Children’s ministry leader: Discover five kidmin traps and how to avoid them.

A parenting support group just posted this on Facebook with the comment that it often applies to adults as well. Where in our ministry with children and parents are we filling up their cups? Where …

Here is the second origami chatterbox I've made. This one is to help children reflect on prayer and God. Under the flaps are questions the...

I am sure you are like me and you have needed slime for some event. We have experimented with various recipes and this is the one that worked the best for us. For 3-4 gallons of slime: 8 large pkg…

This is a great visual illustration for thinking about God's protection and can easily be used in a school assembly. You will need: An orange, a deep, clear container, water. Also useful are items such as sun cream, a bike helmet and a hi-vis jacket I used the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace but any story involving God's protection is good- Daniel in the Lions' Den, for example. Tell the story and get the children to participate with sound effects and actions if possible! Next bring out your 'protection' items and talk about what we do and wear to keep us safe in the sun, on the road etc. What about people who help us to feel safe? Talk about God keeping the characters in the story safe and speak about times in your life when you ask God to keep you safe. Put an orange in the container of water and watch it bob along the surface. Then peel off the skin and watch it sink. The peel is what protects the orange and stops it from sinking. God can be our protection! Ask the children to think of those people who help them to stay and feel safe and say a thank you prayer to God for them.

What should one say to latecomers to church? How do you greet latecomers

Boy, it's hard to not grumble and complain! Sometimes tough things happen and our moods and attitudes take a hit. But what does God want us to do when we Bible Lesson Plans for Kids Trading Grumbling for Peace (Kid’s Club – Lesson #5)

I have wanted to try making a St. Brigid's cross for years, but never got around to it until now. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and we had a lot

This is an idea to help children to communicate their response to a story. It's absolutely fascinating to find out what children really think about what they hear and, while some children can easily tell you what they think, some find it more difficult. Knowing what children feel about a story or helping them to explore what people in the story might be feeling is a great way to open up discussion and also helps to check their understanding. More often than not, they come up with something we adults would never have thought of! The cards are really easy to use. Print them out (click here) and cut them up. When you have told a story, spread them out and let the children choose cards that show either how they feel about certain points in the story or how specific characters might feel. I'm sure that the children will come up with even more feeling words, but hopefully this will be a starting point for discussion!

Leadership “Whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a randsom for many.” – Matthew 20:27-28 Teaching leadership to kids is something that can begin happening at a young age. We want...Read More

What does having a personal relationship with the Lord look like? Includes a teaching guide and 2 games. Needed: Bibles, random objects, trash bags or Bible Lesson Plans for Kids, Genesis Lesson: Enoch Disappears!

Download a set of Ephesians 6 copywork in print or cursive, including a set of printable posters.

Imagination is the mind’s ability to form mental ideas and images of something not present to our senses and that does not even yet exist. It allows you the ability to visualize as you mentally…

Humanum | Issues in Family, Culture & Science

Camille's Primary Ideas: Lip Sync Review singing time lesson plan review activity using fun faces of prophets and people found in the scriptures

Maybe it's not the music or the preaching that that's the reason visitors don't return to your church.

You need four strips of card and three brass paper fasteners: I was planning on doing this on Sunday anyway, but it seemed particularly appropriate since today was Tom's funeral, who told it (more or less) this way at a holiday club when I was a wee girl.

How families lived in their WWII backyard bomb bunkers

For those of you who give your kids a time for giving at your church, I want to share some creative ways to collect offering at church.

More and more children will be reading stories about the legacy of residential schools and reconciliation in the classroom this year.

Here is a silly drawing games that is a lot of fun for kids to play. In this drawing game, you use dice to decide what parts of the drawing you will draw. We have included a face drawing game and a landscape drawing game. This is a lot of fun and it helps children who might not be able to draw freely and creatively...this will help them draw more freely and creatively. This will also increase silliness.

List of seven unusual questions that can help your group learn interesting things about one another, plus complete instructions for the drama game.

YOUNGER CHILDREN (Click the name of the activity to be taken to that page) WEEK 1 - Take it in, Take it out This activity is a great way to have the song truly come into the child! Once you have had two or three different activities introducing the song (two or three different weeks),

VERSES: Luke 12:16-21 MEMORY VERSE: Luke 12:21 "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." BOOK TO REMEMBER: James. Write "James" on small slips of paper for the students to take home and memorize another book of the New Testament. Practice saying all the books of the New Testament together as a class or sing the song, The Books Of The New Testament, found under March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 as review. PRAYER: Pray that we will always put God first in our lives and place everything else below Him. SPECIAL SONG: Jesus Taught By Parable And Miracle (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.) VISUAL AID: Make a large Activity like the one below under Activity. LESSON POINTS: As Jesus daily walked around Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem, there were always a crowd of people who gathered around Him. Perhaps they were waiting for Him to perform a miracle and they wanted to see Him make a lame person walk, maybe they had heard about Jesus and were curious to see what He looked like, or maybe they wanted to hear what He had to say. Whatever their reasons, the people followed Jesus as He visited their towns. Sometimes there were just a few people following, but many times, there were great crowds of people. Because microphones and speakers had not been invented yet, the people had to be quiet and listen closely and remember what Jesus had said because there were no tape recorders or smart phones to record what He was saying. No, the people--all the people--listened quietly to Jesus as He spoke. When Jesus preached to the people, sometimes He said exactly what the people should do. He commanded them like He did when He taught on the Sermon on the Mount. Sometimes He would heal someone who everyone in the town knew to get their attention, then He would teach the people. Sometimes He told the people stories or parables to paint a picture in the people's minds, so they could remember the lesson and also understand the lesson. One thing remained true: Jesus always taught by His example. He lived what He taught. In the lesson today, Jesus taught a parable about a very rich man who forgot something. Jesus taught the people lessons by talking about something they knew, like farming for example, then he would apply the lesson to something spiritual. He told the story about a man who farmed land and his land grew a great amount of fruit. We don't know what kind of fruit it was, but there was a lot of it and the rich man put it in barns. God had blessed the man's land so much that the man began thinking about what he would do with all the fruit. He thought to himself, "What will I do? I have so much fruit that I don't have enough room for it all. I know! I will tear down all of my barns and I will build much larger barns and then I will put all of my fruit inside. I will say to myself--I have much fruit stored up for many years, so I will eat, drink, and be merry." BUT...the rich man forgot something! He forgot God and he forgot that he was going to die. God said to the rich man, "You fool! Tonight your soul is required of you! Then who will own all those things that you have stored up?" At the end of the parable, Jesus said, "Someone who stores up treasures on this earth and is not rich towards God is just like that rich fool." Jesus did not want us to be like that rich man who forgot God. He wanted us to always put God first in our lives, then God would always give us everything we need. (Matthew 6:12). What does that mean, "Put God first?" That's right! It means to always do spiritual things before we do the earthly things. First, we go to Bible class, then we can play soccer or go to the mountains. It means that whatever we do in life--get a job, play sports, etc.--we need to put God above those things. "Older Student" Tips: Discuss what a 'fool' is. Someone who is not smart. Talk about how smart Jesus was to tell parables about the things that the people knew: farming, cleaning house, finding a treasure, losing a sheep, etc. The people He taught could understand what the meaning was to His lessons. Have everyone open their Bibles to Luke 12:16-19 and count how many times the rich man said the words, "I" or "my". Then, count how many times he said anything about helping others or giving back to God. ACTIVITY: Parable of the Rich Fool Materials needed: 6" x 9" red construction paper, 5" x 12" light brown construction paper, 4.5" x 8" dark brown construction paper, 3" x 3" dark brown construction paper, glue, scissors, marker, crayons. Hand out light brown paper. This is the roof. Cut edges off two short sides of light brown paper to resemble a roof. Hand out red paper. This is the barn. Glue top edge of red barn. Place the bottom of the roof on top of the barn. Hand out dark brown paper. This is the barn door. Cut in half. Fold one edge of each dark brown square. Glue only the small folded edge. Place glued edges of two barn doors away from each other on top of the red barn. The doors should open. Hand out small dark brown paper. This is the hayloft. Cut in half. Fold one edge of each small dark brown square. Glue only the small folded edge. Place glued edges of two hayloft doors away from each other on top of the roof. The doors should open. Write "The Rich Fool" and "Luke 12:16-21" on top of the roof. Open large barn doors. Inside the large barn doors on the red barn, write "The rich fool said, 'I will build greater barns...I will eat, drink, and be merry.' But..." Open small brown doors of the hayloft. Write "...but he forgot God." On both sides of each of the barn doors, make a large "X". On the small hayloft doors, make black or brown lines to resemble wood. On the roof, make lines to resemble a roof. Before leaving class, have the students read what it says inside all doors.

Bible lesson on Peter and Cornelius. Includes pre-session activity and visuals.

Sometimes we have a bleep ton of kids and it is hard to manage them. These large group games come in handy on a regular basis for my Clubs. Every month I plan to release games or activities that you can use in various settings! Subscribe to stay up date! Click here for a printable PDF! #group #games #fun

Use the The Calling of Matthew Word Search as a fun activity for your next children's sermon.

You’ve heard the old rhyme about sticks and stones, and words not wounding? Not true! Our words do matter; to others, and to God! God really cares about the words that we use and how we use t…

This blindfolded maze game teaches obedience to children. My kids loved playing this game, wanting to try completing the maze over and over again. Teaching through games speaks volumes to kids. The concepts resonate with them because kids learn through play. Some people are questioning whether obedience is outdated. They don’t want their children being...Read More

Some of the science experiments for kids include static bulbs, bouncing egg, homemade rainbow, invisible ink, jumping coins, glowing water, homemade rock

Use this simple object lesson and book to help children understand how God uses bad for good. Perfect for Easter or Christmas.

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of li...