It’s almost inevitable. If you’ve spent any time with toddlers and preschoolers, you’ll get to diffuse a temper tantrum. I suppose you can view it as one of the perks of the business… responding creatively to little challenges who may or may not be thrashing on the floor. Though tantrums typically peak around 2 or 3 years of age, preschoolers … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Does your church welcome children with special needs? That is a question that many kids ministry leaders should be asking. It’s also the topic of our very first podcast. It took a little more work than I expected, but the end result is a very helpful conversation about welcoming special needs children into your church. The guest for this podcast … More Children’s Ministry Resources
A few years back I stumbled across a blog called “Children’s Ministry and Culture.” It covered the important news and cultural trends that influence children’s ministry. The main writer behind that effort was Larry Shallenberger. I’ve never met him, but I expect I will one day. A few weeks back, Larry announced his ministry role was transitioning away from children’s ministry. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
You’ll love these clean church jokes I found in my email. I’m sure they’ve been floating around the Internet for a while, but several were new to me. I’m not always a fan of Christian jokes or church humor, but these made me smile. I’m posting them just in case you need a little laugh this morning. Click here for … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Try this powerful video to help the children (or adults) in your church connect with the story of the prodigal son. It’s based on a song by Soverign Grace Music. This video would be a strong addition to any Prodigal Son Bible lesson. It tells the story in a modern context, using a female character to make the point of … More Children’s Ministry Resources
One of the skills children’s pastors acquire over the years is the ability to turn any ordinary household item into a passion filled awe inspiring object lesson. I am a huge fan of using objects to teach truth to kids. I believe every time you stand in front of kids you should have some object that helps take an idea … More Children’s Ministry Resources
If you want kids to show up for your children’s ministry with excitement, rather than seeing them pushed down the sidewalk to your room, you will have to keep it interesting. No matter how much your kids love you (and they do) they get bored with sitting and learning in the same old surroundings. As the weather changes it becomes … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Use the download button above to get both (girl & boy version) in one printable PDF document. These printable Halloween coloring pages will remind children that God can overcome their fears. We wanted to create new material that featured a biblical rebuke to fear, such as Isaiah 43:5 that would help kids overcome fear. Christian Halloween Coloring Pages Directions: To download … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Traditional Sunday School has fallen on hard times. Some churches are changing focus, while others are just losing out to pillow time. Whatever the reasons, low attendance is a big discouragement to Sunday School teachers. Maybe you’ve seen this first hand. You work hard to prepare a relevant, kid friendly, biblical faithful lesson. You arrive early to set up the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This lesson is based on Jonah’s response to God’s mercy to the Ninevites from Jonah 4. Jonah had experienced God’s mercy and was given a second chance in his life. Jonah was unmerciful in his response to God’s compassion and mercy to the repentant Ninevites. The lesson uses Matthew 18:21-35 to bring in a New Testament Scripture as a parallel … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This is an object lesson to demonstrate how our hearts cannot be fully trusting the Lord and be full of worry at the same time. At the close of this article you will find a list of Bible passages which could be the focus of the lesson to be taught alongside this object lesson. Materials needed: Cooking Oil Water 3 … More Children’s Ministry Resources
What follows is a bulletin insert I created for my church. I wanted to write out some benefits of Sunday School attendance as an encouragement for families. I kept the list simple so it would print on a half sheet of paper. Directions: Simply click on the preview image to download this file as a printer friendly PDF. I’ve also … More Children’s Ministry Resources
At my church, we use a variety of Bible Translations. But I am constantly getting emails from readers who need Sunday School Lesson only in the KJV. One easy solution is to edit our free lessons and simply use the King James Version. Most of the content would only require an easy change of wording and you can have hundreds … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This is the index page for a new series of preschool Bible lessons that teaches them to know Jesus. Each lesson is based on a passage from Mark’s Gospel. This curriculum is designed to help younger children understand who Jesus is and grow in their relationship with him. These lessons from Kara Jenkins and will be posted throughout the winter of … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This post is a playful way to make a point. I wrote it as an open letter to all pastors on behalf of all kids ministry leaders. It is inspired by true events and stories I’ve heard from the world of kids ministry. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dear Pastor, We need … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Our church is wrapping up it’s fifth season of Upward Soccer. It’s become a fixture on our calendar and I can’t imagine not doing it. But like any outreach program, it needs annual evaluation. We broke all the rules when we first launched our first season. I was still in my first year at the church and we were without … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Have you ever taught children what the Bible says about the value of work? Then you might enjoy this simple lesson plan that explains why our jobs matter to God. Children need to understand that working hard glorifies God. Work is one way we love our neighbors and fulfill our purpose in life. These truths are relevant in all of life. I … More Children’s Ministry Resources
How does a legendary pastor hand over his ministry to someone else? What are the secrets that saved his church from self destruction during the transition? How can this story help your kids ministry now and in the future? Keep reading to find out. Transition Plan, by Bob Russell and Bryan Bucher, is a very short, very succinct story of … More Children’s Ministry Resources
As someone who has four kids and works in children’s ministry, there is one thing I have found to be true of (most) all kids – they ask questions! Many times they ask lots and lots and lots of questions. Sometimes they ask questions that we don’t know the answer to. In a children’s ministry setting, or as a parent, … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This is the sixth lesson plan in our series for preschoolers about knowing God. Each lesson is based on a passage from Isaiah 40 and will help younger children grow in their knowledge and love for God. Be sure to read the series introduction for teaching tips and explanation of the lesson format. This lesson is targeted for older preschool … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Stripped Clean, by Jeff Storm, is a devotional created for ages 13 and up. The back cover reads,” Take a guilt-free, life changing look at what you have… what it means… and discover how to tread lightly in the world as the steward Jesus calls you to be. Oh, yeah: and don’t get too attached to this book. As you … More Children’s Ministry Resources
In my last article (posted quite a bit ago), I presented the biblical or theological imperatives for intergenerational (IG) ministry. This article will begin to cover the practical imperatives for IG ministry. The practical imperatives include uniting the fragmented family, embracing the scriptural role of the biological family as well as the family of faith, promoting the unity of the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
The links above have all three sheets pictured. These original Armor of God coloring pages are based on Ephesians 6:10-18. They were created by Mandy Groce, please leave a comment to encourage her ministry. Directions: To use these printable Armor of God coloring pages in your ministry, school, or home – simply click above download as a printer friendly PDF file. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This lesson is taken from Jonah 3 where Jonah obeys God and is given a second chance to go to Nineveh. As Jonah obeys God the people of Nineveh believe God’s message and repent. This lesson shows the importance of believers obeying God’s command to go into the world and preach the Good News and leave the results up to … More Children’s Ministry Resources