Kids Ministry

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

Preschool, Preschoolers, Small Groups

Preschool Bible Learning Activity: Decorate a Crown

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vogel-150x150ANeed another activity for preschoolers? Consider decorating a crown together! Here’s the instructions:

Tools:

  • Bible
  • Long strips of paper/cardboard cut with points like a crown
  • Metallic gift wrap cut into 1-inch squares
  • Jewel stickers

Step One: Read Esther 4. Be ready to talk about the Bible story while children make crowns.

Step Two: Cut a crown for each child. Encourage the children to decorate the crowns with the art supplies. Tape a crown to fit each child’s head snugly.

Step Three: Remark that Esther and the king probably wore crowns. They were important people in the kingdom.

Step Four: While children decorate their crowns, show them a teaching picture of Mordecai and/or Esther. Say, “Mordecai asked Queen Esther to help her people.”

If you like this activity, click here for free teaching sessions from Explore the Bible: Kids. 

Jerry Vogel serves as a Childhood Ministry Specialist in Lifeway Church Resources. He is married to Janie and has four children and thirteen grand kids. Jerry is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church and teaches preschoolers there. He is committed to enriching the lives of those who teach kids as well as making eternal investments in the lives of children.

 

Preschool, Preschoolers, Small Groups

Preschool Bible Learning Activity: What’s Missing?

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rp_vogel-150x150.jpgJust about any story in the Bible can be reviewed using this “What’s Missing?” activity:

  • Locate a plastic lunch tray.
  • On the tray place 5 or 6 items that relate to parts of a given Bible story.
  • Secure a towel or large napkin to lay on top of the items in order to cover them.
  • Share with the kids: “Mr. Jerry has some things that help us remember parts of our Bible story today.”  Show the items to the kids and talk about each. Next, cover all of the items with the towel/napkin. Encourage kids to cover their eyes. Remove just one of the items and hide it. Then, invite kids to open their eyes, remove the towel/napkin  and try to guess which item is missing. When the item is named, remind the preschoolers what that item represents as part of the Bible story.

Jerry Vogel serves as a Childhood Ministry Specialist in Lifeway Church Resources. He is married to Janie and has four children and thirteen grand kids. Jerry is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church and teaches preschoolers there. He is committed to enriching the lives of those who teach kids as well as making eternal investments in the lives of children.

Preschool, Preschoolers, Small Groups

Preschool Bible Learning Activity: Play Dough Loaves and Fish

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vogel-150x150AHelping preschoolers understand the Bible can be a difficult job. I always try to provide some sort of activity to go along with the lesson. If you like to do the same, hopefully you’ll enjoy this play dough activity.

Start out by providing kids with different colors of play dough. I’ve attached a recipe in case you’d like to make your own. Ask kids to form dough into loaves of bread or fish. If available, provide cookie cutters in the shape of fish for the children to use.

Invite the children to place their loaves of bread and fish in the center until you have a group of five loaves and two fish. As they work, tell the Bible story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Say: “Great job! How amazing that Jesus was able to feed over 5,000 people with the same amount of food that is on your table! Jesus is powerful. We never have to worry because He can take care of us! Who will always take care of us? God will give us what we need.”

(This play dough activity could be used with many Bible stories simply shaping and forming items that are told about in that story.)

Playdough Recipe:

3 cups flour
1 cut salt
1 tablespoon alum
2 tablespoons oil
food coloring
3 cups boiling water

 

1. Mix together all ingredients except water and coloring.

2. Put food coloring in measuring cup and add water to it.

3. Pour water in with other ingredients.

4. Mix and knead well.

5. Store in covered container until ready to use.

 If you  like this preschool Bible-learning activity, check out others from The Gospel Project.

Jerry Vogel serves as a Childhood Ministry Specialist in Lifeway Church Resources. He is married to Janie and has four children and thirteen grand kids. Jerry is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church and teaches preschoolers there. He is committed to enriching the lives of those who teach kids as well as making eternal investments in the lives of children.

Bibles, Kids Ministry, Preschool, Preschoolers

Preschool Bible Learning Activity: Play with a Purpose

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vogel-150x150APreschoolers learn through play. However, at church, we must be sure that we are guiding the preschoolers to “play with a purpose” and learn Bible content along with play. Consider applying these approaches to learning times in your preschool classroom:

  • Consider holding a Bible as you greet each child at the beginning of each teaching session. Make comments about what kids will be learning from the Bible that day. This helps to begin teaching both the preschooler and his/her parents. Parents will begin to value that you do more than just “play” during a preschooler’s time at church.
  • Encourage preschoolers to bring their own Bibles each week. Be sure to use them showing preschoolers where the Bible story of the day can be located. Even though preschoolers cannot read, they will begin to learn that these true stories can be found in the most wonderful book ever written, the Bible. Show preschoolers the difference in Bible storybooks and an entire Bible.
  • As part of any play activity (blocks, art, puzzles, books, homeliving) place an open Bible in the activity area with a marker at the location of that day’s Bible story. While children participate in any of these activities, talk about the Bible story touching and using the Bible from time to time. (Consider retrieving Bibles from your church’s lost and found in order to have a Bible in each activity area.)
  • When telling a Bible story in circle time, be sure to hold the Bible in your lap…touching it from time to time and showing preschoolers where the story is located. Use your finger to follow along the words in the story. Invite preschoolers to let you guide their fingers to follow along the words in the day’s story. Be sure to over and over remind kids that all of the stories in the Bible are TRUE! Preschoolers also enjoy talking about the pictures that can be found in kids’ Bibles. The best teaching pictures are “real and true” to the Bible content.
Fun, Kids Ministry, Preschool, Preschoolers, Resources, Small Groups

Preschool Bible Learning Activity: Talk Through a Noodle Phone

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vogel-150x150Needed:
One Swim Noodle
2 Large Plastic Funnels
Clear-Packaging Tape

Activity:
Lead kids to build a noodle phone by placing the narrow end of a funnel into each end of the swim noodle. Secure the funnels with tape.
Invite kids to take turns listening and talking to a friend through the noodle phone.
Share the Bible story “Jesus Fed the People” (John 6:1-13) as they work.
Remind kids that Jesus told many people about God, but He never used a noodle phone! Encourage kids to think of people they can tell about God.

Change It Up:

Josiah Read the Lost Bible Scrolls (2 Kings 22:1-13;23: 1-3)
The stories in the Bible are true.

Paul Told Lydia About Jesus (Acts 16:11-15)
People should tell their friends about Jesus.

Andrew Told His Brother About Jesus (John 1:35-42)
Missionaries tell people about God and Jesus.

If you like this activity, be sure and check out the book Super Duper Fun & Exciting Absolutely Thought Igniting Bible Activities for Kids (Babies through Kindergarten Edition).

Jerry Vogel serves as a Childhood Ministry Specialist in Lifeway Church Resources. He is married to Janie and has four children and thirteen grand kids. Jerry is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church and teaches preschoolers there. He is committed to enriching the lives of those who teach kids as well as making eternal investments in the lives of children.

 

Preschoolers

Preschool Bible Learning Activity: Building with Story Words

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vogel-150x150A

We are tremendously passionate about preschool ministry. Sometimes it can be difficult to find activities for preschoolers that teach lessons about the Bible without being too far over their heads. Here’s one of my favorite activities to use with my group of preschoolers. Let me know how it works out with yours!

1. Choose five or six words from the Bible story that you are teaching. Print one of each of these words on an index card. Tape each word to a wooden block in the block area. Place the teaching picture for the Bible story in the block area also.

2. Talk about the story. Point to the words from the story.

3. Encourage the preschoolers to build with the word blocks. Point to one word block at a time, read it, and listen as the children tell what the word means to them. Pre-Kindergartners may want to point to the letters they already know.

For other activities like this, check out Bible Studies For Life: Kids. Great preschool Bible-learning activities can be found for all age groups of preschoolers: Babies, 1s and 2s, 3s–Pre-K and Kindergarten.

Jerry Vogel serves as a Childhood Ministry Specialist in Lifeway Church Resources. He is married to Janie and has four children and thirteen grand kids. Jerry is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church and teaches preschoolers there. He is committed to enriching the lives of those who teach kids as well as making eternal investments in the lives of children.

Kids Ministry, Preschoolers, Sunday School

Preschool Bible Learning Activity: Babies’ Growth & Development

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vogel-150x150Connections between brain cells are called synapses. These synapses are strengthened through repeated experiences. A baby’s efforts to master a new skill (such as reaching for and grasping a toy, working a shape sorter, etc.) not only strengthens his physical muscles, but they stimulate the synaptic connections in the brain.

Each week select a few activities with babies to provide for growth and development as well as an introduction to Bible content. For example, if teaching the story of Elijah asking a woman for water, plan for babies and toddlers to:

  • Splash water While they splash, talk about Elijah’s thirst and how God took care of him.
  • Play with plastic food While the child explores these pretend foods, talk about how God gives us food.
  • Discover books Hide books under baby blankets on the floor for crawlers to discover. Include books about water, food and God’s love for us.
  • Play with pots and pans As the child begins to beat on a pan with a wooden spoon, sing “God gives us food. God gives us food. God gives us food. He’s so good to us!” to the tune of “God is So Good.”

For more activities like these, check out Bible Studies for Life: Babies.

Kids Ministry, Preschoolers

Preschool Bible Learning Activity of the Week: Learn a Bible Verse

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vogel-150x150AEach week during the Preschool Bible study experience, there is usually a Bible verse to be learned. Since you will have both early readers and non-readers in your group, be sure to include elements in the learning process that will help the non-readers feel successful.  Consider this approach:

  • Count the number of words in the verse to be learned including the Scripture reference as a word.
  • Secure the same number of different colored 9×12 sheets of construction paper to match the number of words.
  • Write one of the words of the verse on each sheet of construction paper including the Scripture reference on one.
  • Hide the sheets of construction paper around the room with part of the “color” of the page showing.
  • When you want to review the verse, choose individual preschoolers to find the “red,” “blue,” “green,” sheets of paper (however many colors of pages that are needed) using clues to help the child find the page with one of the words of the day’s Bible verse.
  • When all of the sheets have been found, lay out the verse on the floor, placing the words in order.
  • Help the preschoolers say the verse with you several times — once slowly, once quickly, once whispering, once shouting.
  • Added fun: laminate the pages and tape them to the floor when found. Let the preschoolers jump from one word to another saying the words of the verse each time one is landed on.

Jerry Vogel serves as a Childhood Ministry Specialist in Lifeway Church Resources. He is married to Janie and has four children and twelve grand kids. Jerry is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church and teaches preschoolers there. He is committed to enriching the lives of those who teach kids as well as making eternal investments in the lives of children.

Preschoolers, Sunday School

How to Kill Your Preschool Ministry

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Landry-150x150The fact that you are reading a kids ministry blog post indicates that you probably want to grow your preschool ministry, not kill it. However, there may be things you are doing, or not doing, that in essence may be keeping your preschool ministry from reaching its potential. Take this brief quiz to see how your preschool ministry is doing.

  1. Do all of your preschool rooms have at least two, unrelated adult teachers who have passed a background check? More than one qualified adult teacher in a room protects children, teachers, and the church. This is a must.
  2. Is every first-time guest parent greeted either in the parking lot or as soon as he enters the building, and do greeters know where the preschoolers meet?
  3. When parents take their infant to the baby room, is the lighting in the room at an appropriate level? We may think that if a child is sleeping, the room should be dark or semi-dark. If I walk into a dark restaurant, I wonder what the manager is trying to hide. Keep the lights on.
  4. Are your preschool rooms clean, and do they look and smell clean? I admit that I’m anti-germs to a fault, but who wants to leave their young child in a dirty room or one that looks dirty?
  5. Are your preschool rooms clutter-free? Unless you’re a certified hoarder, would you want guests to see your house in a mess? I’m not sure why preschool teachers are notorious for keeping resources that are 50 years old, but perhaps it’s time to close your eyes and throw stuff away. And, don’t give it to another church. They don’t need clutter either.

How did you do? If you answered, “yes,” to all five questions, congratulations, you’re on track to attract young parents and keep them coming to your church! If you answered, “no” to any of the questions, ask yourself what is keeping you from creating a preschool environment that says, “We welcome you and your child to our church; we are ready for you; and we value you and your child because Jesus values you”?

Landry Holmes is Manager of Kids Ministry Publishing, Lifeway Christian Resources. He teaches preschoolers and elementary kids at his church in Middle Tennessee. Landry and his wife Janetta are the parents of two adult sons and a beautiful daughter-in-law. When they’re not working or at church, they’re entertaining their rat terrier Ranger (named after the Texas Rangers baseball team).

Christmas, Preschoolers, Training

Helping Preschoolers Celebrate the Season

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JanasJana_newNothing is more fun than welcoming in the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons with a preschooler. Joy abounds with this age-group, so it is the perfect opportunity for us as KidMin leaders and/or parents to use this special time as a way to teach preschoolers about Jesus. Here are some of my favorite ways to celebrate the season with this age group:

1. Create a Thankful Tree.

Grab some twigs and small sticks from the yard and place them in a vase to create a “Thankful Tree.” Use construction paper to make simple leaf shapes, punch a hole in each, and then use yarn or string to make ornaments. Keep a basket of empty “leaves” ready to go and encourage preschoolers to write or draw something they are thankful for to hang on the Thankful Tree.

2. Make treats for others.

Kids of all ages love to work in the kitchen — especially preschoolers! Baking treats can be especially meaningful when you’re doing so for others. Perhaps a neighbor needs some cheer or a teacher would be blessed by a basket full of baked goods. Whatever it is, allow kids to be a part of blessing others.

3. Decorate with Christmas music.

When its time to decorate, play some Christmas music and sing about Jesus. Use this as an opportunity to show how to worship our God for sending His Son to us.

4. Participate in service projects.

There is no shortage of ways to serve the community during the holiday season. One idea is to find a ministry that needs toy donations and allow preschoolers to shop for someone else. Use this as a way to teach generosity and curb the appetite for consuming gifts.

5. Use Advent to tell the gospel.

There are multiple curriculums and teaching plans that show how to use the Advent season to tell the Gospel of Jesus from the very beginning. Allow your Thankful Tree to become an Advent tree (or Jesse tree) and create ornaments that tell the story of “the coming” of Christ.

I pray that you won’t miss one opportunity to help preschoolers celebrate the season and ultimately celebrate our Savior!

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Kids Ministry Publishing at Lifeway. Jana, her husband, and their three kids moved to Nashville from Austin, Texas where she served as the director of children’s ministry at the west campus of Austin Stone Community Church. 

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