Deeper KidMin 2020 Report

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As we round out the year, I wanted to share a few exciting stats with you from Deeper KidMin in 2020...[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="48495" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="img_link_large" img_link_target="_blank"][vc_column_text]*Want to see who our Vendors are? Meet them (and their amazing resources) here! Deeper KidMin wouldn't be what it is without this team of amazing leaders.  We are humbled and floored by these numbers, and we so appreciate you allowing us to serve you this year.  Because I could never say it enough, thank you.  And Happy New Year. -...

The Weary World Rejoices

Our Advent series at church this year is fittingly titled "The Weary World Rejoices," and man has it been sweet. "O Holy Night" has always been my favorite Christmas carol anyway, but the lyrics really hit home this year. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. "Weary" is one of the best words I can think of to describe this year and this season of ministry. From a global pandemic to racial injustice to the political divide we're experiencing in the U.S., the world is experiencing a bone-deep fatigue that seems to permeate all areas of life. Add in trying to do children's ministry in the midst of all this, and whew! Talk about weary! Maybe you're feeling drained of emotional and physical energy as you try to stay connected with families, equipping them for at-home discipleship without...

Christmas Mad Libs Freebie

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Use this fun Christmas Mad Libs game to invite kids into helping you tell a funny version of the Christmas story! In this Mad Lib game, kids will share words to fill in the blanks to help re-tell the story of an angel visiting Mary, based on Luke 1:26-38.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Christmas Mad Libs here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2FDKM-Christmas-Mad-Libs-Freebie.pdf|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="44259" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/product/christmas-mad-libs-bible-edition/"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]Add a little fun and laughter to any lesson with even more...

Family Christmas Eve Bags: Taking the Christmas Eve Celebration Home

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I've shared before about what I like to include in Christmas Eve worship activity bags (we called them Praise Packs) to use during an intergenerational Christmas Eve service, but what if you included resources for families to use at home AFTER the service is over? Providing additional resources, ideas, or even a simple family devotion can help families focus on Christ this Christmas and celebrate the real reason for the season. Here are a few ideas you could include in your Family Christmas Eve Bags to keep the celebration going even after the Christmas Eve service is over... Movie Night Kit - Kids love snuggling up under some blankets for a Christmas movie. Tie together a bag of popcorn, some Christmas candy, a candy cane, and some hot cocoa packets to make a "Christmas Eve Movie Night Kit" for families to...

Wise Men Christmas Activity

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Share this fun Christmas activity with your families to help them celebrate Christmas well beyond Christmas Day! Print, color, and cut out the wise men on the following page, then attach them to toilet paper rolls. Starting on Christmas Day, move them to a different spot in your house until they reach the manger on Epiphany, January 6, the 12th day after Christmas![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Wise Men Activity Here! " align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2FDKM-Wisemen-Freebie.pdf|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="21669" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank"...

Christmas Card Day

Did you know that December 9 is an official holiday called "Christmas Card Day"? Who knew!? It's celebrated in honor of the very first commercial Christmas cards that were sent in 1843 in London by Sir Henry Cole. And while it very well could be a holiday that Hallmark added to our calendars to boost their own sales, the spirit of the day remains true. The tradition of sending a little Christmas cheer to family and friends is a sure way to brighten someone's holiday season. So how can you celebrate Christmas Card Day as a children's ministry leader?  Send Christmas cards! 2020 is the perfect year to send Christmas cards to your families, especially if you're back/still in quarantine. It's an easy way to connect with families and let kids know you miss them. (Psst - we've made this one super easy for you! Download our "We miss you!"...

Family Census Activity

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Share this fun Family Census Activity Printable with the families in your ministry to complete at home, or use it as part of your Sunday morning activities during the month of December![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Family Census Activity here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2FDKM-Family-Census-Activity.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_column_text] Mary and Joseph traveled to the town of Bethlehem to be counted in the census. A census is a count of all the people in the land. Back in Bible times, people had to return to their hometown to be counted. So Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to be counted in the census (because that was Joseph's hometown). Fill out your own family census, but with an added twist. There are statements and then a...

Last Christmas 2020

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last Christmas, we shared these ideas & freebies, but some of you weren't here. This year, to save you some time, I'm bringing them back in case you missed them. Ok, so maybe those aren't the lyrics, but it's true! (And you already have my heart anyway, kidmin leader.) Here are our top resources from Last Christmas (and Last Last Christmas and Last Last Last Christmas too!)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="20028" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/have-a-cup-of-cheer-christmas-volunteer-appreciation-printable/"][vc_custom_heading text="Have a Cup of Cheer Volunteer Appreciation Printable" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"...

Volunteer Appreciation Printables

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Happy Thanksgiving! This week is all about gratitude, and we're sharing all of our volunteer appreciation printables! While you may not yet have a full roster of volunteers back (thanks COVID), that just means that you have more time and resources to shower the volunteers you DO have with a little extra love and appreciation. Use the free printables listed below to plan out your volunteer appreciation for the holiday season and into 2021! Just click on each image to download the printable.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text="FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="18576" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank"...

Christmas Nativity Jigsaw Printable

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] There are 3 ways to use this free Christmas Nativity Printable! No matter what option you choose, it's a fun activity for your Christmas season! Prep: Print and cut the pieces for each player 1) On-stage game - Call up 3-4 volunteers on stage. Provide a copy of the printable for each player, printed and cut into pieces. The fastest player to re-assemble the puzzle wins! 2) Large Group Game - Rather than calling up players on stage, give every child in the room a copy of the printable, printed and cut into pieces. The fastest child to re-assemble the puzzle wins! 3) Small group activity - Provide copies for each small group to complete individually or as a group! [/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Christmas Nativity Jigsaw here! " align="center"...

Joy to the World: A Christmas Devotion on Psalm 98

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaaaaaa-ven, and Heaven, and nature sing! I know you've heard that last line sung with the confident (and often off-key) belt-out that only kids can muster. :) But how much do you know about this famous Christmas carol? This short devotion talks about the origins of the song, and it comes from Christmas Karaoke, a 4-week family faith kit from Vanessa Myers that focuses on Christmas hymns! One of the most well-known Christmas songs is Joy to the World. But did you know that this song is not based on the birth of Jesus, but actually comes from Psalm 98 found in the Old Testament? Yes... a song that was once actually meant to celebrate the second coming of Jesus turned into one of the...

Free Christmas Activity Printables

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Here are 2 free Christmas Activity Printables to add to your holiday cheer! This freebie includes a Finish-the-Picture coloring page and a Hidden Picture coloring page. Print them to use at church or email them out for your families to use at home![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Christmas Activity Printables Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2FDKM-Confusing-Christmas-Free-Download-2020.pdf|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="42037" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/product/confusing-christmas-an-activity-book-for-kids/"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]These printables are an excerpt from...

COVID-Friendly Christmas Resources

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And while we're not sure what Christmas will look like this year, we hope these COVID-friendly Christmas ideas/resources help make your season merry and bright! Want a more visual rundown of our best Christmas resources for 2020? Check out our DKM 2020 Christmas Catalog![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the DKM 2020 Christmas Catalog here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2FDeeper-KidMins-2020-Christmas-Catalog.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_toggle title="Family Advent Resources"]Family Advent Bingo - New for 2020! Family Advent Bingo turns your typical family Advent calendar into a fun, month-long game! Your families can count down to Christmas with simple, daily activities designed to help them learn...

Give Thanks Cootie Catcher

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Use this free Give Thanks Cootie Catcher printable to help your kids and families play a fun game about thankfulness! Print, color, cut, and fold, then play! Each flap on the cootie catcher encourages kids to name something specific they are thankful for.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Give Thanks Cootie Catcher Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FGive-Thanks-Cootie-Catcher-Deeper-KidMin.pdf|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Need instructions for how to fold and use the cootie catcher? Download the instructions + another free Thanksgiving printable here. If you enjoy this freebie, you’ll love our Gratitude Goodies resource! Also be sure to check out our Free Memory Verse Cootie Catcher,...

Brand New from Bible Games Central

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I'm a big fan of Bible Games Central. Who doesn't love an entire site devoted to games relating to the Bible?! That's why I was so excited to learn that Bible Games Central just released 4 new games![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="44100" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]Bible Bingo - Really, this is a game every children's pastor should have on hand. It's perfect as a time-filler activity or large group game that also allows kids to work on their Bible skills! While there are lots of versions of Bible Bingo out there, what I really love about this version is that the Bingo boards are specially designed to correspond to how the Bible is organized. Rather than the columns spelling out B-I-N-G-O, they are divided into distinct, colored sections that match the sections of the Bible! It...

Gratitude Activity Placemat

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Share this gratitude activity placemat with the families in your ministry, and print one copy for each child. Have kids color the placemat activity sheet and do the activities on the placemat. Use this as a placemat at the table during the month of November to remind kids to gobble up gratitude![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Click here to download the Gratitude Activity Placemat!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FDKM-Gratitude-Activity-Placemat.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_single_image image="43622" img_size="medium" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DKM-Gratitude-Activity-Placemat.pdf"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="43041"...

Make It Better

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of my favorite things is watching leaders take a sad song take a Deeper KidMin resource and make it better! (Better, better, better, better!) Bethany in Idaho recently downloaded our Preschool Playdate: Brown Bag Fall Hunt. Here's what she said and how she's making it even better... "It's a wonderful and easy-to-implement plan, but I wanted to add a spiritual element. So I'm going to introduce the event with this little speech: When you make a something out of playdoh, what do you want people to say? “That’s beautiful! You did such a good job!” Or if you make a huge Lego tower, what do you want to people to say? “Wow, that’s the tallest lego tower I’ve ever seen! I love it!” God made everything in the world. He loves it when we notice what a good job He did making things. Today we are...

Top 10 Freebies from Year 3

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This week, Deeper KidMin is celebrating 3 years of serving children's ministry leaders! We're celebrating our birthday by highlighting the top 10 posts and freebies from year 3 (plus a 30% off sale in the DKM Marketplace). Just click on each picture below to access each post/free download, and join our subscriber's list here to make sure you don't miss one of our weekly free downloads in year 4! Want to see our top freebies from other years? Find year 2 here and year 1 here![/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title="#1 - Parent Note for Family Worship" color="custom" border_width="3" accent_color="#3ac1e1"][vc_single_image image="29849" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/parent-note-for-family-worship/"][vc_text_separator title="#2 -...

Fall Family Snack: Campfire Cones

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Share this fun (and easy) recipe with your families to enjoy a fall snack together! [/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download shareable, printable recipe here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F09%2FDKM-Fall-Family-Snack-Campfire-Cones.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_column_text] Supplies Needed: waffle cones, graham crackers, mini marshmallows, snack-size Hershey bars, chocolate chips In a waffle cone, layer the following: Snack-size Hersey bars Mini marshmallows Graham crackers (broken up) Repeat layers. Top with chocolate chips. Then wrap cone in aluminum foil. Place cone on campfire, grill, or in oven at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes. Unwrap and enjoy! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image...

Driveway Dinners: Fall Fellowship Idea

If quarantine has taught us one thing, it's our need for community and fellowship. RISING Church in Buford, GA is meeting that need with a monthly event called Driveway Dinners, and they've agreed to let me share the details! What are Driveway Dinners? Driveway Dinners are a social distancing event for church families to get together and catch up. Each family brings a chair, blanket, bug spray, outdoor activities if they want, and enough food and drinks for themselves, then they meet in a host's driveway for dinner and hangs with 3-4 other church families. It's a great way to gather together while still accommodating different comfort levels since you ask people to socially-distance outside in the driveway. People can choose to wear masks or not (RISING Church is located in Georgia, where masks are optional - follow your local social distancing...

Ministry Planning Tool

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Even if you didn't win our Equip Family Online Courses giveaway, we've still got something for you! This week's freebie is a Ministry Planning Tool that helps you plan the year ahead. It was only available for free through the end of October 2020, but you can purchase the Ministry Planning Tool as part of the Creative Ideas for Family Ministry online course, or for a small fee here.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Make plans for your ministry year with this ministry planning tool. This PDF includes four sections: Ask key questions about your ministry goals for the year. Brainstorm ideas for events, teaching & family connections – and filter them. Create a ministry calendar. Think about a back-up plan in case of changes to in-person ministry or large...

Equip Family Online Courses Giveaway

If you’ve been around long, you know I’m a total nerd and conference junkie. I love to learn and share what I learn. That’s why I am so excited about this week's giveaway: 2 leaders will win free access to one online course from Equip Family! With online courses, you don’t have to pay tons of money, travel far away, or even leave your couch to learn valuable ministry skills and gain leadership development. * This giveaway is now closed.* This week, we're giving away free access to one course from Equip Family to 2 lucky winners! Equip Family is run by Julia Ball, the creator of our Fall Family Night, Fruit of the Spirit Take Home Kit, Guide to Family Worship, Family Advent Calendar, and more! In August 2020, Julia launched 2 online courses designed specifically for children's ministry leaders... 1) Creative Ideas for Family...

Fidget-Friendly Signs Printable

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you're hosting family worship services, your families with young kids may be nervous about how their little ones will do during the service. Post these signs in sections of your main worship space to let families know they (and their wiggly little ones) are welcome! [/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Fidget-Friendly Signs here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F09%2FFidget-Friendly-Signs-DKM.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text]You may also consider providing Praise Packs, a Parent Note, or Sermon Notes for Kids, and use the resources in our Guide to Family Worship! And if you really want to help kids and parents have the best experience possible in a family worship service, consider registering for our online ministry training all about...

5 Practical Tips for Family Worship

There are lots of resources you can offer parents to help their kids engage in a family worship service (find some in the resource list at the bottom of this post), but as a ministry leader, there are lots of things YOU can do to make a family worship service engaging for all ages too. Here are 5 practical tips for hosting a family worship service: Remember it's a team effort. Effective family worship services involve more than just you as the children's pastor. Your senior pastor and worship leaders have to be on board too. Have a conversation with your senior pastor and share your vision and your heart with him or her. Talk about your ideas and what he or she is comfortable pursuing. Make a list of the top 3 things you’d like to see, then share with him/her and ask how you as a staff can work together to make it a great experience for the...

Creative Ministry Brainstorming List

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This week's freebie is a little bit different than our normal Freebie Friday Download. It's not cute. It's not formatted. It's not even complete. This Google Doc is a brainstorming list from my church staff as of August 28, 2020. After opening our doors and then closing again when nearly half of our staff tested positive for COVID-19 (hear the full story here), our pastor challenged us to consider new and creative ways to do ministry in a social-distanced world, and this is the result. It’s a list of all of the ideas, resources, links, and thoughts we’ve come up with individually and as a staff on how to move forward this semester in light of COVID-19. As a brainstorming page, it’s messy, it’s incomplete, and it’s unorganized. Some of these ideas have already turned into realities (marked green)....