Thanks to Andrew VanDerLinden from Organized KidMin for this article! Kids crave the attention of adults. In today’s culture it is rare for a child to have the undivided, uninterrupted attention of anyone, especially an adult. If you want to stand out in the eyes of the kids in your ministry, practice these 8 Tips for Communicating…Continue reading 8 Tips for Communicating With Kids One-on-One …Continue reading 8 Tips for Communicating With Kids One-on-One
A fun Thanksgiving themed set of conversation cards to use with your Small Group. Turkey Talk: Conversation Cards For a full Thanksgiving themed lesson which includes these cards, see our Curriculum Store….Continue reading Turkey Talk!
Check out this free, downloadable and printable resource for Fruit of the Spirit Bingo from Ministry-to-Children….Continue reading Fruit of the Spirit Bingo
Thanks to Relevant Children’s Ministry for this re-post. The standard time for honoring children’s attention span when you are teaching has been 1 minute for every year with a max of 5 minutes. An example would be when you are teaching 3-year-olds. You would have 3 minutes to talk before you needed to switch and do…Continue reading 6 Second Commercials . . . 6 Second Attention Span …Continue reading 6 Second Commercials . . . 6 Second Attention Span
So You Want to Grow Your Club? Here’s 5 Ideas to Try Before you start . . . Check your capacity. Do you have the team members to handle more students? You should have about 7 kids attending on average for each Small Group Leader (your groups may enroll 8-9). Examine your structures. Does your…Continue reading 5 Ideas to Grow Your Club …Continue reading 5 Ideas to Grow Your Club
Thanks to Relevant Children’s Ministry for this re-post. As we begin the school year, challenge yourself to learn the names of those in your club or small group and greet each child by name. A few days ago, as I was doing my Bible reading, this verse jumped out at me. “Peace to you. The…Continue reading Names Matter! …Continue reading Names Matter!
Thanks to Creative Children’s Ministry for this great storytelling idea. Try this in Small Groups with younger children, or make it a re-usable prop for any Large Group teaching. Using wooden spoons painted as story characters is a great way of helping to tell stories to younger children. Unfortunately, it means that you need a lot of…Continue reading Chalkboard Story Spoons …Continue reading Chalkboard Story Spoons
**FOR TEAM LEADERS ONLY** For instructions on using coaching sheets, click here: How to Use Coaching Sheets. Large Group Routines Transitions Large Group Routines Transitions (Leader’s Notes)…Continue reading Large Group Routines: Transitions (Coaching Sheet)
Print and download these free Fruit of the Spirit coloring pages for your small group: Fruit of the Spirit Coloring Pages (ministry-to-children.com) …Continue reading Coloring Pages: Fruit of the Spirit
10 Ways to Partner with Parents (for SGLs) Send a note to parents when their child registers for Kids Club, introducing yourself as a Small Group Leader (SGL). Ask parents what they think you should know about their child, and what they hope their child to get out of their experience in your group. Encourage…Continue reading 10 Ways to Partner with Parents (for SGLs) …Continue reading 10 Ways to Partner with Parents (for SGLs)
Routines are Your Best Friend! The first few weeks of club, you will want to set aside extra time to teach your small group routines and procedures. Explain and model expected behaviors such as: o How students should enter Kids Club and where to put their things when they arrive o How and where everyone…Continue reading Managing Your Small Group …Continue reading Managing Your Small Group
Tickets are one recommended tool for an easy to implement behavior reinforcement system in Kids Club. To get started you will need: A large roll of raffle tickets, with numbers printed on both ends (1,000 or more) A bag of assorted prizes/candy/toys Each leader should have an adequate supply of tickets on hand at ALL…Continue reading Tickets 101 …Continue reading Tickets 101
Download these 15 different free fruit-themed, printable lunch box jokes and notes to include with your child’s lunch. Brighten their day, and let them know how much you care! (Plus the fruit concept goes along with our teaching theme at Crossroads this year.) …Continue reading Lunchbox Notes
This month’s Tuesday Tip series is about finishing the year off well in your role as a Crossroads leader. Good leadership involves reflection, and in order to finish well, I encourage you to plan some time to think back over your role this year and evaluate how things went. What were the highlights? What…Continue reading Finishing Well: Reflect and Record …Continue reading Finishing Well: Reflect and Record
The end of the school year is coming fast! Your team is probably already planning an end of the year party, but before you get to that, have you thought about dedicating some time in your Kids Club for review? Let the students have some fun remembering the stories and truths from God’s Word…Continue reading Finishing Well: Review and Remember …Continue reading Finishing Well: Review and Remember
How to Handle Disrespect One of the most challenging behavior issues that arises frequently with kids is disrespect. How do you respond when a kids shouts, “I don’t like you and I don’t want to be in this stupid group!” There’s no quick fix to handling disrespect, but here are a few helpful principles to…Continue reading How to Handle Disrespect …Continue reading How to Handle Disrespect
Reward the Positive One key to managing behavior in your club and small groups is to consistently recognize and reward positive behaviors. Here are three different strategies for your Kids Club. Idea #1: 500 Point Chart A 500 Point Chart is a reward incentive for the whole group. Each week, every child gets a…Continue reading 3 Ideas For Positive Behavior Reinforcement …Continue reading 3 Ideas For Positive Behavior Reinforcement
Asking questions is one simple way that you can intentionally build relational connections with children. To relate to children on a deeper level, we need to ask questions that elicit more than a shrug of the shoulders, a nod, or one- word answers like, “Fine,” or “Fun.” Instead, we can ask questions that lead to…Continue reading Asking Questions to Build Relationships …Continue reading Asking Questions to Build Relationships
Dealing with Challenging Behaviors One of the struggles we often hear from leaders is, “How do I effectively handle negative behaviors like disruption and disrespect from students?” There are tons of “behavior management” systems that you can use (our favorite is the ticket raffle), but ultimately there is no one-size-fits-all solution. These principles are…Continue reading Dealing with Challenging Behaviors …Continue reading Dealing with Challenging Behaviors
“Let’s Celebrate!” is a mini-series composed of holiday-themed lessons that are designed for Kids Club. The series includes biblical lessons for both large and small groups as well as special craft, snack and game ideas for each of the following celebration opportunities: Back to School Thanksgiving Christmas New Year’s Day Valentine’s Day St. Patrick’s Day…Continue reading Holiday Curriculum …Continue reading Holiday Curriculum
