LifeWay

Kids Ministry

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

Family, Family Ministry, Kids Ministry

Crossing the Checkpoints for Life’s Race

By

“Let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1-2

Back in 2013, the highly-respected late Jerry Vogel wrote about a few of the spiritual mile markers to be celebrated in families’ lives (post). As many of us are planning for a new ministry year with kids transitioning to new classes, this seems like a good time to review these mile markers or checkpoints as I like to call them and consider how our ministries can partner with parents in anticipating and celebrating these spiritual mile markers. 

In long-distance races, checkpoints are short stops along the path for runners to regain their strength for the next part of the race. It’s also a place where runners can be encouraged to continue on, nurse any injuries, reevaluate their strategy, and plan for adjustments as the race resumes. Checkpoints are places to revitalize runners and then send them back to the race. These life checkpoints provide natural opportunities to partner with parents to recoup, reevaluate, and realign strategies for moving forward.

Checkpoint #1 – Welcome to the Family

  • Birth/Adoption – Whether it’s a family’s first child, second, or fifth, each new child adds new rhythms to a family’s life, celebrations and joys along with potential anxiety and challenges. 
    • “New Addition” Gift Bag – Consider creating a small gift bag to give to new families when a new baby is born or a child is adopted.
    • Parenting classes/conference – A great idea for expectant parents is to offer them dedicated training on children’s spiritual growth. Such training should include theology of biblical parenting, trust development, and looking ahead toward future checkpoints.
  • Baby/Parent/Family Dedication – This is a great checkpoint to provide additional training, like a class mentioned above, to young parents on God’s expectations for Christian parents, showing them how you desire to partner with them in their parenting journey.

Checkpoint #2 – First Steps

  • Moving up to “Big Church” – Consider preparing “welcome to worship” bags for preschoolers who are transitioning into big church. Offering specific training to help parents/caregivers prepare for this change can help to soothe their nerves and remind them that children will learn how to worship best by watching adults worship. 
  • Learning to Read – Consider celebrating this checkpoint with a meaningful Bible presentation. If your budget allows, your church may purchase an age-appropriate Bible for each kindergartner or first grader. If your budget doesn’t allow or if you prefer to help parents choose their own Bible to give, be sure to guide parents in knowing what kind of Bible would be best for their child. LifeWay offers several options of age-appropriate Bibles at lifeway.com.

Checkpoint #3 – Growing in Faith

  • “What Is a Christian?” class – Often times kids who regularly attend church will start asking questions about salvation and/or baptism, and parents will immediately jump to trying to schedule a child’s baptism. Having a checkpoint in your ministry to equip parents to ask good questions of their child will give them greater confidence in talking with their children about salvation and baptism.
  • New Christian Class – An effective New Christian class can give children an opportunity to validate their response to Jesus, as well as give each child and parent confidence they are on a path that is firmly rooted in Scripture. LifeWay Kids’ “I’m a Christian Now” resources can lend structure this checkpoint.
  • Baptism – Here are a few ideas for developing a strategy to partner with parents in celebrating this checkpoint: 
    • Provide parents with a one-sheet overview of your church’s theology of believer’s baptism. 
    • Create a “baptism checklist” to help guide families. Include items like meeting with you or your pastor (according to the practices of your church), mail/email invitations, plan a family meal, provide a “next steps” devotional to each child to guide them in developing healthy spiritual habits.\
  • First Lord’s Supper – A child who is a new Christian will likely be very excited to finally participate in this church ordinance. 
    • Help parents anticipate this moment with a dedicated family conversation. Provide a one-sheet overview of your church’s beliefs about the Lord’s Supper, including who is allowed to participate and why, how often it is observed, etc. 

Checkpoint #4 – Next Steps

  • Discipleship – Many parents feel uncertain how to help children grow in their newfound faith by developing healthy spiritual habits (spiritual disciplines). LifeWay Kids’ Growing in My Faith 90-day Devotional can be a helpful resource for families.
  • Moving into the next age group in your ministry – A final checkpoint that would fall under your ministry would likely be to guide kids and families as they transition into student ministry. Many parents and preteens feel inadequately prepared to move through this checkpoint. Some options here might be: host a parent panel Q&A session with more seasoned parents, connect seasoned parents with parents of preteens in an informal mentor-type setting to allow for more intimate questions, training classes and resources for equipping parents to talk with their kids about all that is changing in their lives, and preteen weekend retreat. 

There are other checkpoints that you may choose to include, but hopefully, this has helped you start or continue thinking about ways you can partner and celebrate with parents as the kids in your ministry cross each of life’s checkpoints. I encourage you to “run with endurance the race that lies before [you], keeping [your] eyes on Jesus… ” as you “pursue as [your] goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians 3:13-14)

Click here for a downloadable Checkpoints PDF to help you share your vision with families. There are 2 pages in this document. One with the checkpoints we’ve listed in this post, and one with blank boxes for your to write in your own.

Jeremy Carroll is the team leader for LifeWay Kids Discipleship Resources. Before coming to LifeWay, he has been active in local church ministry for nearly 20 years in TN, TX, and AL. Jeremy earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A Middle Tennessee native, he and his family live in Murfreesboro, TN.

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Ministry

Helping Kids who Deal with Anxiety Issues

By

Anxiety!! Sometimes even the word brings a flutter to our hearts. For anyone who has experienced an anxious child, you know that this is something that has become more pervasive in the past few years. Kids today have a lot more external stressors that bring anxiety. Social media influences and an increase in peer pressure are all piling up on kids. Anxiety can take many forms, and, all of us deal with anxiety in some form almost every day. How we handle our anxiety, and how we guide kids to handle their anxiety, may sometimes be different. As adults, we have coping mechanisms that are better developed, however, these same mechanisms may not be as developed in kids. Here are a few things to think about as you help kids deal with this issue.

  1. Acknowledge that the anxiety is real. Many times kids seem to be anxious over things that we as adults view as “non-essential” or “no big deal.” If you are going to help a kid deal with his anxiety, you must acknowledge that he is genuinely anxious about something that is real to him.
  2. Don’t avoid activities that might cause anxiety. Kids can learn that things that may make them anxious, most often, won’t actually harm them. By avoiding situations that may cause anxiety, you may inadvertently create a situation where a child will never learn to deal with her anxiety.
  3. Communicate. When talking about anxiety, really listen, and really talk. Make sure you ask questions that will help the child think through what is causing the anxiety and suggest possible solutions respecting the child’s feelings. Ask open-ended questions that aren’t leading. Share experiences you may have had with the same kind of stressor and how you handled the experience.
  4. Model appropriate responses. One of the best ways to help a child deal with anxiety is to model for them appropriate responses to stressors. By modeling calm responses, kids can copy your behavior when they discover their anxiousness might not really be a threat to their safety.
  5. Pray with the child. Pray for God’s peace in the situation. Prayer is important and by letting kids hear you pray for them by name, sometimes the anxious feelings they have will lessen.

I recently chatted with a child whom I know struggles with anxiety and asked what advice she could offer to kids struggling with anxiety. The answer I received was, “Trust that God is in control. When I start thinking about things that cause me stress, I try to pray and ask God to help me know that most of what I stress about never even happens.” Taking this advice, let kids know that God is in control and kids (and adults) can always turn to Him when struggling with anxious feelings.

Tim Pollard is passionate about helping kids dig deep into Scripture, which he pursues through his daily work as leader of the Explore the Bible: Kids team. Tim lives with his wife and daughters in Mount Juliet, TN.

Kids Ministry, Parent Helps

6 Budget-Friendly Backyard Games for Kids

By

“I’m bored!”

Those words can trigger waves of anxiety and eye-rolls in any parent, especially during the summer months when a child’s daily schedule is often wide open while the parent’s is cresting to its fullest.

If summer camp isn’t a feasible option, your patience may have peaked to the point where you’re tempted to jump ship and let the kids get glassy-eyed for hours in front of their screen of choice.

If you’re looking for an alternative, look no further than your own backyard for enjoyable and affordable ways to have summer fun. Here are 6 budget-friendly activities to keep your kids busy having a blast in your own yard.

#1:  Set up an obstacle course.

Backyard obstacle courses are loads of fun, can be easy or elaborate depending on the age of the child, and can consist entirely of objects you already own.

For younger children, an obstacle course can include:

  • Hula hoops to hop in and out of
  • Buckets to weave around slalom-style
  • Yoga mats spread on the grass for forward rolls
  • A low balance beam to walk across
  • Balls to toss into laundry baskets
  • An inflatable or plastic pool to jump into at the end of the course

For older kids, a more challenging course can consist of:

  • Folding tables to crawl under
  • Planters to jump over
  • Water balloons to transport by spoon without dropping
  • Balls to toss into boxes of decreasing size
  • A hose to knock down items lined up on a table
  • Newspaper pages to place underfoot with each step while racing across the yard toward the finish line

#2:  Channel a classic with a game of lawn Twister®.

To make a grass version of this classic game, purchase cans of marking paint in red, blue, yellow, and green from your local hardware store.

To create the game grid:

  • Use a plate to trace a “Twister dot” on a piece of cardboard or poster board. Trace a small circle for the smaller hands and feet of young children or a large circle for older players. Cut the circle out to create a hole in the cardboard or poster board and, voila, you have a Twister dot template.
  • Place the cardboard or poster board template on the grass and spray paint through the hole in the template to create rows of dots. Be sure to place the dots close enough so that children can easily reach over from dot to dot, and be sure the game grid area is large enough to accommodate the number of children playing.
  • Once the dots are all painted onto the grass, grab your (indoor) Twister spinner and start playing! If you don’t have a Twister spinner, write down each of the four directions (left hand, right hand, left foot, or right foot) for each dot color on separate index cards or slips of paper. For example, one card will read, “Right hand. Green.”
  • Call out each direction and watch players stretch, reach, and balance as they strive to be the last kid standing on your lawn Twister board!

#3:  Make a slippery splash pad.

Have your kids change into their bathing suits for some slipping and sliding with this giggle-inducing activity. All you’ll need is a large tarp and a hose. Lay the tarp down in an area with plenty of space around all sides of the tarp. Run the hose on the tarp until it’s soaked and slippery. Keep the hose running as your kids splash on the tarp and slide on it barefoot or Superman-style. Give the kids boogie boards if you have them for added slippery fun.

#4:  Throw a fiesta with water balloon piñatas.

Your kids can keep their bathing suits on for this wet and wild game of water balloon piñatas. For this activity, you’ll need water balloons, string, a strong piece of rope, and a plastic bat.

  • Tie the rope between two trees or two other sturdy structures.
  • Fill the water balloons with water, close each with a knot, and then tie a string around each knot.
  • Tie several water balloons to the rope using the attached strings so that the balloons hang overhead like a row of piñatas.
  • Have each child take a turn swinging the plastic bat to see how many balloons she can burst in 30 seconds. Use a blindfold with older children to further test their skill.
  • Don’t forget to pick up the balloon pieces when you’re done!

#5:  Blast the sprinklers.

For more water play, your kids can stay cool in an at-home spray park, courtesy of your lawn sprinklers. If you have an oscillating sprinkler system, scatter water-friendly toys around the sprinkler unit for each child to scoop up before getting soaked by the swinging water stream.

#6:  Get creative with colorful water art.

Bring out your child’s inner artist with this game of water-squirter art. Fill water squirters with water mixed with food dye, using a different color for each water squirter. Set down sheets of paper on the grass or tape sheets of paper onto trees and enjoy watching your kids paint colorful masterpieces.

Get your kids to release their Judo-grip on their tablets or phones this summer by turning your backyard into an activity-filled playland, all without breaking the bank!

Dolores Smyth is a faith and parenting writer. Find her on Twitter @LolaWordSmyth.

Looking for more? Connect with ParentLife online at facebook.com/parentlife. Order at lifeway.com/parentlife.

Kids Ministry, Sunday School
Fun, Kids Ministry, Vacation Bible School
Bible Skills, Discipleship, Kids Ministry

Not On Our Watch

By

Recently, a colleague in children’s ministry reached out to me after she read Nothing Less: Engaging Kids in a Lifetime of Faith.  She was encouraged to see that the book touches on themes she had implemented in her church in Texas.  I invited Erin Woodfin to share her story with you.

I began reading the book of Judges in my quiet time and kept coming across the fact that it only took a generation for the Israelites to forget about the glorious deeds of the Lord. Judges 2:10 says, “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.” This verse spoke to me and I began to think about my own child and the children who come to our church. I began to realize that the reason a generation arose who did not know the Lord was because the parents and teachers had failed to do what God had called them to do. They did not carry out the verse in Psalm 78:4. They did not tell to the coming generation the things the Lord had done. I began to be convicted and committed that this would not happen on our watch. So the phrase “NOT ON OUR WATCH” kept playing over and over in my head. “NOT ON OUR WATCH” will a generation arise that does not know the glorious deeds of the Lord. Together we will raise up a generation who knows the Lord and the glorious things he has done. I never want families to forget, I never want children to forget the glorious deeds of the Lord. Practically for our church, we did this in three ways:

Volunteer Vision

When we launched the NOT ON OUR WATCH vision to our Kids Ministry Volunteers, we went all out. We got shirts, cups, bracelets, you name it we had it. I wanted my volunteers to know that this was something I wanted them to push hard. I wanted them to know the time they spent with children was not just glorified babysitting but that it was Kingdom work. I used Psalm 78:4 in almost every conversation I had with a volunteer and wanted them to have that verse memorized by the time the year was over. I saw so much excitement in the lives of my volunteers because, for the first time, they felt as though their position mattered and was playing a huge roll in the spiritual development of children. If I wanted the “NOT ON OUR WATCH” vision to take off, I knew my volunteers were going to have to sell it for me.

Volunteer Training

Training of volunteers is the largest part of what we do in Children’s Ministry. A well-trained volunteer is the lifeblood of your ministry. The year we ran with the “NOT ON OUR WATCH” vision, I had several other children’s leaders who I trusted come in and help me with training. Sometimes we as children’s ministers say the same thing over and over again, but bringing in someone with the same passions can excite the volunteers in your ministry.

One of the other things we incorporated that year was a time for me to meet with all my volunteers. While my small group leaders were with the children, I would meet with my ministry team leaders. In these meetings, we would pray together, take care of any housekeeping matters, dream together, and talk about ways we could improve things. This was also a time I would use to train and encourage my volunteers. I would also let them tell me things that were working for them or things that were frustrating. It allowed me time to be able to minister to my precious volunteers. A well trained and loved on volunteer will take your ministry to a whole new level.

Parent Involvement

When we launched the “NOT ON OUR WATCH” vision I knew I would need better parent involvement. Parent involvement is always something that is challenging for ministers. However, I believe there are changes that can be made to increase parent involvement in your ministry. Curriculum choice is one of the main ways to get parents involved. Choosing a curriculum that has multiple ways of getting parents involved is the way to go. We use the Gospel Project, which has several ways of connecting with parents. They have take-home sheets, information for weekly emails, and even an app to make things even easier for parents on-the-go.

Another way parents are encouraged to be involved is by my volunteers reaching out to families each week. My volunteers reach out in the form of handwritten cards, texts, or phone calls. This constant communication with parents shows them they are not alone in the discipleship process. We want them to know we are in the trenches with them.

Children’s ministry is the best and most exhausting job on the planet. However, with the right vision for your volunteers who are trained and loved on well, and good parent involvement, your ministry will become something that is life-giving. Remember, “NOT ON OUR WATCH” will there come a generation that does not know the Lord. We will stop at nothing to make sure children know the glorious deeds of the Lord. We are equipped to do what God has called us to do. Let’s face this challenge head-on and refuse to fail. Children will be discipled, families will be changed, and the Kingdom will grow.

“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” Psalm 78:4

Erin is the children’s minister at Immanuel Baptist Church in Marshall, TX. She is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Erin is passionate about finding ways to creatively engage children and help point them to Jesus. She also enjoys writing, running, a hot cup of coffee, and watching baseball with her husband Michael and their two precious daughters.

Bible Study, Kids Ministry, Kids Ministry Curriculum

How Do I Use My Take-Home Page?

By

God chose parents to be the spiritual leaders in their child’s life. Our churches have the privilege of partnering with parents to lay spiritual foundations for salvation and transformation. Together, we lead kids to learn about Jesus, come to know Him personally and glorify God through obedience to His Word.

Each week in Bible Studies for Life: Kids, we have “Take-Home Pages” for parents and kids to review together what was learned on Sunday morning. Let’s take a look at how the “Take-Home Pages” show ways to continue learning at home throughout the week.

First, take a look at the front side of the “Take-Home Page”:

  • Notice across the top left is the unit, session number, and title of that week’s session.
  • On the top right corner, you will see that unit’s memory verse. Practice saying this verse together so your child learns it by heart.
  • The rest of the front of the page contains two fun Bible-learning activities your child will often complete as part of Bible study. They can also be extra activities for you to complete together at home. Ask your child to explain the answer to these activities to help reinforce Bible learning.

 

On the back of your “Take-Home Page” we call this the One Conversation page.

  • We emphasize One Conversation because it is a tool you can use, no matter the age of your child, to talk about what she learned in Bible study that week.
  • Notice that the largest section on this page is your child’s Bible story. You can choose to tell this story again with your child, then ask your child to tell you the story.
  • You can also look up the passage in God’s Word together to show your child where the story comes from in the Bible you use at home.
  • You can do the same for your weekly unit verse and review it together from your personal Bible.

There are several other pieces of information on the page that are important for you to know.

  • The Life Point is the primary learning point through that week’s study for your child to connect with and apply to her life.
  • The Bible Meets Life connects the Bible Story with your child’s life at his age and stage.
  • Live It Out! gives one specific way to put the week’s Bible truth into action.
  • The Level of Biblical Learning is the Biblical concept taught from that week’s study. This specific statement is part of the larger Levels of Biblical Learning discipleship plan that children build upon in their learning from birth to high school.
  • The Daily Bible Reading gives other Bible verses you can read together with your kids. They go deeper into either the Life Point or Level of Biblical Learning.

We hope you will find our “Take-Home Pages” useful for talking with your kids about Bible content, theological truths, and how to apply the Bible to your child’s everyday life—so that from the youngest age and stage, kids can grow in their personal relationships with God.

William Summey is the Publishing Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University. William lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Christy, and their two sons.

Kids Ministry, Resources, Uncategorized

When My Homeschooler’s Bible Lesson Was For Me

By

The following is a guest post from Scarlet Hiltibidal.

My oldest daughter is a high-achiever who’s SUPER serious about WINNING and is fully dressed and groomed before I even get out of bed every morning. She is also homeschooled.

Ever Grace is so driven and it has been a joy teaching her to read and write and identify the different parts of the axial skeleton (I don’t actually know much about the axial skeleton). But, the coolest part of homeschooling has been the opportunity to teach her about the real-life, everyday power of the gospel.

Let me tell you about what happened the other day.

I was being a very subpar mom. The frustration of tantrums from my younger daughters and scheduling and laundry had me snappy and impatient. But, it was a Tuesday, so I knew that no matter how I felt, I still had to educate my child.

So, with a too-loud exhale, I rattled off the bolded question I was supposed to read for the day in our Gospel Project Home Edition curriculum. The question read, “In the Bible, there are stories of people who God used to do great things for His glory. Can you think of any?”

The examples the book gave were David, Samson, Daniel, Moses and Elijah.

Half listening, I looked away from the book and pulled a few plates out of the dishwasher.

Ever said, “The woman at the well.”

I didn’t say anything at first, because I was genuinely confused by her answer. I, a professional gospel-centered writer and an unprofessional gospel-centered homeschool educator, basically forgot the gospel and didn’t understand her answer.

“The woman at the well?”

She said, “Yeah. Because Jesus forgave her and then she went and told people about what Jesus did for her.”

Crazy. How breathtaking, right? And how mind-boggling, that eight-year-olds can understand the beautiful mystery of the gospel even better than the adult, “mature” Christians who teach them.

Ever Grace didn’t answer the way I would have answered. She didn’t pick the Bible characters who “accomplished great things.” She picked an unfaithful woman who was recorded in the Bible for doing nothing more than meeting Jesus and telling people she was forgiven.

That’s it.

That’s the whole gospel. We can’t accomplish anything on our own. We’ve got nothing to offer and everything to gain. The greatest thing we’ve ever done is needing what Christ has done for us. We are all “the woman at the well.” And we are all loved.

I’m thankful for a curriculum that’s questions don’t just point my young daughters to the true and beautiful gospel and how it is the centerpiece of every Bible story and every life moment. It also teaches me. It reminds me. It corrects me and comforts me out of my homeschool huffs.

While I was unloading the dishwasher, steeped in selfishness, God used my eight-year-old to remind me that nothing I have failed at today and nothing I might win at tomorrow has any bearing on Christ’s love for me.

At our worst and at our best, we are to-the-cross-and-back loved. We can have to-the-skies joy. And we can embrace and extend the out-of-this-world forgiveness that is ours now and ours forever.

Learn more about The Gospel Project: Home Edition here.

—

Scarlet Hiltibidal is a very professional wife and mother. She is the author of Afraid of All the Things and He Numbered the Pores on My Face. She also writes a regular column for ParentLife Magazine. Scarlet loves sign language with her daughters, nachos by herself, writing for her friends, and learning how to be a pretend-farmer with her husband in Middle Tennessee.

Bible Skills, Family Ministry, Kids Ministry, Leadership

How to Combine Scripture and Music for Kids

By

I am honored to host friend and colleague in ministry, Josh Waugh this week. Josh is a worship pastor who discovered the Nothing Less research that lists Bible reading and listening to Christian music as two indicators of spiritual health in kids. This inspired him to combine the two that led to an amazing outcome. I welcome you to read his story and send us your own stories about how Nothing Less has inspired some things you’ve tried in ministry.

How to Combine Scripture and Music for Kids

I had a lightbulb moment this past year that completely changed how I thought about children’s choir and involving kids in music and worship!

When the book Nothing Less: Engaging Kids in A Lifetime of Faith came out, some of our staff was able to go through it and talk about the findings. As a worship pastor, one of the conclusions that stuck out to me was the role of music in a child’s faith development. In this study, the research found a trend among young adults that Christian music was one of the top five positive influencers on children keeping the faith into young adulthood. The number one positive influencer was reading the Bible.

When I was growing up, I loved watching Captain Planet. It was so cool to think about having the power of earth, wind, or fire in a ring on your hand (except for the power of heart … that was always the weird one no one wanted). Combined together, they were unstoppable!

That’s when the lightbulb came on! What if we combined the power of Scripture and music for our kids? What if music could be the vehicle for reading the Bible and hiding it in their heart (Psalm 119:11)?

I met with our children’s choir director and shared with her my lightbulb moment. We could help our 4th and 5th graders have a better understanding of God and Scripture by combining music with actual verses from the Bible.

So that’s what we did! Here’s how:

  1. We taught songs filled with Scripture. Our pastor was preaching through the book of Galatians verse-by-verse. From those sermons and themes, we found Scripture memory songs and worship music that utilized word-for-word portions of Galatians.
  2. We created kid-friendly motions with the music. They learned motions to the songs and even memorized Scripture verses for spoken transitions to be used in a service.
  3. We made it fun for the kids! We turned this into a fun, recording project for the kids at the church. The music CDs they recorded turned into a free resource for our families to memorize Scripture through song.

And now, another Captain Planet moment (my inner child was really excited), “With our powers combined …” we prepared our 4th and 5th graders to lead worship for our entire church with the adult band. 

The adults were learning the book of Galatians from our Pastor on Sunday mornings. The kids were learning songs from the book of Galatians on Wednesday nights. We now had a multigenerational approach to music, worship, and reading the Bible. Kids and adults were memorizing Scripture together. With our combined forces, we created a CD and Sunday worship service called, “No Other Gospel: Songs from Galatians.”

When those 4th and 5th graders led Sunday morning worship for our entire church, it was powerful! That was a big win. But there is something else I am more excited about.

I want to know what will happen in the lives of these kids and families 10 years from now. What if these kids are keeping the faith because they read their Bible more … and they learned it through music. I believe, “With our powers combined …” God can use the next generation to change our world! The first step can be combining the power of Scripture with the power of music.

What are some things you can do in your ministry that help kids and families memorize Scripture together and read the Bible more? How do you involve music in your children’s ministry?

Josh Waugh is the Associate Worship Pastor at First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Tennessee and a graduate of Samford University. He leads the band for weekend worship services and works with the Next Gen worship teams. Originally from Florida, Josh moved to the Nashville area with his wife, Susie, and their two daughters in 2016.

Kids Ministry, Resources, Sunday School

Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day

By

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.

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