Want a fun way to reinforce a Bible lesson that requires little preparation and all kids love? Keep Yes/No sticks on hand for every Bible lesson. Either during the story or at the end of small group time, pass out sticks so that each child has a yes for one hand and a no for the other. Pose questions to the group that can be answered with either a yes or no response: “Did Eve eat a banana in the
Knowing where to begin is half the battle when starting any new ministry or program. Use this list as a guideline when walking your church through a special needs inclusion initiative. This checklist was a handout provided in a workshop led by Amy Fenton Lee at the recent Children’s Ministry Expo in Lexington, KY. Amy provides links to related articles on her own blog, The Inclusive Church Blog, as well as other helpful websites. You can also download
The success of a church’s VBS often hinges on the help of teens from the church’s student ministry. Middle-school and high-school-aged youth can bring enthusiasm and valued assistance to an over-packed class of energetic children. But without screening or training, teens can unintentionally add to the chaos. Setting expectations and outlining seemingly common sense pointers for youth helpers may be the best investment a church makes for the experience of participating children at Vacation Bible School. This article will
Conducting exit interviews and issuing each child an “exit ticket” at the end of a ministry period is a great exercise for reinforcing Bible lessons and communicating with parents. Dr. Alyssa Barnes, an education faculty member at North Georgia College & State University, gave me the idea for creating daily exit tickets inside a children’s ministry setting. Barnes explained that by doing brief one-on-one interviews at the conclusion of small groups or VBS. “Children leave with a
This guest post is from Amy Fenton Lee of the Inclusive Church blog. Many churches are working to better include children with special needs. Whether or not a church has taken steps to welcome children with learning differences or disabilities, parents can proactively prepare the children’s ministry team for their child’s successful inclusion. #1 Contact the church in advance When planning a first-time visit to a particular church, contact the corresponding ministry director at the church (preschool, elementary
Five Ways to Make ANY Curriculum More Inclusive Including a child with special needs can present challenges inside a church’s programming. However, by planning ahead and incorporating easy changes into the existing curriculum’s lesson plan, the classroom setting can better include the child with cognitive or physical challenges. The key to making effective adaptations is in understanding the participating students’ strengths and weaknesses. Knowing the children’s ability levels is the starting point for making any curriculum changes. This is a guest post
