I am about to be very transparent here, learning how to manage people kindly and thoughtfully didn’t come easily for me. I have been blessed to work with some wonderful people but working with me, a creative, sometimes unorganized children’s pastor hasn’t always been easy. We’d show up to teach and realize I didn’t delegate a craft properly, or forgot to mention we needed a snack this week. I’m sure God has a special crown laid up
Kids that aren’t freaked out about candy that pops in their mouth will love Pop Rocks candy. If you have the change to grab a few packets of this unique, classic confection, do it! It makes the perfect item for an exciting object lesson. You see, when this candy is made, it is infused with carbon dioxide. When the candy cools, the carbon is trapped inside. However, once you pop it in your mouth, the candy begins
Teaching kids about the kingdom of heaven? Present object lessons based on this passage from Matthew 13:44-46. The simplicity of Jesus’ parables will make it easy for kids to understand and apply to their own lives. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is
The following lesson is from a Proverbs series our entire church is studying. The lesson was used for a small group of children ranging from 6-10. The children discover that we can have an attitude of generous giving when we remember that God has given us everything. Bible Story Title: Proverbs-God gives us everything Scripture: Proverbs 11:24-25; Proverbs 10:22 and other selected Scripture passages Target Age Group: Ages 5-11 (K-5th Grade U.S.A.) Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes
This 4 page set of activity sheets about Noah’s Ark was shared with our readers by Jason from Bible Story Cartoons.His website sells Bible activity sheets that can be downloaded for children’s ministry or Sunday School. He sent this free samples to post on our website for our readers. Click on the preview image to download these free Noah and the Ark printables. Included in the download are four individual worksheets: Noah’s Ark Word Find, Story Review
Even young kids know how sweet and lovely a rose is! The bible describes the Lord as rose in the Song of Solomon, “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” (Song of Solomon 2:1) This object lesson allows you kids to see and smell the “beauty of the Lord.” By demonstrating with a rose object lesson, you will teach children the beauty of Jesus and His holiness. It’s the ideal lesson for
This free coloring sheet and activity page was sent in by Matt from ArtistXero Creations. His website sells digital coloring sheet download, but he wanted to share a sample here for our readers. Click on the image to the right to download this free PDF of “A is for Adam.” We hope you enjoy this resource. If you want more, you can buy the whole set on his website. Besides the ABCs of the Bible series, he
Congratulations, new children’s pastor! The local church needs you and decided that you were the perfect match for their kids. Before you take the reins and hold your first service, make sure you do these six things. It is important to assess the current status of the ministry before you plan your next kids’ crusade or event; this checklist will help! By laying a solid foundation or shoring up an existing one, you’ll build something that lasts
The flowers are popping with color and these perky blooms make the perfect object lesson. Before class, tip toe through the tulips in your backyard (pun intended) or stop by a grocery store for an inexpensive bouquet. Object lessons with flowers allow kids to “smell” and “see” the Bible come to life. Have enough flowers to send a bloom home with each child at the end of class. What a great take home gift! The Sweet, Fragrant
This free coloring page is based on the book of Zephaniah. It’s one part of our series of illustrations for each individual book of the Bible. Click here to download the print friendly PDF version. We’ve also uploaded the image in JPEG format. The illustration shows two children and the Bible quote, “He will sing and be joyful over you.” We will add a series index one we have several books online. For now you can follow our
As a busy children’s pastor, I know how time can escape you when preparing for a lesson. I can always use some fresh ideas for class, especially activities. If you need some Bible activities, try the Build a Sentence game. All you need is the printed list of sentences and kids will need their Bibles. I created these games using the NIV but you could very easily use the KJV with a little extra work. Don’t miss
Depending on Bible college or seminary to prepare you for a children’s pastor role? Well, you might be in for a shock! As an eighteen-year veteran in children’s ministry, I can tell you that there are some surprise requirements to serving in this field. Luckily, most of them you probably already have within you, all you need is to tap into being a kid again. 1. You must have a sense of humor. If laughing at yourself
The following lesson was used with a small group of students ranging from 1st Grade to 4th. The lesson coincided with the sermon series taught from Proverbs at our church. The wisdom of this Bible book is much needed by children today. Bible Passage: Proverbs 1:1-5; 2 Chronicles 1:7-12 Bible Story Title: Proverbs-Wisdom is applying God’s Truth Target Age Group: Ages 5-11 (K-5th Grade U.S.A.) Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes Original Teaching Context: Sunday School Supply List: Bibles, 3 pronged folders,
We all know that God is a miracle-working God but have you ever paused to wonder why He performed so many miracles? I think one of the reasons why God would cause the sun to go backward or bring the walls of Jericho down is to show His people that nothing is impossible–if He is in the equation. As children’s pastors, we must teach kids about His miracles so they can see what He has already done
The story of Creation is a familiar story that many churches do over and over. This is good, except, we may run out of things to do with the story. Singing is always a great activity for children. It gets them directly involved, moving, and thinking about what they are singing. This is what the “7 Days of Creation” song is for. I was thinking of Christmas and the song, “The 12 Days of Christmas”, popped in
This free coloring page is based on the book of Habakkuk. It’s one part of our series of illustrations for each individual book of the Bible. Click here to download the print friendly PDF version. We’ve also uploaded the image in JPEG format. The illustration shows deer on a hillside. The Bible quote from reads, “He makes me sure footed as a deer.” We will add a series index one we have several books online. For now you
Yeah! It’s that time again–back to school. With all the uncertainty in the world, it’s easy to see why parents would be a little fearful about sending them to school. As children’s ministers we have the opportunity to help parents send their children back to school safely. Feel free to share these practical tips in your weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter or on the church Facebook page. Build stronger ties with families by providing them with the tools
Memorizing Scripture is an incredible activity for children to learn and to practice. Learning the Word of God and hiding it in your heart (Psalm 119:11) will truly help our children in the future. Knowing the Word will help it come to mind when they’re in a difficult situation and need help getting through it. Since I homeschool, I need to have my children work on their handwriting. They also work on Bible verses each week. I
You can download this free printable by clicking on the preview image above. Color squares in a grid to discover the hidden Bible verse – “Obey your parents.” This is part of a series called Bible Puzzle with a variety of different puzzles. Besides pencils, some need Bibles, crayons, and/or scissors and glue. Some are easier or harder than others. This would be a perfect worksheet with our full lesson plan about children obeying parents and the
I believe in object lessons! Especially visual lessons that involve food, like pizza. If you want to grab kids’ attention and teach them a valuable lesson about learning the Bible, try this pizza object lesson. It is a good idea to have some pizza on hand for snacking later, after the teaching. Supplies you’ll need: Pizza recipe on an index card Pizza crust Pizza pan Jar of sauce Shredded cheese Pepperoni Optional: Chef’s hat Fake mustache Apron
Small, sweet and colorful, this eye-catching candy can’t help but attract attention. Bring a bag of jellybeans to kids’ church or Sunday School as a visual aid for a special bible lesson. Once you have completed the demonstration, dole them out and share the candies with the class. (Have a bag of sugar-free candies available for diabetic or sugar-sensitive kids and adults.) Ready to teach a jellybean object lesson? God’s Words Are Sweet “How sweet are your
Are your kids “tweeting”? If so, then you can put their Twitter knowledge to use in a fun teaching situation. Even if they don’t know how to tweet yet, this micro-blogging, social networking site is great inspiration for Twitter-inspired games for kids ministry. How would the gospel look if it were tweeted to the followers of Christ? Ask yourself that question and then present these two cool game ideas to your children. (Twitter birds make safe, familiar
The following lesson was adapted for a small group of children age 5-10. The students discover that Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and blameless before God in a time that God had been silent for 400 years. Believers can trust God to keep all His promises and obey Him as they wait for His promises to be fulfilled. Bible Passage: Luke 1:5-25, See also Malachi 3:1-4 Bible Story Title: John the Baptist’s birth is predicted Target Age
Click on the preview image to download this free worksheet for kids based on the Fruit of the Spirit. Page one of the download is the handout, page two is an answer key for leaders. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 Have you been studying the fruit of the spirit in your class and you looking for an activity
