Category: Wisdom for Children’s Ministry

Wisdom for Children’s Ministry is a collection of blogs containing wisdom gained over many years in Christian ministry to children.

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WHAT TEACHING MATERIALS (curriculum) SHOULD WE USE?

A blog by Rev. Grace Verrier

WHAT TEACHING MATERIALS (curriculum) SHOULD WE USE?

Matthew 13:19 (NIV) “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.”

 Our children are facing perilous times.  They are inundated with ungodly teaching.  Their moral values are being determined by their friends and the media.  If ever there was a time to teach children Godly principles it is now.

What teaching materials or curriculum should we use?  When teaching them we must keep in mind Matthew 13:19 to be sure that they really listen to and understand God’s word so that the devil cannot steal it from them.  We must be aware that secular teaching competes for their attention and we must minister to them using quality material and teaching methods that are at least as good as or are better than what the world has to offer.  If you do not have the gift of teaching and are unable to write your own material, be sure to draw from anointed resources presented by people who are experienced and knowledgeable ministers of God.  I have known Patti Loranger for many years and have worked with her and watched her develop into a mighty woman of God.  I believe she hears from the very heart of God when she is preparing teaching materials.  Her material is truly anointed and affordable and I feel that every children’s minister should prayerfully consider using it.

Click here for Curriculum and Bible Stories.

 

 

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Puppets – Instructions and Ideas

A Blog by Rev. Grace Verrier

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORKING WITH PUPPETS

  1. No elevator entrances or exits. I.e. they simulate walking up stairs
  1. Keep puppet’s mouth closed when not talking.
  1. Lip sync with the spoken part. Be sure to move the mouth on each syllable.  Open the mouth when you speak – don’t close it.
  1. If you do not have rod arm puppets, use your own hands to move the puppet’s arms around. The kids really don’t notice your hands.
  1. Keep the puppet at right angles to the stage.
  1. Puppets always exaggerate their actions.
  1. Look for sewing talent in your own church. Our puppets were designed by someone in ours.
  1. Make them so babies’ clothing fits them.
  1. The puppet show is done live. A sheet with dialogue is pinned to the stage.  In order to work the puppets effectively and read the dialogue at the same time it takes quite a bit of practice.
  1. It might be better at first if the show is adlibbed if your workers are able to take a subject and do this.
  1. Puppet shows can be pre-recorded with sound effects. The disadvantage is if something unplanned happens (i.e. a wig falls off a puppet) you must stop the show and start all over again.
  1. The best way to learn to operate a puppet is to do it for someone else. Ask them to tell you the things you are doing right and wrong.
  1. If you have puppets that appear regularly, give them a personality and stick with it.

                                                   PUPPET IDEAS

1.Give each puppet a voice appropriate to the puppet.

  1. Watch kid’s shows for ideas.
  1. Get kids to ask God for a character puppet to come to Children’s Church. Give him a biography and say how he needs money to come.  Receive an offering for it.  (Children do not have much money but they know how to get it from their parents.)
  1. Write puppet skits for animal puppets.
  1. Use a puppet to give out a quiet seat prize (need a puppet with hands to do this).
  1. Get a puppet to do announcements.
  1. Puppets can do music.
  1. Bully puppet can tempt the kids to do wrong showing them peer pressure.
  1. Devil puppet tells kids not to give during offering.
  1. Use songs on tapes and puppets to sing them.

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

 

 

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USE CRAFT TIME TO ENHANCE YOUR STORY TELLING

USE CRAFT TIME TO ENHANCE YOUR STORY TELLING

Jesus was a master story teller and still today story telling is one of the most effective ways to get a truth across to people.  Use craft time to enhance your story telling.

Long ago I had drawn cartoons to go along with a missionary story.  Recently on mission Sunday, I thought I would pull out that old story and read it to the kids, but to my dismay, I could not find the cartoons that went along with the story.  I searched my home and my computer but could not find them.

After prayerful thought, I decided that I would put craft time at the beginning of the service and have the kids draw the pictures.  I gave the children a detailed description of the missionary and then told each child what to draw in their picture.  At the end I gathered up the pictures and used them at story time.

Obviously this only works this way in a small group Sunday School class.  If I were teaching a large group, I would chose 10 kids and have them come to the front, give them the instructions, and have them draw while I proceeded on with the rest of the service.  You then would want to have someone to scan them or take photos of them to be imported into a power point presentation.

Anyways, the children’s enjoyed it and had a good laugh at each other’s pictures and I believe the missionary was honoured.

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

 

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USING CALESTHENTICS TO TEACH GOD’S WORD

A Blog by Rev. Grace Verrier

USING CALISTHENTICS TO TEACH GOD’S WORD

(KEEP IN SHAPE)

We have worshipped God in the sanctuary and while the pastor gives his sermon the children exit to be taught Biblical principles using effective teaching methods for children.  However, the children have been standing or sitting quietly in the sanctuary for the previous 20 to 30 minutes.  As teachers walk to the designated teaching areas we realize that we now have little human “pressure cookers” in our midst fully waiting to release their “steam”.  We can either try desperately to curtail that energy or we can harness and utilize it.  Children love to be active while they are being taught.  Why not use calisthentics to teach God’s word while they burn off energy?

 This is a great time to do “Bible Exercises”.  For example, sing the books of the Bible while exercising doing jumping jacks, running on the spot, physical contortions, etc.  We can sing Bible action songs with exaggerated actions.  We can be part of the “Lord’s army” marching and doing callisthenics to scripture.

If we, as adults, are unable to lead these actions, we can choose a child with exceptional energy to do so.  However, children love to be “better than adults” and they don’t seem to mind when the adult is unable to make the full movements expected.  We can join them in laughter, roll our eyes and keep on going.  Once I got down on the floor to do a push up and as I got up one little voice said, “PG you are creaking!”  When I realized children and activity go hand in hand and I read the scripture, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some, (I Cor 9:22) I joined a gym.

 

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

 

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Greet the Children Too. Don’t Overlook them.

Greet the Children Too.  Don’t Overlook them.

OVERLOOKING THE OBVIOUS

(A blog written by Rev. Grace Verrier.) (Used with permission.)

Last Sunday when I was about to enter the door of the church, the greeter (who is a really friendly person) opened his arms to give me a hug and welcome me.  However, out of the corner of his eye he spied some old friends who were about two meters behind me and he immediately pivoted his body and moved away from me to greet them with an exuberant embrace.  I know that he did not overlook me on purpose and that his happiness to see old friends overwhelmed his manners for the moment.  However, it made me realize that every week the same thing I experienced happens to the children in our church.  Adults greet other adults at the door but nobody greets the children.  It happens again when the pastor asks us to greet one another during announcement time.  Adults reach over the child beside them to an adult two chairs away to shake hands with them or hug them.  The children either stand feeling rejected or with fear of being smothered.  (Imagine being caught between two embracing giants.)  It often happens that when I do look toward children and reach out to greet them they turn to look behind them to see who I am greeting because they are so accustomed to being ignored.  I am reminded that Jesus didn’t overlook the children.  “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14)

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

 

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LIMIT YOUR VOCABULARY TO CHILDREN’S VOCABULARY

IS THIS THE TOWER OF BABEL?

(by Grace Verrier)

 

Imagine going into a church and experiencing an entire service presented in a language we cannot understand.  “When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.”  (Matthew 13:18,19)  It is essential that we limit our vocabulary to children’s vocabulary when teaching children.  If it is necessary to use more than a two-syllable word, be sure to explain what the word means.  Also, realize that young children are not able to grasp the concept of analogy.  For example, “The devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” may be interpreted as “Every roaring lion is the devil” in a child’s mind.

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

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MEET CHILDREN AT THEIR EYE LEVEL

MEET CHILDREN AT THEIR EYE LEVEL

An article by Rev. Grace Verrier

BIG OR SMALL

What would it be like to see through a child’s eyes?  Imagine walking into a church and seeing giants everywhere.  If I walked into a room full of people who are twice as tall as I am, it could be a frightening experience.  That is why I have learned to greet children at their own level.  (Why pay to go to the gym to do squats when it is free to do one every time I greet a child?)  There is an instant connection when I look straight into a child’s eyes.  They know that I care enough to meet them on their own level.  Children are exactly the same as we are – just shorter. “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart.”  (1st Samuel 16:7)

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

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True Friends

True Friends

“The friends you make in prosperity are those you lose in adversity.”
(E.C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

How wonderful it is that the bible tells us clearly how to know when you have a true friend.  You see the parable of the prodical son and how he learned the hard way that there are friends who are only there when you are prosperous.  A true friend sticks closer than a brother and will tell you the truth when you need to hear it.  They never leave you when you need them most.

As children’s ministers we need to be constantly affirming to the kids what a true friend is and that a true friend would never lead you away from the Lord.  We can be sure that if they are not coming your way towards the Lord, then that is not likely a friend sent to you by the Lord.

Friendships often pull kids away from the Lord, so friendship is something we should OFTEN talk about in children’s church.

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

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Faith to Prepare

Faith to Prepare

“Prayer is asking for rain and faith is carrying the umbrella.”
(E.C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

Many churches pray for revival and for souls and for an awakening for their community, but are we really ready?  If 100 new people landed in on your church this Sunday, would you be ready?  Would your children’s church ministry be ready to receive a bunch of new children.   True faith prepares.  True faith takes steps to be ready.  True faith has expectation.

I encourage you to get yourself ready because if you are praying for souls, then expect your prayers to be answered.  Have people trained and ready.

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources

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Worship is the Equalizer

Worship is the Equalizer

“Prejudice is the wall of fear build on the sands of suspicion surrounding the city of insecurity.”
(E.C. McKenzie from the book 1800 Quotable Quotes)

Many years ago I had gone to a work related conference and they invited some Japanese drummers to come and drum.  They were breathtaking to watch.  As I watched them I thought about how Heaven would be would when all the nations came together and presented their glory and honour and their best talents to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  I thought about how nothing puts us all in the same place and on the same level as worship.

I encourage that in children’s church make it a place a worship where God’s presence is there and and every child can feel that they have a part of this God.  Encourage the kids to always give their best worship to God and as a teacher you model giving God your best worship.  Make it breathtaking!

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.

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Equipped to Evangelize

Equipped to Evangelize

I read an article on 2 things that stopped the momentum of the Methodist movement.

Here is the link. https://www.100movements.com/articles/it-slayed-the-momentum-of-the-methodists

The first was the requirement for higher education for the gospel workers and the second was the removal of the requirement for new believers to take discipleship classes.

I like this quote. “No prizes for guessing what the movement killers were here?  Yes, the requirement for ordination studies in order to do what every believer has already received in his/her conversion–the agency and ministry of all believers.  And the second of course is non-discipleshipl”

As children’s ministers we need to remind the kids that they already have all they need to share the gospel.

 

Click here for Children’s Ministry Resources.