LifeWay

Kids Ministry

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

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Teacher Appreciation, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Teacher Appreciation

By

Williams, DelaneeFamily Traditions are special. One of my family’s traditions has been making “Turkey Cookies” each Thanksgiving season. Just for clarification, these cookies don’t contain actual turkey, but are decorated to look like turkeys.

Even as a young child, I remember sharing these cookies with classmates, teachers, and friends each year. When I started serving in ministry, I wanted to do something special for the church staff and ministry volunteers during the Thanksgiving season.

Many times we overlook this special season to show thankfulness to the Lord and to our teachers who serve the Lord faithfully through our ministries. It only felt logical to begin sharing the “Turkey Cookies” with the staff and teachers at my church. After the first couple of years, “Turkey Cookies” became a tradition for our ministry.img_1926  It was a simple way to communicate thankfulness for them. Everyone needs encouragement and affirmation.

This Thanksgiving season, consider making these cookies for your staff and teachers. When you share them, communicate specific reasons why you are thankful for them and their ministry. Reaffirm a teacher who contacts his class each week. Recognize a teacher who arrives early and is prepared when the first child arrives. Share with another ministry leader why you enjoy serving on staff with her.

Make a commitment this Thanksgiving to share genuine words of affirmation to your church staff and ministry leaders echoing Paul’s words in Philippians 1:3-5, “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”fullsizerender

Turkey Cookies:

  • Oatmeal or Sugar cookies (can be store bought or homemade)
  • Vanilla or white Icing (I have found store bought works easiest)
  • Hershey kiss
  • Candy Cornfullsizerender-1
  • Red Miniature M&Ms (small pieces of twizzler candies or red hot candies can be substituted for M&Ms)
  1. Place icing on one end of the cookie to anchor a Hershey kiss as the head.
  2. On the other end of the cookie, use icing to attach 5 candy corn as feathers.  
  3. Put a small amount of icing on top of the Hershey kiss to attach the red miniature M&M for the beak.fullsizerender-2

*Remember to be mindful of allergies and food sensitivities. Some ingredients may need to be substituted.

Delanee Williams serves as a Ministry Specialist with LifeWay Kids. She is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Delanee has served in kids ministry for over twenty years and is passionate about developing, equipping and encouraging leaders.

Christmas, Kids Ministry, Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from LifeWay Kids!

By

There are no words more appropriate than these:

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

Thank you for partnering with us to serve kids. It’s a privilege and joy to help equip you for God’s work. Enjoy your time with family and friends in celebration of Thanksgiving, and we’ll be praying for you as you go back to work on Sunday.

If you haven’t downloaded your free copy of our Family Advent Guide, here’s your chance. Click here!

Christmas, Evangelism, Kids Ministry

5 Ways Kids Can Share Christ Over the Holidays

By

Jeffrey Reed HeadshotI didn’t grow up in the church. In fact, I am still the only follower of Jesus in my immediate family. I love it when one of my parents or sister get to visit us at my home. All four of my kids have received the Lord as their Savior, and we get to love on our guests in ways in which they are probably not accustomed. Despite our quirks, our family is a fun group, and my kids talk about God on a regular basis. Our home is a warm and inviting place to hang.

So am I doing anything that might give my kids a chance to share their faith with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives? I should be. After all, children can be amazing evangelists when they know what they believe. Are there kids in your church who have parents that don’t walk with God? It’s VERY likely. So gear up and get ready. In the weeks leading up to the holidays, here are five things you can do that might allow the children in your ministry to share their faith with their family and friends.

1) Practice some prayers of Thanksgiving at church and encourage the kids to volunteer to pray before a holiday meal using these prayers. Can you imagine what it would mean to a visiting relative to hear this child thank God for them, that they are precious, and that Jesus died for us all? That would be moving!

2) Utilize the tools that come with the curriculum you use. Hopefully, your curriculum has some components that involve interaction with parents/guardians. Instruct the kids in your care to “teach the Bible Story” to their grandparents using the visuals or handouts that go home with them.

3) Memorize scripture in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Try verses about the Nativity. In addition to the tried-and-true John 3:16, there are multiple verse on thanksgiving and gratitude to God. Consider helping kids memorize an Old Testament passage that prophesies the coming Messiah, Jesus.

4) For crafts, work on gifts that kids can give to relatives. Don’t end there. Teach the kids a story that they can tell as they give the gift.

5) Compel the kids to invite their visiting relative(s) to church. It’s easy to turn down an adult. It’s hard to turn down a young child, especially if that child bribes the grandparent or relative by offering to take them to McDonalds after church!

This season, pray not only for the children in your ministry, but also for the impact that they might have on those around them as they take up the mantle of the church’s next generation!
Jeffrey Reed 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. He, his wife Katherine, and their four kids attend The Church at Spring Hill.
Thanksgiving
Encouraging, Thanksgiving

From Gratitude to Generosity: Thankful Hearts Are Giving Hearts

By

Jana3-150x150Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, which is supposed to usher in the Christmas season. However, it seems that in recent years our current culture gets the two celebrations out of order. Christmas music starts in October, decorations are up in November, and the media ads start even sooner. It’s as though Thanksgiving has disappeared; after all, it is not associated with any kind of consumerism. Other than grocery stores and football commercials, the media and marketplace could care less about this special day.

Of course for the Christian, Christmas is a BIG day – celebration of the coming of Christ, our Savior. Yes, Jesus is more important than the pilgrims. However, the order of Thanksgiving coming first is a beautiful way to prepare our hearts for the Christmas season – especially when teaching children the importance of gratitude.

Gratitude is defined as the feeling of being grateful or thankful. We can teach kids what the Bible says in Colossians 2:6-7, “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.” If our children are overflowing with thankfulness to God for Jesus and for all the blessings that come from him, their little hearts are primed to turn gratitude into generosity.

This year, let’s help kids start with gratitude and use that as a way for them to see all that God pours out to us through His Son; then as a response – give back to others, counting the act of giving better than receiving.

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Kids Ministry Publishing. 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. Jana brings a wealth of experience and passion for kids, kids ministry, and the local church.

Christmas, Encouragement

From Gratitude to Generosity: Thankful Hearts Are Giving Hearts

By

Jana_newThanksgiving is quickly approaching, which is supposed to usher in the Christmas season. However, it seems that in recent years our current culture gets the two celebrations out of order. Christmas music starts in October, decorations are up in November, and the media ads start even sooner. It’s as though Thanksgiving has disappeared; after all, it is not associated with any kind of consumerism. Other than grocery stores and football commercials, the media and marketplace could care less about this special day.

Of course for the Christian, Christmas is a BIG day – celebration of the coming of Christ, our Savior. Yes, Jesus is more important than the pilgrims. However, the order of Thanksgiving coming first is a beautiful way to prepare our hearts for the Christmas season – especially when teaching children the importance of gratitude.

Gratitude

Gratitude is defined as the feeling of being grateful or thankful. We can teach kids what the Bible says in Colossians 2:6-7, “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.” If our children are overflowing with thankfulness to God for Jesus and for all the blessings that come from him, their little hearts are primed to turn gratitude into generosity.

This year, let’s help kids start with gratitude and use that as a way for them to see all that God pours out to us through His Son; then as a response – give back to others, counting the act of giving better than receiving.

Crafts, Fun

Teaching an Attitude of Gratitude

By

attitudeklistaAs Halloween fades into the rearview mirror, we start running full throttle into the holidays. In our race, we can sometimes find ourselves rushing through Thanksgiving as though it’s a blockade to get to Christmas! And if we’re not careful, we can teach our kids to have that same attitude. Here are a couple ideas to help your kids (and maybe you!) develop an attitude of gratitude!

Cut 2”x11” strips of paper in autumn colors, enough to have one for each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every night encourage family members to write something that they’re thankful for on one of the strips. Make a loop with each piece and link them together to make one long chain. During all the wanting and wishing as Christmas approaches, this will help remind your kids of everything that God has already provided for them. Option: Cut the strips from Christmas colors and use the chain to decorate your tree.

Make a table runner for your Thanksgiving table by cutting a long section of fabric, preferably a light muslin or something similar. Prior to Thanksgiving dinner, have each child make a handprint, either with paint or by drawing around his hand with a permanent or fabric marker. Ask the child to write something on it that he’s thankful for. (Or, for young children, the parent can write it.) This can become a family tradition as you use it year after year and watch your child’s handprint grow. As you read the things that you’ve been thankful for through the years, this will serve as a great reminder of all that God has done.

What are you doing to help your kids and families develop an attitude of gratitude? Leave a comment and let us know!

Blessings, friends!

Christmas, Preschoolers, Training

Helping Preschoolers Celebrate the Season

By

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. 

Crafts, Encouragement, Fun

Thanksgiving Service Project (Coloring Page)

By

land Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Probably because it is the official start of the holiday season with Christmas just a month away. But I also love it because it doesn’t have all of the stress of Christmas. I also love the colors and smells associated with Thanksgiving and, of course, the food. My uncle was a dietician at a nursing home for many years. I know that every year he would make the patients their favorite Thanksgiving foods, but for many, this was the only reminder of Thanksgiving they would receive.

The other day, I was sitting in a meeting when the tissue box sitting in the corner seemed to be yelling at me: “Do something with me!” That’s it, I thought, as I finished my meeting and headed to my friend Jackie’s office. I asked her to make me a template and coloring page for a Thanksgiving service project.

Jackie created this cute design that I thought would  be perfect for kids to spread a little Thanksgiving decor and cheer.

TissueBox

This Thanksgiving season, why not plan an event where your kids color up a few of these designs and then you all deliver them as a class to local shut-ins and nursing homes? Share the message “Jesus loves you!” with all of those you come in contact with. We have so much for which to be thankful! Download your tissue box page here.

 

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