Game: Find 4 Things in Common
Game: Find 4 things in common Materials: None How to Play: In this game, students should be divided into groups of four to five. The goal is for students to ask each other questions to find things in common. The first group to find four things that everyone in the group has in common wins…Continue reading Game: Find 4 Things in Common
Game: Healthy or Unhealthy? Charades
Game: Healthy or Unhealthy? Telephone Charades Note: This could also be played in a traditional charades format, with one student acting out the suggested phrase for their team to guess. How to Play: Instruct students to stand in two separate lines, forming two teams. The first team should stand with everyone facing forward in one…Continue reading Game: Healthy or Unhealthy? Charades
3 Things You Can Do NOW For a Successful Start Next Fall
While the school year is wrapping up soon, it’s not too early to think ahead and take a few simple steps now to ensure that your club ministry continues strong with a successful kick-off next fall. Here are a few things you can do now: #1 Team leaders should check with the principal about plans…Continue reading 3 Things You Can Do NOW For a Successful Start Next Fall
Team Reflection Exercise: Start, Stop, Keep
This is one of our favorite, easy to implement team activities that can be done with your team at pretty much any time and any place. It can be a good mid-year talk about how things are going and what can improve. It also can be a great end of the school year debrief discussion,…Continue reading Team Reflection Exercise: Start, Stop, Keep
Tips for Teaching Kids to Read the Bible
#1 Start with Structure Show students how the Bible is organized. Explain that the Bible is actually a collection of books written by different people who listened to God’s voice and recorded his working in the world. Show how it is arranged into Old and New Testament, and separated into chapters and verses….Continue reading Tips for Teaching Kids to Read the Bible
Easter Party Game Ideas
Here are some fun ideas for Easter party games at club. To see our full Easter Party plan, which includes the activities below, click here. Egg Transfer Materials Two bowls, boxes or baskets (any size and shape that can hold several plastic eggs) Plastic eggs, approximately a dozen Straws, one box of 100 Place a…Continue reading Easter Party Game Ideas
Bible Verse Game: Verse Skating
Materials: Sheets of 8 ½” by 11” paper A marker Preparation: Leader should create two sets of the verse by writing one word from the verse on two sheets of paper (one word per sheet). Divide into two teams or combine with another small group. Lay both sets of the verse out on the floor…Continue reading Bible Verse Game: Verse Skating
Top Traits of High-Functioning Teams
Crossroads Kids Club doesn’t happen without a team. A thriving club ministry takes at least five consistent adult volunteers, and many teams recruit additional help behind the scenes. However, even small teams can make a tremendous impact when they are functioning well together and committed to the mission. What are some of the top traits…Continue reading Top Traits of High-Functioning Teams
Deepening Your Church’s Engagement in The Crossroads Ministry
Crossroads Kids Club is more than a weekly 90-minute ministry. What happens on a weekly basis at your club makes a huge impact on children. But in addition to that, Crossroads is also about reaching families. The Crossroads club is one piece of a larger mission: entire churches adopting their local school community to reach…Continue reading Deepening Your Church’s Engagement in The Crossroads Ministry
Bible Object Lessons about Sin
Object lessons are a great way to enhance your lessons in small group or large group. Using real, every day objects that illustrate your teaching point can help make concepts stick for children, especially as they are in the concrete learning stage of development. Let’s be honest, teaching children about God and his Word involves…Continue reading Bible Object Lessons about Sin
Leading Children to Know and Follow Jesus
The Crossroads vision statement is “to bring the hope of Jesus to children and families, and to connect them to the life of a local church.” It is at the heart of our mission to share the gospel with students and lead them into a life transforming relationship with Jesus. What are the best ways…Continue reading Leading Children to Know and Follow Jesus
FREE Gospel Coloring Booklet
Here’s a kid-friendly resources for sharing the gospel with elementary age students. This coloring sheet booklet is available as a FREE PDF download at Ministry-To-Children. Click the link below to access a copy to print for your students. Free Gospel Coloring Book: Jesus is King!
Tips for a Hassle Free Dismissal
Leaders, have you ever had a day at club that went so well and you felt like everything was going so smoothly . . . right up until dismissal? It’s not uncommon for the last five minutes of club to be the time in which it feels like the most chaos ensues! However, if you…Continue reading Tips for a Hassle Free Dismissal
Games 101
Games are an essential part of a Crossroads club. After a long day in schools, kids need the chance to be physically active, and it actually helps them to refocus and learn better. Also, kids can benefit greatly from opportunities to learn teamwork and cooperation in a safe, structured environment. Most importantly, children connect best…Continue reading Games 101
3 Easy Ways to Connect with Families This Christmas
1. Throw a Christmas party for families at the school during or after club. Hosting an event during club often means parents are readily willing to join, because they are already comfortable and familiar with the school and with your club program. Invite members of your church to come and help with the event, and…Continue reading 3 Easy Ways to Connect with Families This Christmas
Welcome Letter to School
Here is a template for team leaders to use to introduce themselves and the Crossroads program to the school. Click on below and download the file to customize. Welcome Letter to School
3 Club Invitation Postcards
3 Club Invitation Postcards Use any of these graphics to create your own invite postcard to club. Option 1 (Click Here) Option 2 (Click Here)Option 3 (Click Here)
Transition Tips to Make Your Club Run More Smoothly
October 2019 When kids have to transition from one activity to the next, these are ripe opportunities for behavior issues to occur. As a leader, you might feel like things are running smoothly right up until you say, “Okay, time for Large Group!” Then you find yourself trying to control the chaos! Here are a…Continue reading Transition Tips to Make Your Club Run More Smoothly
Coaching Sheet: Raising the Fun Factor
**Coaching sheets are designed for TEAM LEADER use only** Coaching Sheet: Raising the Fun Factor (Team member copy) Coaching Sheet: Raising the Fun Factor (Leader’s Notes)
Raising the Fun Factor
September 2019 FUN is a central element of any after-school program. Can you increase student engagement by adding more fun into your small group? In our online leader workshop this month, we shared practical ways to make Bible lessons more fun and interactive for kids. We also discussed some of the following points on why…Continue reading Raising the Fun Factor
3 Ways to Bring Crossroads Home
At Crossroads Kids Club, we believe in partnering with parents to help them build kids of character. As leaders, you recognize the importance of reinforcing what kids are learning in club throughout the week, and you know that parents are often the best situated to make that happen. Here are three simple ways you can…Continue reading 3 Ways to Bring Crossroads Home
Starting Off Strong
The first day of club is like the first day of school: it’s absolutely essential to setting the tone for the year. In our online workshop for leaders earlier this month, we talked about the following tips for starting the year off strong in small groups. 1. Set a positive group culture. A few years…Continue reading Starting Off Strong
Game: Crows and Cranes
Crows and Cranes Objective: To race to your team’s safe line without getting tagged Materials: No materials needed How to Play: Divide students into two teams and have them stand facing each other across the centerline of the gym, or any marked boundary line in the center of your playing area. Assign one side to…Continue reading Game: Crows and Cranes …Continue reading Game: Crows and Cranes
Game: Good Seeds Relay
Good Seeds Relay Objective: To be the first team to plant your seeds in good soil without dropping them! Materials: Seeds or small objects such as a pom-poms to represent seeds, an equal number per group Spoons, one per student Two boxes or buckets Divide the students into two teams and have each team…Continue reading Game: Good Seeds Relay …Continue reading Game: Good Seeds Relay
Birthday Postcard Templates
Here are two Birthday Postcard Templates you can use for your Kids Club. Click the links below and download the files you want. Edit the second page of the Word document by filling in your church’s return address. Print double sided, preferrably on cardstock. Cut them out and personalize them with a birthday message. Birthday…Continue reading Birthday Postcard Templates …Continue reading Birthday Postcard Templates
15 Fun & Easy Bible Verse Games for Kids (PDF)
This free PDF was designed as a resource for parents to use at home with their kids. Most of the ideas here are published here on the CKC Leader Resource Blog as individual blog posts and the games are also referenced as optional activities in the curriculum. Here you can find them all in one…Continue reading 15 Fun & Easy Bible Verse Games for Kids (PDF)
Game: Wise Men Mystery Gift
Wise Men Mystery Gift Materials: A small gifts wrapped in multiple layers of paper A hat and scarf A set of oven mitts Wrap a small gift in multiple layers of wrapping paper. If you have a large group, you will want to have two gifts and split your students into two separate groups for…Continue reading Game: Wise Men Mystery Gift …Continue reading Game: Wise Men Mystery Gift
Game: Bunny Rabbit, Bunny Rabbit
Bunny Rabbit, Bunny Rabbit You need at least 5 people to play. You start with everyone in a circle. One person is the “bunny rabbit, bunny rabbit.” This person starts the game. Now, everyone in the circle chooses an animal, such as: “iguana, iguana,” “cat, cat,” or “shark, shark,” etc. Along with the animals, each…Continue reading Game: Bunny Rabbit, Bunny Rabbit …Continue reading Game: Bunny Rabbit, Bunny Rabbit
Game: Fierce Lion
Fierce Lion Object of Game: To avoid being tagged by a lion Equipment Needed: None How the Game Is Played: The object of the game is to avoid being tagged by the lions. The last student tagged will be the winner, and his or her team will earn points. The games leader designates a “lion’s…Continue reading Game: Fierce Lion …Continue reading Game: Fierce Lion
Game: How Many Lions in the Den?
How many lions in the den? Materials: None How to play: Have the children run around the room in a circle (in a gym around the edges of the basketball court works well.) You will call out, “How Many Lions in the Den?” and then shout a number. For example “Three lions in the den!”…Continue reading Game: How Many Lions in the Den? …Continue reading Game: How Many Lions in the Den?