Counting Down to Christmas: 3 Simple Ways to Focus on Advent in Your Children’s Ministry

It may only be October, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And with Advent only a month away, we're already thinking about counting down to Christmas. That's why I'm excited to share this week's guest blog post from Courtney Weaver at David C Cook all about 3 simple ways to focus on Advent in your children's ministry. P.S. Find all the Advent resources you'll need here!  As a children’s ministry leader, you know that the importance of the Christmas season can easily be drowned out by Christmas trees, presents, music, and other exciting indicators of the season. That’s why your children’s ministry and the curriculum you teach should prepare hearts for the holiday. We all need to be reminded of the gift of Jesus–kids, families, and leaders alike! Advent is simply a time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas,...

Advent Coloring Page Freebie

Share this simple and pretty Advent coloring page with the kids in your ministry this Advent Season! Use it as an early-arriver activity, as part of a lesson on Advent, or even during a family Christmas service. Talk about each of the candles and help kids color each one the correct color! DOWNLOAD THE FREEBIE HERE! Want to help kids and families create beautiful Advent wreath of their own? Host a Get Ready Advent Wreath Event! This coloring page is part of the full event guide that helps you host an event where families learn about the Advent wreath and make one of their own to take home and use throughout the season of Advent. Learn more about the Get Gready Advent Wreath Event...

3 Goals for Building Faith in Families

As children's ministry leaders, we know we're supposed to equip parents to build faith at home. But how do we actually do that? In this guest blog post from Vanessa Myers of Family Faith Builders, Vanessa shares her journey to make family discipleship a priority in her ministry, and she lays out the 3 goals she has when equipping families with at-home resources. Find all of Vanessa's resources on Deeper KidMin here.  "Building faith in families." That was a phrase that wasn’t on my radar when I first began serving in children’s ministry. I thought my focus was just on teaching kids God’s Word. I really didn’t think about helping parents build faith together at home with their children. Not that I didn’t see it as important, but I honestly just didn’t think it was something I needed to do. And then God spoke to me and helped...

Fall Volunteer Appreciation Tag Printable (How Sweet It Is to Serve With You!)

Print, cut, and pair this fall volunteer appreciation tag with some candy to let your volunteers know how much you appreciate them! Use leftover candy from your fall event, or pull some out ahead of time! Share with your team on Sunday mornings and with any volunteers who help at a special fall event. Whether you give each volunteer their own little treat bag or set the large printable sign near a bowl of candy for them to choose their own treat, your volunteers will love the random surprise this fall! Download the printable here! Want even more fall resources for your ministry? Find more...

10 Fall Ideas for Your KidMin

Last week, I co-hosted another KidMin Leadership Gathering where we shared training, connections, and ideas. Part of the day involved local kidmin leaders sharing their fall ministry ideas! So here are 10 fall ideas for your children's ministry from the amazing kidmin leaders at the South Carolina KLG. Fall/Holiday KidMin Leadership Team for events (create a special team of leaders to help plan, prepare, and run your fall and holiday events) Student-ministry-led pumpkin patch for kidmin Harvest Hangout (candy, games, fellowship) Service Project Bingo (They must have downloaded this resource!) Community Carnival (Trunk-or-Treat, rides, food, and games) Hope Harvest Festival (A festival event that presents the hope of the gospel) Grateful Gathering (family-led stations with a focus on thankfulness) Great Pumpkin Race...