One of the classic “tricks” to Junior Bible Quiz is balancing the goal of each child learning as much as he/she can while also being competitive at the quiz meets. I’m a firm believer that these two tasks go hand in hand. 

The competition, though not the goal, is definitely a huge motivating factor for many of the students. With that being said, however, success at a quiz meet does not always equate to biblical knowledge.

Each year at our local church, we attempt to find creative strategies to walk this fine line. We’ve done the stickers, JBQ store, end-of-year parties, attendance rewards, and more—all with varying degrees of success. With the upcoming 2016-17 season, we met to discuss what this year’s new-and-improved system would be. We didn’t need to look any further than JBQ’s national campaign, “Conquer the Cards.”  The result was a two-faceted JBQ program—one part to motivate all kids to learn the Bible Fact-Pak and another to help motivate those who wished to attend the quiz meets. Here’s what we did:

1. Wall of Cards: We made a mountain out of JBQ Bible Fact Pack cards on one wall with a banner above that says, “Can You Conquer the Cards?” Throughout the year, our students can move up the mountain based on their “success” in learning the JBQ Cards. This system is completely driven by our Sunday morning classes and is separate from any success or lack of success that a child has at our monthly quiz meets.

    

2. Question Breakdown: The JBQ cards hold A LOT of information. This can be overwhelming for kids and daunting for parents. To assist them in their memory retention, we assign students to a specific set of questions. The goal is that over the course of a handful of years, they will learn all the questions. Our students are then tested on the questions they are expected to learn based on their age and their years of experience. Common breakdowns are “odd/even questions,” “20-point questions only,” or “30-point quotation questions.”

    

3. Lanyards: Through My Healthy Church, we purchased “Conquer the Cards” JBQ lanyards for each of our students. These lanyards hang on our wall for all to see (a sense of pride for our quizzers and their parents) and also work as name badges at the monthly quiz meets. As bonus motivators, we hand out pins for students to place on their lanyards for different achievements they reach throughout the year. Examples of these would be: knowing all 10 Commandments, getting a quiz-out at a quiz meet, buzzing in, listing the books of the Bible, and more.

Conquering the JBQ cards isn’t the answer to life, but the words on those cards give our kids the truth they need. As ministry leaders, we must not fail in teaching God’s Word to the next generation.

For more information on JBQ, check out kidmin.ag.org or connect with your district leader and get involved in this phenomenal ministry.