praise to God for the … Continue reading
behaviour & conduct
allah'u'abha
“Allah’u'abhá” means “God is most glorious”. Bahá’ís use it as a way of greeting each other. Greeting each other helps each of us feel welcome. Continue reading
avoiding gossip and backbiting
The Baha’i teachings condemn all forms of gossip and backbiting. We need to avoid gossip and backbiting at all costs. Continue reading
resolving conflicts
In this day, Bahá’u'lláh exhorts all men and women to live together as one people, united and in accord, even as one soul. Continue reading
not hurting people's feelings
We should not do anything that will cause someone’s heart to be unhappy. Continue reading
obedience
We follow God’s commandments out of our love for Him. When we love someone, we do what they ask so that they may be happy. Continue reading
obtaining permission
Baha’u'llah teaches us never to enter a person’s home, or lay hands on his or her belongings, without that person’s permission. Continue reading
seeing a doctor when ill
Baha’u'llah teaches us that when we are sick, we must seek the advice of competent physicians. Prayers are important for healing, but are not sufficient. Continue reading
"for the love of my beauty"
God, in His never-ending love for us, has given us laws and teachings to live by. These laws and teachings are like lamps that light our way and help us see how He wants us to live. As we obey … Continue reading
cooperation and reciprocity
Some things in this world can live alone, and some cannot. A tree, for example, can live and grow on its own without depending on other trees. Human beings, on the other hand, need to help and cooperate with each … Continue reading
consultation
Each of us has our own unique perspective and understanding of things. Sometimes, we disagree with someone else’s perspective, or we understand the truth of a situation differently. More often than not, each of us is partly correct. Bahá’í consultation is a way for us to explore … Continue reading
consultation brings unity
When we come together in consultation, we are able to see the whole world around us more clearly, and understand it more deeply, than we would be able to do on our own. We see the unity of God’s creation … Continue reading
keeping one's home clean
Cleanliness is an important part of Baha’i life. Apart from keeping our bodies and clothes clean, we must also keep our homes clean as well. Prayers/readings for study Be ye the very essence of cleanliness amongst mankind. (Baha’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas) … Continue reading
virtues & spiritual qualities
cleanliness
Cleanliness is an important part of Baha’i life. One thing we must do to keep clean is to wash our hands, face and feet every day. Continue reading
justice
God loves justice. Justice means that we must respect the rights of every human being and make sure we do not take away from anyone what they deserve. Continue reading
kindness to animals
Because animals do not have the power of speech and cannot complain when they are mistreated, we must treat them with even more consideration than people. Continue reading
kindness to the poor
Bahá’u'lláh tells us to care for the poor. To do this, we can look to the example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who served and took care of the poor all His life. Continue reading
love
Our love should be like the rays of the sun: we should love everyone, even those who mistreat us. Continue reading
preferring others before oneself
God wants each and every one of us to be happy. We must always look for ways to serve others and to bring them happiness and joy. Continue reading
service
The best way to attain nearness to God is to serve Him; we can do this by serving humanity.
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truthfulness
Truthfulness is a law that Bahá’u'lláh has established that the world may be united. We should tell the truth at all times, even if it is difficult.
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humility
A person who is humble before God realizes the greatness of God and his own smallness. He gives himself up entirely to God’s Will. Continue reading
courage
To have courage is to stand up for what is right, to defend those who need our help, to face new situations and do things that others before us have never done. prayers/readings for study The source of courage and … Continue reading
pure, kindly, and radiant hearts
God’s first counsel for us is to have a pure, kindly, and radiant heart. We can think of our hearts like mirrors that reflect the attributes and qualities of God, just like a regular mirror reflects the light of the … Continue reading
generosity
God gives us many gifts, and looks after all of us, providing us with what we need. Just like God is generous with us, He wants us to be generous with others, and to give of what we have to … Continue reading
other topics
nature, god's creation
Nature is the embodiment of God's Name, the Maker, the Creator. We must always show respect for the earth and for all that God has created. Continue reading
oneness of religion
All the major religions come from the same divine source. Bahá’u'lláh urges us to consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. Continue reading
prayer, a loving conversation with god
‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that prayer is a loving conversation with God. When we love someone, we want to spend time with them, converse with them, and tell them of our love. Even though God knows what’s in our hearts, we … Continue reading
prayer, spiritual nourishment
God is All-Knowing and All-Seeing, and knows what we want. We pray not for God’s sake, but because praying nourishes our souls. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that prayer brings life to our souls. Just like we must eat each day, we converse … Continue reading
the fortress of god's love
God created humanity out of His love for us. Every day we are nurtured and protected by His love; without it we would be lost. God’s love is like a strong and mighty fortress, or stronghold, that keeps us safe … Continue reading
how do we pray?
When we pray, we must first remember that we are in the presence of God, the Almighty, and to be humble and reverent before Him. Before we begin praying, we must take time to clear our minds of the things … Continue reading
knowing god
Day by day, we make effort to obey the commandments of God and to show forth good qualities in our actions, such as love, compassion, generosity, justice and humility. We pray to God and ask Him to guide us, and … Continue reading
god is our true friend
We are never alone in this world. Throughout our life, we are surrounded by parents, family, friends, classmates, teachers, neighbours, and more. God is with us, too, throughout our entire life; he loves us and cares for us, provides for … Continue reading
earth day: caring for the earth
Humanity is one family, living in one common homeland, the planet Earth. The Earth does not belong to any one person, nor to one particular group of people. It is part of God’s creation, and we must all care for it … Continue reading