Effective Children's Ministry

Posts Tagged ‘children’

Sometimes it is the simplest games that surprise us with the enthusiasm and delight of the kids. Even teens can get a kick out of some of them.

GrowingKidsMinistry.com have several blog posts about games for groups. Why not hop over to their blog? 
There are even videos of two of the games being played (by teens!) and a link to a PDF Activity guide which details many more games. With a little thought, you can select ones suitable for your age group and have a whale of a time!

The first part of Minute to Win it for Church groups

The second part of  Minute to Win it for Church groups

In a previous post we spoke about the dangers and advantages of group games.

Now for some great ideas for group games. You will find them at the Ministry-to-children.com forum. If you are looking for some tried-and-tested games ideas, check it out the big list here.

Or how about this one involving bowls of M&Ms and a scooter!!

Are there any large group games you have found to work with minimum danger (!) and maximum fun? If you have, feel free to comment below.

This post does not really highlight a children’s evangelism resource, but I am flagging up a page you may be glad to bookmark.

The blog post  I am referring to is  seminar notes and a wealth of resources from Steven Kryger at communic8jesus.com.

We need to hear again the 13 key points that Steven lists.

Identify and communicate your values

Model these values

Introduce your children to technology

Understand the mediums

Use anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware software

Use accountability software and filters

Know what your children are doing

Keep communication lines open

Be proactive in teaching your children

Develop a set of family rules

Encourage them to visit safe places online

Pray for your children, and children everywhere

Be gracious when they stuff up

After these very practical guidelines Steven offers tested solutions which may be of help to you or parents you know.

There are links to online resources for parents, also for those who teach children and teens. There are also links to accountability and filtering software. A section on pornography rounds off a thorough and thoughtful post. That link once again…

How To Protect Our Children Online

A great source of tried and tested ideas is the ChildrensMinistry.com online magazine.  You can sign up for their email newsletter and get loads of helpful and relevant information.

This week they flagged up a group  game for 6-12 year olds. Octopus is fun to play, especially as when a child is “out” he is also “in”.

Here’s how it works:

What to do: Create two home bases on either end of a large play area. Choose someone to be the Octopus. Have all the other children start on one home base. Once kids leave home base, they have to get to the other base before getting tagged by the Octopus. When kids are tagged, they join hands with the Octopus. The Octopus works together to catch other kids.

Once an Octopus has six people, it breaks in two. Play until all children have been tagged.

For this and other great ideas, visit ChildrensMinistry.com

Have you discovered a helpful site with resources and ideas for children’s ministry. Why not let us know by adding a comment below?

Catherine and I have always felt that there is incalculable benefit in listening to kids and hearing about their interests, worries and joys. So it was with great interest that I read an excellent article by Wayne Stocks (aka Dad in the Middle). He  asks the question : “Does Quality Time Always Have to Be Spiritual Time?”

In his article for Ministry-to-Children.com, Wayne writes about the value of talking and listening to kids, whether or not you speak of the gospel.

• What sort of things do kids like to talk about?
• Is ordinary, “non-spiritual”  conversation of spiritual value?
• Should we always try to weave in the gospel?

In an account of a recent real-life experience, Wayne answers these questions in a practical way. If you would like to see how relationships can be built and opportunities to bring healing into young lives can be grasped, you can read Wayne’s article here.

One sure way to help kids memorize bible verses is to say them out loud. An article on the Psychology Today website confirms what we have probably known all along!

They looked at people’s memory for items like a list of words. They found that if people studied the list by reading half of the words silently and the other half by saying the words out loud, that he words spoken aloud were remembered much better than those that were read silently.

There are lots of games and strategies to make out-loud repetitive learning fun. Speaking out the Word of God is a proven help to remembering.

Kathy Vincent (aka Scripture Lady) has some great ideas from making out-loud learning fun for kids.  Here is a great one. Check it out and see if you would like to use it this week with your class or club

CRAZY STAND UPs  Bible memorization from Scripture Lady

Cullen Wood of CullensABCs.com has a Youtube channel loaded with great ideas. Here’s one for the warm weather days. You can make ice cream without a machine if you follow Cullen’s instructions. A yummy treat for you and your child.

Do you have a child in your family or group that has special needs? I have  been very impressed at the regularity and quality of posts on
Our Out of Sync Life.

The author, Momma C. sums up her site like this:

God has blessed us with three beautiful children – one with Sensory Processing Disorder, a very Strong Willed middle child, and a Spirited Little Man. Follow us as we learn to train up our children to love the Lord with all of their heart, soul, and mind.

Even if right now there are no children in your care with special needs, you will still find this blog very uplifting and illuminating. There are heaps of ideas for crafts, and other learning opportunities.

Momma C is a trained educator  and she also runs a companion site , ABC Jesus Loves Me.   This is a pre-school Bible curriculum, free for use in the home. It is especially helpful for children with developmental delays.

I’d encourage you to check out these wonderful sites.

Once again our friends over at Ministry-to-children.com have come up with a practical and sensitive article.

To quote from the introduction:

Some of the children in our classrooms may not have a mother present in the home due to death, abandonment, military service, incarceration, custody issues, or various other circumstances.Parents can also be dealing with Mother’s Day grief, especially for those who have lost a child or their own mother recently. These feelings often will affect all the children in the family. So how can we approach the day with compassion? 

You can find  Mother’s Day & Kids Who Have Lost Their Mom here.

There is also a companion post on Father’s Day & Kids Who Have Lost Their Dad

Would you like to see a video of two of the cutest kids on the planet showing what they have learned about the Crucifixion? They use finger gestures to help recall the “5 mighty miracles of the cross”.

Hop over to FreeCMStuff.com .

I defy you not to grin from ear to ear when you watch the girls and then try to remember the gestures so that you can teach your kids!