In God’s kingdom, everything has teaching value, including the sweet, sometimes sour, gummy worm. This inexpensive candy makes a fantastic teaching aid for many different Bible object lessons. Gummies have a flexible, wormy body that you can shake and stretch while you talk. When the demonstration is through, you’ll have a tasty treat to share. I’ve got three easy object … More Children’s Ministry Resources
The short answer? A hearty yes! But it pays to understand the pros and cons of parent volunteers. No matter what size ministry you operate, you can find a place for a pair of willing hands. Let’s start with the positives, recognize the possible negatives and then move on to how to lead parent volunteers. The Positive Points Kids … More Children’s Ministry Resources
In just a few weeks or months, you’ve detected a subtle shift in kids’ attitudes, a lower-than-usual attendance, a lack of excitement amongst your volunteers. Of course, this kind of ebb and flow can occur naturally in ministry but sometimes a downturn may have a real, substantive cause. Having served in children’s ministry for over fifteen years, I’m certainly not … More Children’s Ministry Resources
When I first began working in Christian ministry fifteen years ago, I had never worked with puppets before. Our small church had a rickety plywood puppet stand and a few worn puppets but honestly, I didn’t really use them. As a matter of fact, I promptly got rid of them and introduced some other ministry tools like a DVD player. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Children rarely hear about the blessings of God outside a Christian household or a church environment, making it a crucial topic that we need to faithfully teach. I believe God loves positive reinforcement, otherwise He would not bless us for our obedience and faith in Him. Kids need to know that yes, there are consequences for doing wrong but doing … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Children love themes and I guess, so do I. A theme is the perfect vehicle for building excitement and gathering both the usual faces and some new ones to your ministry. A pirate theme, while a bit tried, is easy to incorporate, thanks to the local dollar and party stores. I’ve got some cool games, a craft and an activity … More Children’s Ministry Resources
One wise minister once said, “If you don’t put on a program for kids, they will put on one for you.” Those words are so true! From beginning to end, I plan almost every detail of our weekly meeting but I used to fall short with pre-church activities. Many of our children arrive early on one of our vans or … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Clearly hearing God’s voice can save us from some serious missteps in our daily Christian walk. Jesus told his disciples,”My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (NIV) What an encouraging verse, but how can we achieve good spiritual hearing? I like these three object lessons; they demonstrate the most important concepts about … More Children’s Ministry Resources
The offering portion of your VBS should undoubtedly be one of the most exciting times in your children’s program. Giving is essential to Christian ministry; it both blesses the ministry and the people who receive the ministering. Why shouldn’t it be joyful? Here’s what we do for taking up an offering at special kids’ events. I run contests, usually it’s … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It’s that time of year! Time to get into the community and meet new people. This summer, try one of these seven outreaches or use them all and you may experience a surprising increase in attendance. Meet new families or build stronger ties with current ones with these fun summer outreaches. Host a puppet class. This outreach only takes a … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Looking for an inexpensive summer theme for a VBS, kids’ event or Sunday School? You can easily put together a summer Sunday camp with items from around your home. Kids love this playful theme and it works for day and night! If you can get your hands on one, a star projector works great at a “camp in.” Flip off … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Now that you’ve tucked away the crayons and craft components, it’s time to think about the follow up call. Simply hoping your visitors will come back won’t do. Collect those registration cards and call your visitors, but be prepared. It helps to have a script to use, so you’ll remember to touch on all the important points. I like calling … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Here are the traditional pledges for Vacation Bible School. No matter what 2020 VBS Theme you choose, these will help you kick-start your day the right way. This download link above includes four pages: one for each pledge (Bible, Christian Flag, American Flag) and the combined version pictures below. I love the smell of drying glue, melted crayons and cupcakes! … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Telling lies is a temptation we all face, kids and grown-ups. Use this power packed, triple-punch of object lessons to teach kids what God says about lying and how we can resist this universal temptation. Spread the object lessons out over three weeks or use them in one lesson. Salty ice cream: You need a tray of goodies for this … More Children’s Ministry Resources
One Sunday, (not so long ago) I stood in the front of the kids’ church, totally ignored by my kids, despite the fact that lights flashed around me and I held a microphone in my hands. It had been quite a week. I had felt under-the-weather all week and by the time Sunday rolled around, I was ill-prepared for teaching. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
According to the book of James, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) At no time during the year does this call to minister to the fatherless seem so important than Father’s Day. I don’t need to … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Putting together a complicated craft isn’t fun for anyone, kids or teachers. When you teach many children or have some that don’t enjoy crafts as much, select easy crafts for Father’s Day. These tokens of love and appreciation don’t need to be too complicated. Just somewhat sturdy, in case decides to put the gift in his personal treasure box of … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Here come the kids! Are you ready for an exciting service about Father’s Day? Every holiday, I offer my kids a fun crafting opportunity that they can use to gift their families with. Since it’s Dad’s Day, it’s Dad’s turn. We’re currently undergoing some improvements in our facility, and I do like to save money on crafts. Picture frames is … More Children’s Ministry Resources
A thoughtful card is a wonderful way to commemorate special days like Father’s Day. What a great time to teach kids to honor their fathers! Use the verses to show kids that God is their Heavenly Father and that He loves them! If you’ve decided to lead your kids in a Dad’s Day card craft, have some of these original … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Keep little hands busy with these four cool Father’s Day craft ideas. Send crafty gifts home that fathers and grandfathers will be happy to receive. (No ties and socks this year!) You need a few specialty supplies to make these crafts but most are fairly inexpensive. Painted hammers: A nearby 99 cent store had mini-hammers on sale and I grabbed … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Father’s Day is approaching. Are you ready to celebrate our Heavenly Father and earthly Dads? What better way to add to the fun than to offer Father’s Day games to play with your kids. I’ve rounded up four, low-cost games that will help you fill in the gaps of your lesson. “Father, May I?” This game is a retake of … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Teaching kids the Bible is one thing but teaching them to read, understand and use it correctly is another. I’m constantly amazed at how little our children do know about using a Bible and I accept part of the blame. At the first of every year, I teach a series of “classes” that introduces kids that are new to scripture … More Children’s Ministry Resources
No offense to the curriculum professionals but I just love dreaming up and creating crusade ideas from popular culture; however, I am a child evangelist at heart. A few months ago, I began planning our next kids’ crusade; we have several a year. I really wanted to return to an old favorite based on the movie, “The Prince of Egypt” … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Nothing speaks to a child’s playfulness like a bouncing beach ball. Thankfully, these lightweight toys are inexpensive and easy to find. Shopping clearance beach toys every August is a tradition for me and I use every one I find. Besides tossing beach balls around during the praise service, I’ve found some other ways to use these colorful toys. Find yourself … More Children’s Ministry Resources