Kids Ministry

Dedicated to helping Kids Ministry leaders in their mission of making disciples

Crafts, Encouragement, Fun, Leadership, Thanksgiving

Fall Teacher Appreciation Ideas

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Land-150x150Recently, I got a jar of peanuts and candy corn with a label “This may sound corny, but I’m nuts about you!” I loved the jar for several reasons. One — I love candy corn, and two — that was a teacher appreciation idea I posted last Fall. Around here, we don’t just post for the fun of it; we really want the ideas we post to be useful in your ministry. Today I’m sharing an idea that I used to tell my team here at work how much I loved them!

Supplies:
Miniature Pumpkins and Gourds (I bought mine at a local farm for $.25 each)
Jute twine
Pumpkin Label (Download Here)

Instructions:

I resized my labels to get 6 on a page in a Word doc. You can do this or just print the size that they are in the PDF file.
Punch a hole in the top of each label. You might want to write a personal note on the back.
Use the jute twine to attach the label to the stem of the pumpkin.
Deliver and watch your volunteers’ faces brighten!

It’s so important to tell the people who are working in ministry with you that you love and appreciate them.

For 5 more fall-themed teacher appreciation ideas, click here. 

Crafts, Fun, Small Groups, Sunday School
Crafts, Easter, Fun, Games
Crafts, Encouragement, Fun

Get Your Valentine’s Day Cards!

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VdayCards

JeffreyAs all of you know, Valentine’s Day is just 2 days away. If you haven’t picked up cards yet, you’re in luck. Check out and download the cards below to speak love through Scripture.

 

 

GodLovesUsunlovable Godlovesus

 

1 Corinthians 13:4 & 8 (PDF)

John 3:16 (PDF)

John 13:34 (PDF)

Bro

BiggestHeart

Romans 12:10 (PDF)

Romans 5:8 (PDF)

Happy Valentine’s Day from Lifeway Kids!

Jeffrey Reed serves as the Director of Kids Ministry for Lifeway. He came to Lifeway with a wide variety of ministry experiences including worship leader, director of children’s ministry, and executive leadership in several growing congregations. Jeffrey’s posts will give your heart and brain a workout, just like the fitness Boot Camp he leads in the mornings for Lifeway employees. Jeffrey and his wife Katherine have 4 kids.

Crafts, Encouragement, Fun

Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages

By

Feb7

klistaHow do I love thee?  Let me color the ways!

I love Valentine’s Day!  For one thing, it means Spring is not far behind!  But the main reason is that it offers the opportunity of making people around us aware of our love for them.

 As you prepare for Valentine’s parties and the like, here is a link to some great coloring pages to help your kids not only express their love for others, but will also be a reminder of God’s love for them and their friends.

To make the page even more personal, encourage the kids to either list reasons for their love or add their own drawing on the back. Enjoy!

Coloring Pages for Valentine’s Day

Klista Storts is a Kids Ministry Specialist at Lifeway Christian Resources.  Before coming to Lifeway, she served as the Weekday and Preschool Specialist at the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as Director of Preschool Ministries at churches in Oklahoma and Tennessee.  Klista has a passion for equipping leaders to share the love of Christ and lay foundations for conversion in the lives of kids.

Crafts, Encouragement, Leadership, Sunday School

Valentine’s Day Labels: Show Love to Your Kids Ministry Leaders

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Feb5


landUse these free Valentine’s labels to tell your kids ministry volunteers that you appreciate them. Download all seven pages of labels for free! Show your kids ministry volunteers how much they mean to you and your church.

Pastor Michael, the kids pastor at my church, is great at showing appreciation for his kids ministry leaders. With notes on our Facebook wall, friendly texts, and even small gifts, he communicates that he appreciates us working with kids.

Here are five ideas that will help you tell your kids ministry volunteers how much they mean to you. (Oh, and did I mention that we’re giving you some awesome Valentine’s labels to use to make this task even more doable?)

1. Thanks a BILLION for teaching the kids at our church!

Walgreens has these great 1,000,000,000 candy bars for $.99 in their Valentine’s Day section (prices may vary). Print the label and voila — instant teacher appreciation.

Thanks a Billion (PDF)

VdayTag2

Print these labels on Avery 8163 labels.

2. OWL always thank God for you!

This “Cuddly Cuties” chocolate owl was available at Walgreens 3 for $2.00 (prices may vary). Hurry now and pick them up. They had dog, monkeys, and kittens.

Owl 1 and Owl 2 (PDFs)

VdayTag4

Print this label for the owl chocolate on Avery 8163 labels.

Some other ideas:

  • You’re a DOGgone good Sunday School teacher!
  • I’d go bananas without you teaching our kids!
  • You make the PURRfect Bible study leader!

3. You’re A SWEETHEART for teaching our kids!

 Who doesn’t love sweethearts candies? You can find these almost anywhere and usually for about $.33 each (prices may vary).

Sweetheart 1 and Sweetheart 2 (PDF)

VdayTag1

Print these labels on Avery 8163 labels.

4. You Deserve HUGS and KISSES for teaching our church’s children!

I found this acrylic heart at Walgreens for $.50 and a bag of Hershey’s HUGS KISSES for $3.49 (prices may vary). You can fill several hearts with one bag of KISSES or if you need to be more cost effective, consider putting several kisses in a ziplock bag and placing one of the labels on it.

Hugs and Kisses (PDF)

VdayTag3

Print these labels on Avery 8163 labels.

5. I’m Glad You <3 Kids Ministry!

The chocolate-filled heart Valentines are probably the most recognized Valentine candy around (besides maybe conversation hearts!). Most stores offer a small box of Valentines for around $1.00 (prices may vary).

I’m Glad You <3 Kids Ministry (PDF)

VdayTag5

Print these labels on Avery 8163 labels.

Jeff Land Jeff loves Life! That’s pretty great, because his job here at Lifeway is the Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. Jeff loves his life which is so blessed by his amazing wife, Abbey, and their four sons, Reed, Nash, Will, and Tuck. A natural encourager and fun-lover, look for Jeff’s posts about teacher appreciation and game ideas. When not serving at work, Jeff serves 2nd graders at his church, First Baptist Church, Joelton, TN.

Crafts, Fun, Kids Ministry, Parenting, Small Groups, Sunday School

Science and the Bible: Create a Rainbow

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Jeff Land-150x150The story of Noah is so interesting to kids. From the animals, to the ark, to the beautiful rainbow as the sign of God’s covenant; the story of Noah is full of interesting elements to keep kids attention. Drive home the point of the rainbow by using this cool experiment with kids. Download the teaching picture and Bible story summary here.

Before the Activity:

o   What are some of your favorite colors? What are some colors that we see in the sky?

o   Why do rainbows exist?

o   Today we will study the story of Noah and the Ark.

Items needed:

o   Whole milk

o   Food color

o   Cotton swabs

o   Dish detergent

o   Pan

o   Watercolor paper (Optional)

Instructions:

o   Pour whole milk into a pan to a depth of 1–2 centimeters.

o   Add drops of the different colors of the food color to different places in the milk.

o   Add a dab of detergent to the end of the cotton swab. Touch the cotton swab to the middle of the coloring. Watch the reaction.

o   If desired, when you have created a “masterpiece” of color, take a piece of watercolor paper and place it over the milk mixture and lift quickly.

o   Allow watercolor paper to dry.

o   After a few minutes the colors will run together and get muddy. Just dump and start over.

What happened:

o   Whole milk contains fat. The food color actually rests on top of the fat. The dish detergent contains degreasers that break down the fat particles. When the detergent hits the fat, it separates causing the colors to move.

Bible Story Connection:

o   Noah and the Ark (Genesis 6:5–9:17)

o   Connection Point: God created a beautiful rainbow to remind Noah and his family of the covenant that He made to never flood the earth with water again. Kids can make beautiful rainbow creations to remind them of God’s covenant.

After the Story/Activity:

o   How did you create your rainbow art?

o   How did God create His rainbow?

o   How long did this experiment last? How long does God’s covenant last?

rain1rain5rain7

 

 

 

Jeff Land loves Life! That’s pretty great, because his job here at Lifeway is the Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. Jeff loves his life which is so blessed by his amazing wife, Abbey, and their four sons, Reed, Nash, Will, and Tuck. A natural encourager and fun-lover, look for Jeff’s posts about teacher appreciation and game ideas. When not serving at work, Jeff serves 2nd graders at his church, First Baptist Church, Joelton, TN.

Christmas, Crafts, Fun

5 Christmas Projects for Your Family

By

DEC-5

Aklistas Christmas approaches, our kids are constantly bombarded with TV commercials, newspaper ads, flyers and store displays shouting the message of what they “must” see and “need” to get for Christmas. It’s easy to understand how the true meaning of Christmas can get lost in all the commercialism and pageantry.

So how do we get it back? How do we make sure that Jesus is the focus in our own home? Remind your kids of how God loved us so much that He gave the gift of His One and Only Son to live with us here on earth, to share His love and ultimately pay the sacrifice on our behalf. (And might I add – remind them all year long – not just at Christmas!) Help them understand that while Christmas is about a gift, it’s about sharing that gift with others.

Here are five ideas to help bring back the focus on showing His great love to the world.

  1. Enlist your kids in the “Secret Service” during the Holidays. Whether for neighbors, friends or a list of senior adults from your church, find ways that your kids can be a blessing to those around them.  Assign a task, but make sure they do it secretly so that the recipient doesn’t know! Leave a card with a message:  “Merry Christmas! Jesus loves you and so do we!”

  2. In similar fashion, assign each family member another family member’s name and encourage them to quietly perform a good deed for that person. Each time a task is completed, the person gets to place a piece of straw on the manger to help create a soft bed for Jesus.

  3. Create a Christmas chain with a link for each day until December 25. On each link, print a service project for the family to complete that day. Suggestions might include raking leaves for a neighbor, helping bake cookies to give away, or paying forward a hot chocolate at a local coffee shop.

  4. Load up the family and surprise a single mom or senior adult by decorating their home for Christmas.

  5. Choose a family in need and celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas by secretly leaving a gift or gifts at their doorstep each day. Include a note about the meaning behind each of the original gifts in the song.

At the end of each of these busy days, circle up the kids and have a family devotion time. Read scriptures that focus on the Christmas story and discuss how the actions of the day shared the love of Christ with others. For ideas read 12 Days of Christmas: Celebrate Christ with Your Family or Walk Through Advent with Kids Using an Advent Calendar.

Please share with us the ways that your family will be showing the love of Christ this Christmas!

Klista Storts serves as the Childhood Ministry Specialist. She is married to Gary and the mother of Brett and Blake… oh yea, and Mimi to her grand-daughter, Mia! Klista is passionate about laying foundations for conversion in the lives of preschoolers. Klista loves to ask the hard questions, so look out for her!

Bibles, Crafts, Fun, Games, Leadership

Game of the Week: The New Testament Pyramid

By

Emeott Web2

This is a Bible Skills game kids love to play! It’s an excellent way to learn the books of the New Testament. You’ll also want to check out these other fun games: “Don’t Break the New Testament Ice” and “Minor Prophet Mini Muffin Scramble.”

The New Testament Pyramid

Gather and Prepare:

  • 27 plastic disposable drinking cups (two sets in different colors)
  • Permanent Marker
  • Print on separate drinking cups the books of the New Testament (two sets)

Play:

  • Allow individuals or teams to build the New Testament Pyramid by finding Matthew and lining up the cups through 1 Corinthians. Place 2 Corinthians on the second level between Matthew and mark. Continue stacking the New Testament Pyramid topping the pyramid with the “New Testament” cup.
  • Allow two individuals or teams to complete the pyramid first and accurately.
  • Play as many times as time allows.  The kids won’t get tired of playing!

photo 1 (1)

Since 2003 Bill Emeott has served as a Kids Ministry Specialist for Lifeway. His passions include childhood ministry leadership training and development, leading children’s Bible Study, and being an Uncle! Bill has been teaching children at First Baptist Nashville for ten years.

 

Christmas, Crafts, Fun

Walk Through Advent with Kids Using an Advent Calendar

By

Jana_new

Helping children grow in their love for Jesus during the Christmas season is vitally important for those of us serving in Kids Ministry. Anna Sargeant and John Murchison — from Austin Stone Kids — share in this post about how they help families celebrate through the season of Advent.
–Jana Magruder, Director of Kids Ministry Publishing at Lifeway
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Christmas is such a wonderful time of year! From the decorations at the mall to the presents piling up under the tree, it’s hard not to feel the excitement building towards December 25. But for Christian parents, the Christmas season is more than a time for holiday cheer and gift giving. During this time, we have an opportunity to help our children grow in their love for the true reason for all the celebration — Jesus! One way to do this is through celebrating the season of Advent.

The word “advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “coming.” The purpose of the Advent season is to help us focus on the coming of Jesus Christ to seek and save His people, who were lost and in need of a Savior.

At Austin Stone Community Church, the children’s ministry teaches four stories on Sundays during the Advent season: the fall of man, the Passover, the prophecies of the coming Messiah, and Jesus’ birth.

The children make ornaments to accompany these stories during worship service. Because the ministry’s goal is to partner with families, they also provide a list of Scripture passages for families to read together during the weeks leading up to Christmas. A list of corresponding ornament pictures is included with the Scriptures. This is a spin on “the Jesse Tree,” a tradition based on Isaiah 11:1. All ornaments placed on a traditional Jesse Tree are to connect Old Testament history to the birth of Christ.

Our hope for families is that they will see that the coming of Jesus was prophesied and anticipated long before his arrival, and that the Christmas story began all the way back in Genesis. Our prayer is that reading these stories will remind families of God’s faithfulness and turn their hearts to worship and honor the King of Kings this Christmas season!

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List of Scriptures (Ornament picture suggestions in parenthesis.):

December 1

The Fall – Genesis 3:1-6, 8-15 (Apple)

Key verse: Genesis 3:15

December 2

The Flood – Genesis 6:9 – 8:22 (Ark)

Key verse: Genesis 6:6-8

December 3

The Promise – Genesis 9 (Rainbow)

Key verse: Genesis 9:13-15

December 4

The Offering – Genesis 22:1-19 (Ram)

Key verse: Genesis 22:16,17

December 5

The Choice – Genesis 29 (Two Girls)

Key verse: Genesis 29:35

December 6

The Dreamer – Genesis 37, 41, 50:15-21 (Coat)

Key verse: Genesis 50:20

December 7

The Plagues – Exodus 3 – 5:9, Exodus 7:14-10:29 (Frog)

Key verse: Exodus 3:7-8

December 8

The Passover – Exodus 12:2-7, 12-13 (Lamb)

Key verse: Exodus 12:13

December 9

The Journey – Exodus 14-15 (Staff)

Key verse: Exodus 14:4

December 10

The Ten Commandments – Exodus 20:1-21 (Two Tablets)

Key verse: Exodus 20:2-3

December 11

The Wall – Joshua 3 & 6 (Simple Horn)

Key verse: Joshua 6:2

December 12

The Shepherd King – 1 Samuel 16 (Little Boy)

Key verse: 1 Samuel 16:12-13

December 13

The Giant – 1 Samuel 17:1-50 (Slingshot)

Key verse: 1 Samuel 17:37-40, 49

December 14

The Healing – 2 Kings 5 (River)

Key verse: 2 Kings 5:14

December 15

The Prophecies – Isaiah 9:6-7, 53:1-12 (Crown)

Key verse: Isaiah 9:6-7

December 16

The Protector – Daniel 6 (Lion)

Key verse: Daniel 6:22

December 17

The Messenger – Jonah 1-4 (Big Fish)

Key verse: Jonah 1:17-2:10

December 18

The History – Nehemiah 8-10 (Scroll)

Key verse: Nehemiah :5-6

December 19

A Shepherd’s Song – Psalm 23 (Harp)

Key verse: Psalm 23:1

December 20

The Waiting – Habakkuk 1:12-2:3 (Watch Tower)

Key verse: Habakkuk 2:1-3

December 21

John the Baptist – Luke 1:5-25, 57-80 (Rising Sun)

Key verse: Luke 1:76-79

December 22

The Good News – Luke 2:8-20 (Manger)

Key verse: Luke 2:9-11

December 23

The Savior – Luke 1:26-38 (Angel)

Key verse: Luke 1:31-33

December 24

Mary’s Song – Luke 1:46-56 (Mary)

Key verse: Luke 1:46-50

December 25

The Stable – Luke 2:1-7 (Nativity Scene)

Key verse: Luke 2:6-7

Anna Sargeant is the Director of Children’s Curriculum and John Murchison is the Director of Children’s Ministry at Austin Stone Kids with Austin Stone Community Church.
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Advent-AppIf you’d like an Advent calendar for your mobile device or computer, consider The Expected One Advent guide. It’s an Advent devotional designed to unite families and foster spiritual conversations about Jesus Christ and the significance of His coming to earth.

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