When organizing a gospel centered children’s ministry, one area that often gets overlooked is the nursery. In the nursery its all too easy to get caught up in the needs of the morning – who’s crying, who needs to be fed, who’s diaper needs changing, etc. These are all crucial tasks, but sometimes in the midst of all the need meeting, we forget the biggest need – we forget the hearts of the babies and our own
God’s Word has is full of assurances that He will provide for us! He fills of our needs from physical to spiritual to emotional. That’s the truth! Although our Heavenly Father is aware of what needs we face and will face but He wants us to bring those needs to Him. What would happen if we taught our kids to begin communicating with God about their needs before they became adults? We’d probably see a lot less
I remember being in my parents’ Sunday School class growing up and they would have us “practice” using our Bibles. They said “practice”, but there was no practice about it. We were digging into our Bibles and using them. It was a great lesson in using our Bibles. We teach children to read their Bible and use their Bible as a “How to” do life book, but we don’t always teach them how to use it. This
Get the combined set of all 66 Books of the Bible coloring book for only $10 from the Sunday School Store. This both saves you time AND supports the artists who created these beautiful coloring sheets. The collage above was adapted from our free Old Testament coloring pages. Y These coloring page illustrations are part of our larger series where Mandy Groce has created an individual sheet for each of the Bible books. You can also click here to
This lesson emphasizes placing our hope and peace in what is far beyond ourselves…God has put a sense of “eternity in our hearts,” yet we often drown that out with our busy-ness and noise. Using inspiration from books and stories, children will be stirred to recall that they are made for more than just earthly delight. Note: This lesson can be expanded into a series or collection following stories and parables, if desired. Also, see addendum for
This free Bible lesson is based on John 1:6-8, 19-28 where John the Baptist is questioned about his identity and purpose. It is designed for children’s church or Sunday School. Please modify as best fits your ministry. If your church follows the Revised Common Lectionary, this teaching plan would correspond to Year B – 3rd Sunday in Advent, Gospel Reading – John 1:6-8, 19-28. Opening Activity – Who Are You? – Who am I? Supplies – index cards, dark marker, tape On
Thanksgiving is coming and I always like to have my kids look up Bible verses that have to do with being thankful. So I decided to do something a little different this year. I have found 42 verses (I know there are a lot more) from the Bible for them. I am going to put the reference on an index card. I am then going to put the kids in groups and give each group some index
God’s Word has a lot to say about gratitude and being thankful. Here are our top 10 Thanksgiving Bible Verses to inspire you and your family this November. Don’t miss our longer list of 42 Thankful Bible Verses. Top 10 Thanksgiving Bible Verses Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Bible Verse from 1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the
Download these free Word Search Puzzles to help children learn the Books of the Bible. Each of these printable seek & find style worksheets displays a group of Bible books. All the downloads have answer keys too. All files below are in PDF format. The first option includes all five puzzles in one download. Use these worksheets in your children’s Sunday School when you have extra time and need an easy review activity. Download Links Below All 5
This lesson is another in a series from Proverbs that our entire church is doing. The lesson was prepared for a small group of students ranging from age 5-10. This lesson focuses on how the path of pride leads to destruction and the path of humility leads to wisdom. Bible Passage: Proverbs 11:2, 16:18, 29:23, Daniel 4 Bible Story Title: Proverbs-Two Paths: Pride & Humility Target Age Group: Ages 5-11 (3rd-5th Grade U.S.A.) Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes Original
Do you like dressing up as a character when you teach? I do! Sometimes showing up for class in a costume really gets kids excited about learning. Add in a few Christian object lessons and you’ve really got a fun idea. One of the easiest characters to dress up as is a chef. Grab the kitchen utensils, an apron and a hat and you have all you need to teach kids a valuable Christian object lesson. Christian
This lesson uses inquiry to help middle schoolers find the meaning of thankfulness. Many of the Old Testament heroes faced difficult challenges in their lives, such as Daniel’s captivity in a den of lions. We know that God protected Daniel and brought him out of the den safely. We will focus on the aspect of the story where Daniel thanks God. He thanks God before he enters the den and continues to thank God until the end.
This free Bible lesson is part 5 of 10 in our Lord’s Prayer study. Children will learn to pray for God’s Kingdom to spread here on Earth. Click here to browse all the lessons in this teaching series. You can share your teaching tips and suggestions for other readers by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page. Main idea: God’s kingdom is where we go if we love God and follow him. Teacher preparation: Read Scripture references,
So you arrive at church and the Children’s Minister asks you to teach a class for a teacher who got sick just this morning. No problem, right? Just follow the lesson that they had prepared and it’ll be smooth sailing. Wait! If the teacher is home sick, then, most likely, the lesson is home with them. Ok, you can do this. Just breathe. Here are the basics of a lesson so that you can get through the
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 reading how to navigate the Bible. As someone once said, “You can feed a hungry person fish
This lesson from Esther focuses on how God rewards (or repays) each person according to their conduct. Students will discover from Esther 5-7 that in God’s time He rewards the righteous for their faithfulness to Him and He punishes those who are wicked. The lesson was created for older elementary students and can be adapted to the needs of your ministry. Learning Goal: Students will learn all our actions have consequences and God rewards each person according
Use this free preschool Bible lesson to teach younger children about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. This story shows how God can rescue those who trust in Him. We welcome you suggestions in the the comment section to help improve this lesson. Feel free to share your own ideas to help other readers. Bible Text: Daniel 3:1,4-6,8-14,16-17,19-28 Learning Objectives: After this lesson, the children will demonstrate an understanding of the story by acting it out. Target Age: 2 year
This free lesson plan is based on Daniel chapter 3. It recounts the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and how God saved them from the fiery furnace. Please leave a comment below to offer your ideas & suggestions for improving this outline. You can also find a simple craft idea for this passage on the related preschool lesson. Learning Objectives: After this lesson, the children will demonstrate an understanding of the story by telling the story to a
This continues a series of the study of Esther. In this lesson the students will discover that we all have the power to influence others. Either we will influence people positively or negatively. A believer who walks daily with Jesus by reading God’s Word, praying and obeying will make be a positive influence in the lives of others. This lesson was prepared for older students but can be adapted for the needs of your ministry. Bible Passage:
Week after week, you plan a brilliant hour (or two) of kids’ ministry then hope and pray that they get it. You go home covered in glitter and abandoned artwork and pass out while you pray for your kids. It is so easy for the kid’s pastor to get stuck in a rut. All you need Lord, (you pray) is just one breakthrough, one sign to show that your kids truly understand that God loves them. Sometimes
The following lesson is the second in the series of Esther. This lesson focuses on how Esther won the favor of everyone she was around. Student will discover that God gives His favor to those who live a blameless life. The format for the lesson is mostly teaching verse by verse and allowing students to examine what the Scriptures say as the teacher asks them questions that pertain to what was just read. The lesson was prepared
asdIsn’t it amazing how captivated kids are by balloons? Offer kids a bag of candy or a balloon and nine times out of ten, they’ll reach for the balloon. I’m a firm believer that we should never let a tool go to waste so I’ve found some fun ways to use balloons during children’s church. Keep kids focused on your lesson and keep them excited about attending by using balloons regularly. If possible, think about investing a
This lesson continues in a series to help students develop and maintain a daily quiet time with God. This lesson was scheduled the week before Christmas so it has a Christmas theme to it. This is only a suggested guide to help you create a lesson for your ministry’s needs. Bible Passage: Ephesians 1 Bible Story Title: Gifts in Christ Target Age Group: Ages 9-11 (3rd-5th Grade U.S.A.) Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes Original Teaching Context: Sunday
**This is a guest post from Nick Diliberto from PreteenMinistry.net Movie Clip: We Bought a Zoo Topic: Courage Bible Passage: David and Goliath—1 Samuel 17 Activity: “20 Seconds” This activity can be done in small groups or as individuals in a larger group. Create a list of physical activities such as running in place, jumping jacks, singing a nursery rhyme, or whistling. Think of as many crazy activities as possible. Call out the physical activities one at a
