Kid's Church

Fun Play Activities for Children: Clever School Kids Activity

2011-02-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

Activities for children are not always fun. A kids activity that is fun delights children. Kids like clever child activity. Play activities for children need not always be so. But younger children love fun in a child activity, and older children like a kids activity to be also clever. A kids activity that is clever, a child activity that is fun is best. Children activities are many -make children activity fun.
Among activities for children, this kids activity is educational fun. It’s one of the better children’s activities. Blue or Black Rose: At night put white rose in a glass of water, add some ink-by the morning it’ll be blue or black.

In children activity, fun junior tricks include kid pranks. Thread on Jacket is among the best tricks, pranks: Put a reel of thread in your breast pocket; with a sewing needle, bring the end of the thread out of it -watch as someone, usually one of the girls, tries to pick it off you.

Play activities for children must be fun. Kids activity, be they pranks, tricks must be fun. Here’s a child activity that is fun -a kids activity called Bean in Walnut: Split, empty, place a bean, in walnuts; glue the shells.

Challenges are fun play activities for kids, often junior tricks. Among children activities, pranks, games, tricks, Mighty Breath is a fun child activity: Place a book on its side, challenge to make it fall using only breath -place a balloon under it and inflate it.

This children activity is fun. Some children activities impress a teacher more than games, pranks, tricks. This children activity is educational fun. Activity teachers love such children activities. This children activity is called Onion: Place an onion in a glass of water; in a few days it will grow leaves and long roots! Good, fun, kids activity.

Child activity that impresses delight children. Not only a teacher can be impressed by children in child activity. There are children activities that impress others. Some play activities for children that are fun kids’ activities impress parents. Moms show feelings more in children activities that impress them. This kids activity impresses moms. Use a popular children activity, Invisible Ink: Dip a match stick in lemon juice, write ‘I love you mom’, dry -invisible until a kid’s mother is asked to iron it with a warm iron. Such tricks, kids activities, get hugs!

Children activities are many. Children like child activity that fools. Pranks, tricks, fool games, are better play activities for kids. More fun are kids activities, if a child activity fools other kids. A clever children activity is Mind Reading: Write ‘what’ on paper; say “I know what you’re thinking.” Kids will ask “What?” -show it. In child activity one of the best tricks -fools play activity teacher.

If kids activity puzzles that’s fun in play activities for kids. Kids’ activities are fun activities for children. Clever feel children if children activity appears an impossible feat. Others puzzlement make children activities fun. Such a child activity is Bottled Egg: Leave a hard boiled egg in vinegar overnight; its shell will soften -gently squeeze it into a milk bottle, rinse. A child activity, one of the activities for children that puzzles play activities teachers -they ask kids to tell them the secret!

Kids activities mix kid pranks in children’s games. Kids often create child activity, tricks, pranks from other play activities for kids. Children invent many children activities. Creative are kids in children activity. One of the creative fun activities for children, a loved children activity is Coin on String: Glue thread on a coin, place it in not so public a place, extend the reel, hide; someone will try to pick it up if nobody is watching -pull the string!

In children activity fooling grownups delights a child more than fooling children. Kid activity is fun if children’s games fool grownups. Such children activities are popular. One of the activities for children that rates high among kids’ activities is Make Look Up: If in a quite public place two children stand, look, point up to the sky, grownups will gather, copy the kids’ activity.

Child activity can be fun play at home. In kids activities home is seldom for pranks. In children activities pranks often exclude parents. With parents’ permission junior kids’ activities include tricks, pranks on grandparents. This children activity is a great kids activity for a child at home. A fun children activity is Paper Shower: When rainy put confetti gram’s umbrella, roll, put back.

Activities for children are fun if kids’ activities impress someone with authority over children. Children’s activities that impress a kids’ play activity teacher are so. There are many activities for children that impress. Such a children activity makes a child feel clever. This is popular with children in kids activities, 1st last: Cut lower-case letters, spell ‘last’; challenge kids, activities teacher to make it read “first” -remove ‘a’, impress activities teacher.

Teachers like educational fun activities for children. Many are impressive fun activities for children. Some educational activities for children can be days long fun activity for a child. A child can have more fun activity by varying educational activities for children. A variation in educational kids’ activities -Greenery: Place top of a carrot in a saucer with water in it, grow many long leaves.

In play activities for children, kids like clever child activity. Activities for children are loved that make a kid feel smart. Challenges in activities for children are liked by many kids. That’s also why in children’s play activity tricks are popular. Play activities teachers in fun play activities can delight children by teaching children clever kids activities. Play activity teachers can look smart by teaching children a kids activity that enables a child to look smart to other children. One of the clever activities for children that makes a child feel smart in fun play activity is Water in Water: Challenge to separate water in a bowl without removing it -dip a glass in it, fill, sit it in it.

Some kids puzzles and challenges aren’t as much fun to kids as some fun activities for children. Kids activity must be fun. Clever fun is best in play activities for kids. Activities for children are fun if they amaze, are such fun kids activities that children can repeat them to impress other kids. Such a children activity is Egg on Edge: The play activity teacher challenges children to stand an egg on its edge -shows kids how, stands it on a heap of salt.

Some activities for children are suitable only for senior kids. In fun play activities for young children balloons are prominent. In kid activities young children like balloons. Some activities for children are suitable for senior kids, and under supervision as junior activity. One of the tricks liked in fun play activities for children is Pin in Balloon: Can kids stick a pin in an inflated balloon without bursting it? Put sticky tape on it, then the pin.

Also in junior play activity for kids is liked fooling adults. Older children often do so with tricks, younger children mostly with feats. One such fun activity of younger kids is No Touch Pick: Can parents pick up paper tissue with straw without using hands? Drinking straw in mouth, suck on it through straw.

The electronic pet was one of the popular children’s activities. Educational fun play activity for children calls for a teacher’s creative imagination. This play activity for kids is to children as an electronic pet. An educational fun kid’s activity is Pea Shoots: Line a box with wetted blotting paper, place a few beans, peas in it -wet them daily; watch them grow shoots, longer each day.

Kids’ activities need not all be educational. Fun play activities for children can also be simply interesting fun activity. This children activity is for senior kids, not a junior fun activity. Card Guessing: Make a circle with playing cards, face down, clockwise, beginning with an Ace (‘A’), ending with a Queen (‘Q’) -place the King (‘K’) in the center. Ask a kid to think of a number between 1 and 12; each time you tap on a card to count down from 20, and tell you to stop when he reaches it. First tap on seven cards randomly, make sure your 8th tap is on the Queen (‘Q’) -then tap anti-clockwise (J, 10, 9, 8…). When told ‘stop’, it is the number thought of. This kids activity can be had much fun with before teaching it to other kids.

Fun activities for kids both younger and older children indulge in. Some kids activities are classic favourites of children. A popular kids activity is Back Wheel: To a kid riding a bicycle, yell, “Your back wheel’s going round!”

Kids also love fun. Children’s activities must be fun play.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/fun-play-activities-for-children-clever-school-kids-activity-149586.html

Humor

2009-09-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

A child was watching his mother sift through and delete a long list of junk E-mail on the computer screen.
"This reminds me of the Lord's Prayer," the child said.
"What do you mean?" the mother asked.
"You know. That part about 'deliver us from E-mail."
~~~~~
~~~~~
A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, "My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?"
The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."
The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way.
Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery. The monks gain accept him, feed him, even fix his car. That night, he hears the same strange noise that he had heard years earlier.
The next morning, he asks what it is, but the monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."
The man says, "All right, all right. I'm dying to know. If the only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk?"
The monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become a monk." The man sets about his task. Some forty-five years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, "I have traveled the earth and have found what you have asked for. There are 145,236,284,232 blades of grass and 231,281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth."
The monks reply, "Congratulations. You are now a monk. We shall now show you the way to the sound."
The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, "The sound is right behind that door."
The man reaches for the knob, but the door is locked. He says, "Real funny. May I have the key?"
The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man demands the key to the stone door. The monks give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He demands another key from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is another door, this one made of sapphire. So it went until the man had gone through doors of emerald, silver, topaz, amethyst.
Finally, the monks say, "This is the last key to the last door." The man is relieved to no end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that door he is amazed to find the source of that strange sound.
But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.
Submitted by Pouderpuf
~~~~~
A nun is waiting for her flight. She looked over in the corner and saw one of those weight machines that tells your fortune. So, she thought to herself "I'll give it a try just to see what it tells me." She went over to the machine and put her nickel in, and out came a card that said, "You're a nun you weigh 128 lbs and you are going to Chicago."
She sat back down and thought about it. She told herself it probably tells the same thing to everyone, but decided to try it again. She went back to the machine and put her nickel in. Out came a card that read, "You're a nun, you weigh 128 lbs., you're going to Chicago, and you're going to play a fiddle."
The nun said to herself, "I know that's wrong, I have never played a musical instrument a day in my life." She sat back down. From out of nowhere, a cowboy came over and set his fiddle case down next to her. The nun picked up the fiddle and just started playing beautiful music. Startled, she looked back at the machine and said, "This is incredible. I've got to try it again." Back to the machine. In goes her nickel, out comes the card which said, "You're a nun, you weigh 128lbs., you're going to Chicago and you're going to break wind."
Now, the nun knows the machine is wrong; "I've never broke wind in public a day in my life!" Well, she tripped, fell off the scales and broke wind.
Stunned, she sat back down and looked at the machine. She said to herself, "This is truly unbelievable, I've got to try it one more time." She goes back to the machine, puts in a nickel and collected the card. This time the card says, "You're a nun, you weigh 128lbs., you have fiddled and missed your flight to Chicago."
Submitted by Ray
~~~~~
Church Bulletins

Here are some Actual Announcements Taken From Church Bulletins.
Don't let worry kill you -- Let the church help.
Thursday night -- potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and the community.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.
This afternoon there will be a meeting in the south and north ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
Tuesday at 4:-00 p.m. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.
Wednesday, the Ladies Liturgy Society will meet. Mrs. Jones will sing "Put Me In My Little Bed" accompanied by the pastor.
Thursday at 5:00 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All wishing to become little mothers, please see the minister in his study.
This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
The service will close with "Little Drops Of Water," One of the ladies will start quietly, and the rest of the congregation will join in.
Next Sunday, a special collection will be taken to defray the cost of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the new carpet will come forward and get a piece of paper.
The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" -- come early and listen to our choir practice.
Submitted by Qiltmeister
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Thoughts...
A church is an excellent place to go for faithlifts.
~~~~~
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"Bible Story"
A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." His son asked, "What happened to the flea?"
Submitted by SandyD
~~~~~
A minister in Florida lamented that it was difficult to get his message across to his congregation. "It's so beautiful here in the winter," he said, "that heaven doesn't interest them. And it's so hot here in the summer that hell doesn't scare them."
~~~~~
The Wednesday-night church service coincided with the last day of hunting season. Our pastor asked who had bagged a deer. No one raised a hand. Puzzled, the pastor said, "I don't get it. Last Sunday many of you said you were missing because of hunting season. I had the whole congregation pray for your deer." One hunter groaned, "Well, it worked. They're all safe."
~~~~~
Did You Know?Life expectancy for weekly churchgoers is 82; for those who attend more than once a week, it's 83. Non-churchgoers live an average of 75 years. - USA Today
~~~~~

Are You

2009-03-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Little Rodney, 4 years old, walked down the beach, and as he did, he spied a woman sitting under a beach umbrella on the sand. He walked up to her and asked, "Are you a Christian?"

"Yes." she replied.

"Do you read your Bible every day?"

She nodded her head, "Yes."

"Do you pray often?" the boy asked next, and again she answered, "Yes."

With that he asked his final question, "Will you hold my quarter while I go swimming?"

Communion

2009-03-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

The church was celebrating Communion. During the "children's sermon", the minister was talking about Communion and what it is all about.

"The Bible talks of Holy Communion being a 'joyful feast'. What does that mean? Well, 'joyful' means happy, right? And a feast is a meal. So a 'joyful feast' is a happy meal. And what are the three things we need for a happy meal?"

A little boy put up his hand and said, "Hamburger, fries, and a regular soft drink?"

Giving back to community through faith, good deeds

2008-12-31T07:27:00.000-08:00

The children of the Faithful and True Christian Center in Burtonsville understand what Christmas means to the community, and they didn't find out during story time.

In the church's business park location off Blackburn Road, there were no grinches or red-nosed reindeer, just dedicated kids stuffing stockings for less fortunate children from Country Place Apartments in Burtonsville.

"At any age, they can impact the community," said Kinta Jones, co-director of the church's Children's and Youth Ministry. "You don't have to be an adult."

Jones said at a time when people are focused on themselves, children can still learn about giving.
Raven Perry, 9, beamed about the handmade bookmarks she made for the visitors.

"It feels good because [giving back] helps people who don't have enough," said Perry, a Bowie resident. "I know it's important to help less fortunate people."

"It's about giving to others," said Aaron Carter, 8, of Beltsville.

The children had been up all morning, but remained enthused with the aid of breakfast and sweets. They were excited about the event long before, Jones said.

Not even the electronic allure of the Madden video game could keep 9-year-old Thomas Elliot from stuffing stockings.

"We can give things to [the less fortunate,]" said Elliot, also from Beltsville.

In addition to church members, Silver Spring business owners also pitched in: Leon Young of Fun Time Express, and William Braxton of W. R. Braxton Trash Service Inc. made donations.
Jones said community outreach is one of the church's goals. Finding a permanent home was another before last year.

Pastor A. Troy Harrison and his wife, Pastor Monica Harrison, founded the Faithful and True Christian Center in 1998. The first meeting took place at Argyle Middle School in Silver Spring with six members attending.

Then the Silver Spring school tour continued: Services were held at Westover, Georgian Forest and William T. Page elementary schools. But the idea of a permanent location for a multicultural church remained.

The church now occupies space in an expansive office complex. The office location may be fitting, since business has just begun for the Harrisons and the 82 church members; it's the first chapter of a large project, A. Troy Harrison said.

A TV program, a Christian academy and a housing development are some of the Harrisons' plans for the future. But to get there, A. Troy Harrison said it would take a substantial combination of sponsors and money.

"The heart of this ministry is greater than what we have [financially]," he said.

"We work within our means," Monica Harrison said. "Our mindset isn't that of a small church."
The church hosts activities including a quarterly Parents Day Out and an annual Valentine's Day Couples Dinner. Youth programs include "Fresh Fridays," where children can play games, listen to music and learn about the Bible every third Friday.

The Harrisons are looking at how other churches have flourished. Their church has received support from the Spirit of Faith Christian Center, A. Troy Harrison said. The center, founded in 1993, has locations in Brandywine, Ellicott City and Temple Hills.

"They're the church we look up to," Harrison said. "They're our pastors."

Children’s Church Games

2008-08-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Children’s church games, especially group games can be challenging at times. I know, I was the games leader at our church’s mid week program for about four years. During that time I cooked up a few games and activities that I would like to share with you here. While I refer to these games as “Children’s Church Games” that doesn’t mean they should necessarily be restricted to children’s church, or just children, or just church. Actually, some of the activities here you would definitely not want to play at kid’s church. In particular the slime events you will probably want to hold off on for some other time.

Here’s a quick tip to add a little extra zip to the higher energy games. Play some up beat Christian rock music while you are playing the game. Maybe some Stephen Curtis Chapman or Third Day. The kids love the music and it works well as a signal as to when to start and stop playing the game. Initially, I had not played the music much with the younger kids thinking that they wouldn’t really care one way or another about it. It turns out they probably enjoyed the games with the music most of all of the ages. I could hardly get the word GO out of my mouth before one of them was asking to have the music on.

You’re welcome to use these games and activities in your programs and pass them on to your friends. In return I ask only a few things. If someone asks “Where did you get that cool game?” tell them “I found it at ChildrensChurchGames.com”. Please don’t copy these kids games and activities to another web site. But, feel free to link to this site. Let me know how things work out for you. I would be happy to hear how the games and activities went with your kids and any suggestions you may have for improvements. And lastly, if you have a game you would like to share, send it in to me. I will give you fill acknowledgment on the web page with your game. This acknowledgment can be your email address, name or whatever you would like listed with your games. You can email me at Jeff@childrenschurchgames.com

Megachurches use software to help keep track of members

2008-08-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

On any given Sunday, about 5,000 kids come into the children's ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano.

Families form lines and check in at 32 kiosks spread among the church's six entrances, swiping "Quick Passes" at the self-service machines. Parents register the kids for classes, then a kiosk spits out sticky name badges for both parent and child with identifying information: child's and parent's names, classroom and any food allergies.

About a dozen of the kiosks have volunteers standing by to help families who have forgotten their digitized cards.

Badges in hand, parents walk their kids to one of 85 classrooms for a Bible-focused story hour, playtime or worship before they themselves head off for services in Prestonwood's main sanctuary.

"This was essential to us," Prestonwood executive pastor Mike Buster said of the technology to ensure children's safety. "Volunteers are at every entrance making sure everyone has a badge."
Prestonwood relies on a special computer software designed for churches to keep track of who is where – not just which children should go home with which parents.

Beyond keeping kids safe, congregants get a virtual town square where they can go online to request counseling on a variety of spiritual and personal matters or sign up their children for Bible study or sports leagues.

Pastor Buster said the software helps church leaders retain a sort of intimacy among the 27,000-member congregation.

"We want to make Prestonwood not feel like a big church but a small town," he said.
To build its ecclesiastical nerve center, the church turned to Fellowship Technologies.

The Irving firm grew out of tech efforts at a Grapevine church in 2004 and has bloomed into a data and software company catering to 870 churches in 46 states and eight countries.

Using the Internet, Fellowship Tech helps churches digitize operations just like a secular business would – from wristbands for children in day care (think hospitals) to tracking which members stop attending (try dropping your cable service) to monitoring tithing levels (just as the American Cancer Society might contact someone who stopped giving).

LifeChurch.tv of Edmond, Okla., is another Fellowship Technologies customer.

The church ministers to 19,000 people through 12 campuses and the Internet. With such a far-flung congregation, it's vital to keep track of new members by archiving the cards they fill out detailing interests and contact information.

"It keeps people from slipping through the cracks," said Suzy Crisswell, systems administrator for the 12-year-old church. "They will get a phone call, saying ... 'Thanks for visiting.' It makes people feel important and wanted."

Preventing anonymity
For users, Fellowship Tech's software helps lessen the perception that members often become anonymous in megachurches.

"Big churches can do big things," points out Jeff Pelletier, the company's vice president for sales and marketing. Churches "can use technology to care for you even better."

Churches of all sizes became digitized as the general business world did in the last 25 years. But megachurches – those with more than 2,000 members – are an especially fruitful market.

Numbers multiply
And megachurches really began to grow in the last 20 years, according to "Megachurches Today," a report released in 2005 by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Hartford, Conn.

Dallas has several megachurches, including Prestonwood and the Potter's House.
What would become Fellowship Tech got its start in 1999, when Fellowship Church developed a program to meet its own technology needs.

By 2003, the church decided to spin off the program and called on then-member Jeff Hook, a former executive at Farmers Branch-based i2 Technologies Inc., to help.

Raising $2.5 million from outside investors, he became the newly minted company's chief executive.

The company's Web-based program gives churches an interactive administrative system rather than serving as just a repository of "one-way information," Mr. Pelletier said.

"Churches have buckets of data that don't cross-pollinate," he explained, citing things as simple as a member's phone number being updated in the pastor's database but not in the one for the children's ministry.

Next month, the company will roll out a service allowing churches to more deeply slice and dice data on members.

Churches have long had some administrative functions; in the past, they could be handled by ledgers and contribution statements, said Phill Martin, deputy chief executive of the National Association of Church Business Administration in Richardson.

Using Themes in Your Children's Church

2008-07-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

Reaching, Impacting and Disciplining this generation is challenging, yet it is the primary objective of children's ministry. It takes lots of old fashioned commitment, training and good tools to effectively accomplish these goals.

I am passionate about God's Word and the impact it can make on lives, but sometimes helping children fall in love with the Bible is as difficult as getting children to eat their vegetables. When children are really hungry they will eat anything, but with cabinets full of empty snacks and sugary treats, nutritious foods are often left on children's plates. I think How can we help children develop a spiritual appetite in an environment where their lives are so full?

1. Pray.

Children's ministry is not a carnival, a talent show or a spectator event. Children's ministry is introducing children to Jesus and developing disciples. If we are not doing that, then we may have effective baby sitting, but we do not have children's ministry. There can be no ministry without the leadership plugging into the source of ministry- Jesus. That begins with prayer. Make prayer a priority, if you want to make a difference in children's lives.

I see incredible talent in the leadership of children's ministers today, but talent can never replace the need for a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. You can have a great children's program with a talented leader and talented staff, but you will never make the life changing impact that God intended until you become a person of prayer.

2. Know your children.

You must lead from where the children are now, not where you want them to be. I have seen so many people in children's ministry talk over children's heads about subjects the adult leader is interested in talking about instead of discovering where the children are now. Can you answer these questions? Where are your children spiritually? What are their needs? What are their interest?

Every group is different. You teach a group of inner city children very differently than you do children from yuppie families. Talk to your children. Survey your children. Listen to them talk to each other. What movies are they watching? What games are they playing? What is their home life like?

I see children's leaders that want to cookie cutter another ministry and make it work in their environment. But a much better choice is to fit the curriculum to the needs of your children and your objectives.

Where do you want to take your class spiritually? As their leader, where are you going spiritually? Where do you want to take them spiritually? What is God leading you teach on?

3. Reach them where they are.

Children are not adults in little bodies. Children's ministry is very different than adult ministry. Your motive is not to train them to act like adults, but help them to fall in love with Jesus. Jesus understood His audience. He talked to the woman at the well about water. He talked to farmers about seed. Use object lesson, stories, puppets and drama-things children love to reach them where they are. Use lots of variety. Keep the segments short, but purposeful. Each object lesson, story etc. should have a common objective. A good curriculum can help you by providing a spring board for creativity.

Children need the basics. Realize that because it is old stuff to you, doesn't mean they already know it. Instead of always looking for a new message, listen in God's presence for His message. Having a message from God makes all the difference in the world.

4. Grab their attention.

Use bright colorful visuals, lots of action, movement and interaction with the children. No one wants to be bored, especially children. Keep your program moving. Use a team of volunteers with varying talents so one person is not in front of the class the entire class.

Curriculum from Let Us Teach Kids comes with set ideas to help you create a thematic atmosphere. Why is atmosphere important? Ask Disney World, McDonald or fine restaurants. It works! It draws people and it is good public relations! A colorful set communicates fun and the value you place on children.

5. Help them to taste and see that God is good.

When my children were young I tried to get them to eat nourishing foods by offering them a variety of foods. I encouraged them with "Try it. You'll like it." I didn't stop when they spit it out, or pushed it around on their plate.

Expose your children to an environment that will lead them into relationship or friendship with Jesus. Depending on where they are spiritually, involve them in prayer time. Let the children lead in prayer. Have a regular time of prayer in your children's service.

Fall in love with the Bible and its author. Express that passion to your students. Ministry is overflow. Let your relationship overflow to your students. No curriculum can do that for you. A good children's curriculum is a priceless tool, but it will never replace leadership that have a passionate relationship with Jesus.

Important things to remember in your children's church.

1. Children are not adults in little bodies.
2. Children are not like jugs to be filled. They are like kittens to be nurtured.
3. Like plants, all children are not the same. You don't water all the plants the same amount or you'll root rot some and deprive the other.
4. Children's church is not for you it is for them.
5. Medicine may be good for them, but unless it taste good, it is awfully hard to get them to swallow it. Your presentation should be palatable.
6. In a class without effective discipline, everyone is punished, especially the teacher.
7. Love opens the gateway to the mind and the heart.
8. Why would anyone want to half do something as important as children's church. Give it your best.
9. Have fun. Make it fun for the kids. Laugh. Let them laugh.
10. Never do it alone. Partner with God. He will only show up where He is a priority.

KIDS IN CHURCH

2008-07-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Gerry Coffey
3-year-old, Reese: "Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen."

A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."

A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife." (SO TRUE!!!)

After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."

I had been teaching my three-year old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord's Prayer for several evenings at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us some E-mail. Amen."

And one particular four-year-old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets." (HEY: Trespassing is trash!;-)

A Sunday school teacher asked her children, as they were on the way to church service, And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping." (Another truism;-)

Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!"

A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?"

A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

Kids in Church

2008-07-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

My days of quiet contemplation at church ceased three and a half years ago when my first child, Elise, was born. Before we had kids, my husband and I were able to pray with reverence and concentrate on every word of the readings. Now, church is one long hour of multitasking. I pray with one eye on my kids. I listen to the sermon while retrieving granola bars from the floor. I sing along to hymns as I fish children's books out of our backpack. Some weeks, my most worshipful moment is thanking God that my 1-year-old son, Jonah, is intrigued by the new candles up front.

Most of the time, we're willing to go through this inconvenience because it's important to us that we worship as a family. But some weeks I find myself thinking, Maybe we should give up and start shipping them to the nursery.

To help me decide if our efforts to keep our kids in church are worth it, I talked to parents, pastors, and religious educators for their opinions. They were unanimous. "One of the most important parts of parenting is teaching your children how to worship," says Georgene Burt, minister of child education at First Baptist Church of Ellisville, Missouri. "It's hard sometimes, especially if you have a child who's very active. You may even have to realize that you're not going to get very much out of the service. But, remember, like everything else, this stage, too, will pass."

Some Christian educators believe that including children in the worship service is more than just a nice idea; it's essential to their spiritual development. Myra Arnold, who teaches religion to 2- to 6-year-olds at Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, says, "Jesus intended for us to bring children into this celebration. Being part of the community of faith is the basis of us being able to live a Christian life, and children are a part of that community. The 2 1/2-year-olds I teach love church. That seems to be the beginning of their sensitivity to spiritual things."

Even if we firmly believe that our children should participate in the worship service, we often worry about what other people will think. But according to Eric Carlson, pastor of First Lutheran Church in Stoughton, Wisconsin, that's a worry we can let go of. "It may be distracting [for other parishioners] to hear a baby cry or a toddler say something," he says. "But remember that Jesus welcomed the little ones. I often think of the time the custodian told me that it looked like it had been a great Sunday morning because there were so many Cheerios in the pews. He was right."

Making Family Worship WorkWhile worshiping as a family sounds great in theory, in practice, it can be tough to pull off. But there are ways you can make the task easier. For toddlers and preschoolers, the key is making them feel like an important part of the church community.

Encourage your child to be involved in the service. Let her hold the hymnbook and put the money in the collection plate. In the week before the service, learn some of the songs you'll be singing on Sunday so she can sing along. Sit in the front row so your child can see what's going on and you can explain to her what's happening. If she feels welcome and loved in church, she'll have a more positive view of worship, and that can last all the way to adulthood.

Remember, though, to have realistic expectations for your young children. No 2-year-old will sit quietly for an hour, so you'll need to find ways to keep him occupied. The First Baptist Church of Ellisville makes "worship bags" for its little ones filled with crayons, coloring pages, and other quiet activities. If your church doesn't have something similar, put one together yourself.

Include stickers, books, and a small snack. Help your child decorate the bag and pick a special place at home to keep it during the week. You can make the bag extra exciting by telling your child that the bag is especially for church.

Older children get bored more quickly, so helping them enjoy church means keeping them occupied. The worship bag (or backpack) idea still works for elementary kids with a few adjustments. Some churches provide kids' bulletins filled with word searches and other worksheets that make good additions to a worship bag.

If you want to go a step further, you, your pastor, or a group of volunteer parents could make worksheets that use words and ideas from each week's readings or theme. Or come up with your own unique idea using the talents of your congregation. Carlson says at his previous parish, a member who was an artist made coloring books with drawings that depicted areas of their church. This gave parents an opportunity to teach their kids about the physical structure of the church, while giving the children something constructive to do during the service.

The Other Six DaysDon't limit your prep work to Sunday morning. Talk about church throughout the week and tell your children about any special symbols or rituals that will be present the coming Sunday. Or consider creating a prayer table at home that displays items that coincide with the church's calendar, such as a nativity scene or Easter eggs. It will take a little time to educate yourself, but one of the benefits of teaching your children about faith is that you're forced to learn a lot in the process.

Children of all ages learn a great deal by repeating what they've heard. Toddlers and preschoolers like playing "pretend church." Let your 3-year-old pretend she's the pastor or choir director or mommy to her stuffed animals (she might love teaching them to be quiet).

For older children, Deb Bradley, the mother of three children who directs the religious education program for children at her church, offers this tip. "If there is someone you know well who doesn't attend church—a spouse, a homebound grandparent, a good friend, or neighbor you see on Sundays—give your child the job of telling that person what happened in church and what the message was that day," she says. Your child will feel important about her task, she'll listen better, and you'll get to hear exactly what your son or daughter understood from the service.

Living in the ChurchIt also helps to think of your goal on a bigger scale. Instead of making church a one-hour-a-week commitment, make it a greater part of your family's world. You may want to start a program at the church where families pair up with an elderly person and sit together during the service. (Your child will look forward to seeing "Aunt Rose" each week.) Do community projects through your church, and get involved in church festivals and events. Eventually, your church will feel like a community to your child, and in turn, he'll probably respond to the expectations of that community.

All of these ideas can help get your children involved in worship. But the most crucial step you can take is also the most obvious: make church a joyful ritual. Don't go just because you think you should. Let your children see you prepare for church with enthusiasm. Make sure they hear and see you getting excited about being part of a Christian community. "It's the parents' job to open their children's hearts to God," says the Reverend Tom Walker of Red Wing, Minnesota. "Children learn by repetition, by seeing that Mom and Dad are in church every week."

Brenda Dickel attends church every week with her husband and their 2-year-old daughter, Grace. She says, "It's true that it's hard having children in church with you. But not having them there is hard, too. My daughter is a part of our family and when she's missing, part of the foundation of our family is missing. I don't like being in church without her."

I feel the same way, and now I'm re-energized to continue teaching my children how to worship. Slowly I'm seeing progress. Elise loves to sing the songs in church and she gently quiets Jonah when he's getting noisy. I hope that in time, both my children will be attentive not only to the service, but also to the basic virtues of their faith. For me, that's worth a few Cheerios in the pews.

Michelle Leise is a writer and the mother of two. She and her family live in Minnesota