• All Sites:
  • Pastors
  • Leadership
  • Kids Ministry
  • Student Ministry
  • Groups Ministry
  • Women's Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
LifeWay

Kids Ministry

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

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Training
  • Events
  • Team
  • Resources
Kids Ministry, Sunday School, Teaching Kids
December 28, 2020

Have I Got the Perfect Illustration!

By Brian Dembowczyk

You have it! The perfect illustration. It’s fun. It’s memorable. You can pull it off. It’s absolutely perfect. 

Now what? 

You might feel tempted to force that illustration into your next kids lesson no matter what. Or perhaps even to design a talk around it. It’s so good! 

Don’t. 

I know you mean well and you are excited about the potential impact of the illustration, but we cannot allow illustrations to drive our teaching. God’s Word, and God’s Word alone, should do that. Illustrations illustrate core truths of the Bible. Don’t flip this and make the Bible illustrate an illustration. Beyond that, if you force the illustration where it doesn’t really fit, you lessen its impact. Don’t turn that “10” illustration into a “7” or “8” because the connection is shaky. 

So what do you do? Add it to your database. 

You don’t have a database of illustrations? Then this is the time to start. It’s one of the easier things you can do in ministry, but it has a huge payoff. 

First, choose the medium for your database. You could go the simple route and use a word processing document or spreadsheet. Or, you can go the more elaborate route and use an app like Evernote. Then, you have the over-the-top route of an app like Scrivener that would also help you write your lessons, sermons, and so forth, too. 

Once you have your medium, start dropping in all of the illustrations, jokes, quotes, and stories you have jotted down on sticky notes through the years. Beyond that, consider spending some time searching the Internet for more. Just be sure to attribute the sources. 

You will also want to create a tagging system to make it easy to find the illustration you need. Create tags based on themes—e.g. money, anger, family, Christmas—and also Bible passage. If you are using a word processing app or spreadsheet, you might just want to put each tag in brackets and then search the document or sheet for that bracketed tag, such as “[love]”. If you use an app like Evernote or Scrivener, the ability to tag is built right in.  

Once your database is built and going, you would then add content as you come across it. This is when it would help if the database is accessible on your smartphone. If you see an illustration, you can open it right up and drop it in. 

When you use an item from the database, make a note of the date it was used so you avoid reusing the same content repeatedly. If you teach or speak to different groups, you might want to also add a note of how well the content worked in your talk. That might help you refine it and make it even better for the next time.

One final note is worth mentioning: sometimes the best illustration is the one you don’t use. There are times when an illustration—any illustration—actually hinders teaching rather than helping it. For example, any illustration attempting to explain the Triune nature of God is going to hurt more than it helps. They all quickly and easily lapse into theological error. Using any of them—eggs, water, roles of a man—will make a wrong teaching of the Trinity clear. Exactly what we don’t want: error sticking in the minds of our kids. Illustrations often help, but not always. Sometimes it is best to let the more challenging teachings of God be a little more challenging.

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Encouragement, Fun, Kids Ministry, Sunday School
June 18, 2019

Show Your Volunteers You Appreciate Them

By Heidi Brookens

Use these fun ideas to show your volunteers you appreciate them! Click links below to download PDFs.

Autumn Tea Party

  • Download invitations

Ginger Cider Break

  • Download invitations

Donut Bar

  • Download invitations 
Kids Ministry, Sunday School
June 11, 2019

Fun Father’s Day Craft for Kids

By Heidi Brookens

Father’s Day is almost here and we have a fun DIY Father’s Day coupon book for kids to give their dad! Print out the instructions and a coupon book for each child. You’ll find a full-color version and a black and white version (where kids can get creative and color it themselves).

Instructions

Full-color coupon book

Black & white coupon book

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Sunday School, Volunteers
April 9, 2019

Volunteer Appreciation Ideas

By Heidi Brookens

Use these fun ideas to show your volunteers you appreciate them! Click links below to download PDFs.

You make our Kids Ministry sparkle! 

  • Download tags
  • Instructions:
    • Attach to a can or a bottle of chilled sparkling water and deliver to each volunteer

You are all that and a bag of chips! 

  • Download tags
  • Instructions:
    • Attach each tag to a bag of chips and hand-deliver to every volunteer

When it comes to teaching kids, you really take the cake!

  • Download tags
  • Instructions:
    • Cut out, attach to snack cakes, and deliver to volunteers
Kids Ministry, Resources, Sunday School
March 21, 2019

Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day

By Joy Fisher

It’s March 21: World Down Syndrome Day! All over the world, people will be decked out in cool T-shirts and brightly-colored socks to raise awareness for the rights, inclusion, and well being of people with Down syndrome.

Today is a great day to remember that differently-abled children will be much better equipped to make the life-changing decision to become Christians when churches open their doors, arms, and hearts to them and their families. Special Buddies can help!

Special Buddies is designed for children in grades 1-6 who have intellectual and developmental special needs. It is part of the Bible Studies for Life curriculum line. One of the primary differences about Special Buddies is that a new Bible story is introduced every other week instead of every week. This enables kids to learn and grow at a gentle (and individualized) pace, allowing time for extended activities or repetition of meaningful activities over the two-week span.

A child with any of the following characteristics can thrive in an environment where the Special Buddies curriculum is taught:
• a child who would benefit from remaining in the same classroom with familiar teachers for several years in a row
• a child with social limitations
• a child who has minimal reading, writing, and verbal communication skills
• a child who needs individual attention and assistance to complete hands-on activities
• a child who is unable to tolerate typical classroom noise
• a child who requires an adapted physical environment

Special Buddies is versatile. Try one of these methods:
• Implement it in a self-contained classroom comprised of children with special needs.
• Use it with an individual child who receives one-on-one care at church while parents attend Bible study.
• Plug it in as a supplemental resource for a child with special needs who attends a typically-graded Bible study group but responds well to modified lessons and individualized attention.

Want to learn more? Visit TeachKids@Lifeway.com or contact William.Summey@lifeway.com for a free sample.

Register now for our Special Buddies Giveaway on March 25! You will have until 8 a.m. on 3/25 to follow this link and register here

To learn about Special Friends VBS, follow this link

Joy Fisher is Content Editor of Bible Studies for Life Special Buddies. Her 20-year-old son, Samuel, has Down syndrome.

Bible Study, Sunday School, Teaching Kids
March 4, 2019

Why Prepare? Is it really all that important?

By Bill Emeott

In 1 Corinthians 14:40 we read, “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” I’m convinced that the time we have with kids at church should be fitting and orderly. That certainly includes Bible study. After all, if it’s worth doing (and teaching kids the Bible is definitely worth doing) then it’s worth doing right! Preparation is the key. Here are five reasons why weekly preparation is important and vital to your success.

  1. Preparation allows you the opportunity to hear from God. I’ve often said that God wants to speak to the kids in your class from the overflow of what He’s teaching you in your heart. Spiritual and biblical preparation allows God to use your “comings and goings” to bring the biblical text you’re teaching to life. No prep equals no opportunity for God to teach you. You’ll teach better when you’ve prepared the biblical content and taken the time to pray and meditate on the passage you’re teaching. Then, you’ll be teaching from the overflow.
  2. Preparation ensures that you’ll accomplish your goals. It’s been said, (and I agree), “If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know if you get there.” Preparation helps you understand your session goals and gives you a path for which to teach toward and meet those goals.
  3. Preparation says, “This is important.” We give time (or make time) for what we believe is important. What could be more important than teaching kids God’s story for them? We all live busy lives but giving prep time for your weekly Bible teaching needs to be a priority. Kids will notice, parents will notice, and you will notice.
  4. Preparation cuts down on behavior problems. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “A failure to plan is a plan to fail.” I would elaborate on that by saying a failure to plan almost always is a recipe for disaster. If you don’t have a plan, kids do… and it usually doesn’t include a biblical application.
  5. Preparation reduces stress and allows you to sense the work of the Holy Spirit and join Him during your session. When you adequately prepare and are ready for the kids the minute they enter the room, you’ll be open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit at work around you. Often times God is at work around us but we’re too distracted by our lack of preparation to notice. Don’t miss the “still small voice” because you failed to prepare.

The best session is a prepared session. The best teacher is a prepared teacher. Be the best you can be. Offer to your kids the best you can give and they deserve. Practice the gift of preparation.

Here’s a prayer I dare you to pray: “Lord, bless me according to my preparation.”

Bill Emeott serves as Lead Ministry Specialist for LifeWay Kids. He is a graduate of Mercer University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Bill has served in Kids Ministry for almost 30 years and currently teaches 3rd Grade Bible study at his home church in Nashville, TN.

Bible Study, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Sunday School
February 26, 2019

See, Show, Share, and Compare LifeWay Kids Curriculum

By Chuck Peters

Comparing LifeWay Kids curriculum resources is easier than ever thanks to a brand new collection of easy-access resource guides available online now at teachkids.lifeway.com. The new TeachKids webpage lets you quickly and easily see, show, share, and compare leader guide samples, scope-and-sequence study plans, and the underlying philosophy-of-ministry frameworks for Bible Studies for Life: Kids, Explore the Bible Kids and The Gospel Project for Kids. These fast and simple samples are formatted as digital flipbooks that you can instantly review, reference, compare, and share using your smartphone or computer without filling out a form or downloading files.

Curriculum Sampler

Each resource includes a digital flipbook that lets you instantly flip through curriculum samples for Kids and Preschool versions, including teacher guides, activity pages, family resources, and worship options so you can examine and evaluate each resource on-demand. Pages inside each flipbook contain embedded links that connect you directly to product pages on lifeway.com where you can see product details and prices.

Study Plan

Quick access to Study Plan flipbooks allows you to quickly assess the scope and sequence of each resource so you can know exactly what kids and preschoolers will study throughout each three-year study cycle. Here you’ll find suggested use dates, the key Scripture passages for each session, and volume, unit and Bible story titles.

Framework

Each LifeWay Kids curriculum resource is informed by an underlying philosophical framework that influences the writing and editing of every session. These frameworks are not curriculum; they are foundational approaches to teaching biblical truth to kids that are designed to inform teachers and parents of the learning strategies upon which each resource is built. Once you determine which of these three distinct approaches to teaching you prefer, you will have an easy time choosing the curriculum resource that aligns with your preferred philosophy. Details on each of these frameworks as well as printables, apps, and training videos are available free from LifeWay Kids.

Bible Studies for Life: Kids is based on the Levels of Biblical Learning®; a scholarly guide based on the idea that kids learn and comprehend concepts differently as they grow in maturity, therefore, we must teach biblical truths in well informed age-appropriate ways. The Levels of Biblical Learning outlines how children can best understand 10 different biblical concepts at different age levels.

Check out the Levels of Biblical Learning flipbook now at http://teachkids.lifeway.com/bsfl-framework/ or view the Levels of Biblical Learning details page at http://LifeWay.com/LOBL

Bible Skills for Kids is all about the promotion of biblical literacy and Bible familiarity and informs the Explore the Bible Kids resource. Bible Skills for Kids identifies various Bible skills that children can grasp and master at various stages of development, such as identifying Old and New Testament books, memorizing the books of the Bible, matching people in the Bible to the book in which they appear, and memorizing a wide range of scripture verses.

Check out the Bible Skills for Kids flipbook now at http://teachkids.lifeway.com/etb-framework/ or view the Bible Skills for Kids details page at http://LifeWay.com/bibleskillsforkids

Big Picture Questions and Answers for Kids undergirds the Gospel Project for Kids. It outlines 76 theological concepts in six overarching categories formatted using a systematic easy-to-understand question-and-answer approach and includes a “Seeing Jesus in the Bible” section that explains how the whole Bible is one big story that’s all about Jesus and the Gospel. Check out the Big Picture Questions and Answers for Kids flipbook now at http://teachkids.lifeway.com/tgp-framework/ or view the Big Picture Questions and Answers details page at http://LifeWay.com/BPQA

The Quiz

If you want help determining which resource best matches your personal study style you can take the What Kind of Kids Minister Are You? quiz. This 5-question quiz helps direct you to the resource that teaches the way you like to teach.

The new TeachKids webpage was designed with you in mind, making it easier than ever to compare curriculum samples, study plans and foundational frameworks for Bible Studies for Life: Kids, Explore the Bible Kids, and The Gospel Project for Kids. Now you can see, show, share and compare these trustworthy resources from one easy-to-find place: TeachKids.LifeWay.com. Check it out today and share the link with your teachers, volunteers and partners in ministry as you evaluate which LifeWay Kids curriculum you’ll choose to use.  

Fun, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Resources, Sunday School, Uncategorized
January 29, 2019

Easter Watercolor Cross Craft

By Heidi Brookens

Click below to download this fun Easter craft!

Instructions

Cross Coloring Sheet

 

Crafts, Encouragement, Family Ministry, Kids Ministry, Ministry, Resources, Sunday School, Teaching Kids, Uncategorized, Volunteers
January 2, 2019

Scripture Animal Cut-Outs

By Heidi Brookens

Click below to download these fun Scripture reminders for your desk!

Scripture animal cut-outs

Christmas, Crafts, Encouragement, Encouraging, Family Ministry, Fun, Kids Ministry, Ministry, Preschool, Small Groups, Special Needs, Sunday School, Teacher Appreciation, Teaching Kids, Uncategorized, Volunteers
December 4, 2018

Volunteer Appreciation Resources

By Heidi Brookens

Looking for some fun gift ideas to show appreciation to your volunteers? We’ve got your covered! Click below to download some fun ideas.

 

Soapin’ you have a merry Christmas!

 

Just poppin’ in

  • Instructions

 

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 24
  • Next Page »

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidRSS

Sign Up to receive the free Kids Ministry 101 Magazine!

Get the Digital Magazine Get the Print Magazine
Want to write for LifeWay Kids?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,222 other subscribers

@LifeWayKids
FOLLOW
My Tweets

All Ministry Sites

Pastors
Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Digital Resources

Ministry Grid
LifeWay Worship
Digital Church
KidEvent Pro
MyCurriculum Manager
Simulcast Manager
LifeWay Reader eBooks
Generosity
WORDsearch
SmallGroup.com

LifeWay Network

LifeWay Research
B&H
Ridgecrest

Copyright © 2021 · LifeWay Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved