Categories: For Parents

Mixed Feelings: Back-to-School Feelings Wheel Family Resource

The first day of school can bring lots of emotions to the surface. Share this simple resource with families to help them talk about those first-day feelings and find out what the Bible says about different emotions! Print copies for every child, and/or share the printable with them digitally! Download the resource here! Want to dive deeper into helping kids and families talk about their emotions this back-to-school season? We’ve got TWO resources to help! Learn more about each one below, and find all of our Back-to-School resources here! Mixed Feelings is an emotions-focused lesson all about those first-day feelings! By looking at Philippians 4:4-7 & John 14:27, kids will learn that God made us with emotions, He wants us to talk to Him about our emotions, and that no matter what we are feeling, we can ask for God’s peace...
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The Parents In Your Ministry Need This Book

My word of the year this year is habits. Last week, we shared about simple scripture habits for families, and we're continuing this habit theme with a giveaway of Christie Thomas' brand new book: Little Habits, Big Faith: How Simple Practices Help Your Family Grow in Jesus.  In Little Habits, Big Faith, Christie applies the science of habits to faith formation in a way that makes family discipleship easy, doable, and sustainable for every family, all while sharing encouragement and support. She walks readers through a Faith Growth Cycle, which she divides into three stages: seed, sprout, and root. This metaphor effectively conveys the gradual and nurturing process of faith development. By focusing on small, habitual actions, the book emphasizes how even brief moments of spiritual practice can have a significant impact over time. I personally...
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Simple Scripture Habits For Families

Sometimes parents feel overwhelmed by the thought of family devotions or reading the Bible with their kids. But you can remind them that even the simplest habits can help them incorporate Scripture into their daily lives! Here are a few ideas to share with the families in your church: Decorate with scripture - Many families have more scripture in their homes than they realize, but it's also easy to make it an art project or part of a holiday celebration! With an activity like Scripture Stars or even encouraging kids to make their own Bible verse poster, families can hang up scripture around their homes where they'll see it every day. If they're decorating for a certain holiday or season, they can find Bible verses that relate to that celebration, add them to some decorations, and hang those up too! Then each time they pass the scripture...
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Summer Connection Idea: KidMin Pizza Delivery!

Summertime is a great time to connect with families in unique and fun ways! I saw Darren Goodrich, a Family Pastor at a church in Florida, share this idea in a local children's ministry Facebook group and had to learn more! The idea is simple: set up a signup genius (or other scheduling tool) to invite families to choose a day over the summer when you, the kidmin leader (or someone from your team), will deliver a pizza to the family for dinner! It can be a surprise for the kids or something they know about. Darren shares more about the idea on his blog here, and DKM subscribers can find a step-by-step plan for implementing this idea in their own church (including an email template) here! Darren also shared more about how he got the idea and what the families in his ministry had to say about it: "I really had the idea to...
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Step-by-Step Summer Family Engagement Plan

Hear an overview of how one leader used this plan for a summer pizza delivery initiative here! Download a printable/save-able version here! Step-by-Step Plan: 1. Identify Goals and Budget Goal: Enhance family engagement, reinforce community bonds, and maintain connection with the children and their families during the summer. Budget: Allocate funds for pizza, delivery materials (magnets, etc.), and other potential activities like Christmas cookies. 2. Plan and Communicate Calendar and Communication: Create a clear and detailed summer calendar highlighting all events and dates, including the special delivery days. Email and Social Media: Send out emails and post on social media well in advance. Use graphics and engaging language to get families excited. 3. Sign-Up Process Online Form: Use an online form (e.g., Google...
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Baptism Adventure: Unique Baptism Resources for Kids and Preteens

As kids are hearing the gospel and expressing their faith at camp and VBS this summer, are you thinking about their next steps? Salvation decisions are an important part of children's ministry since we get to share the gospel with kids at a time when their little hearts are most open to receiving it, but if we don't think intentionally about following up with a child after they've made a decision to give their life to Christ, we're missing a big piece of our roles as disciple-makers. One natural next step: baptism! Earlier this year, I learned about an incredible resource that Rivers Crossing Church in Ohio created to help kids and preteens explore baptism in fun and adventurous ways! A team at Rivers Crossing created 3 books that inspired special Adventure Kits: Maya and River’s Campout Adventure (a fiction book, like a modern-day...
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20+ Father’s Day Ideas for Your KidMin

Celebrate the dads and men in your church this Father's Day with one or more of these fun 20 ideas! TEACHING/STUDIES Father's Day Holiday History Lesson Super Bible Father Figures Bible Study Guide for Kids CRAFTS/PRINTABLES Father's Day Superhero Soda Can or Chocolate Bar Wrappers Father's Day Handprint Crafts Father's Day Coloring Cards Father's Day Dad Joke Coloring Cards Father's Day All In One Pack Father's Day Tie Goody Bag Craft Father's Day Printables Father's Day Tie Craft Father's Day Coupons To the Best Pop (Soda or Popcorn) Father's Day Scratch-Off Printables GAMES Does Dad Have Hair on His Chinny Chin Chin?  Double Vision: Father's Day Name That Super Dad Screen Game Father's Day Minute to Win It Games MEDIA Father's Day All in One Pack  I Love My Dad...
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Sermon Notes For Kids List

If you search “Sermon Notes for Kids” on the web, there are literally hundreds of options that show up. So to help you narrow down your search, here’s a list of links to my favorite free sermon notes for kids! Sermon Notes for Kids are a great activity to include in your worship bags and encourage kids to participate in the church service. I recommend including a sermon notes printable every week, but feel free to change up the look, layout, style, or format each Sunday to add variety for your kids! Then start over and cycle back through them. Before long, your kids will have favorites! Emoji Sermon Notes Printable that just released from Deeper KidMin! Sermon Notes Bundle from Deeper KidMin (Including pages for Pre-Readers!) Free Bible Coloring Pages from Sermon for Kids Worship Notes for Kids PDF from MMMCrafts Kid’s...
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10 Summer Scripture Activities for Kids & Families

Things are heating up as summer rolls around, but that doesn’t mean the spiritual life of your kids has to cool down! While summertime often means even more sporadic church attendance as families enjoy trips, vacations, and downtime, the summer can be an opportunity for spiritual growth for the kids and families you lead, especially if you can equip them with ways to dive deep into Scripture this summer! So here are 10 of our favorite summer activities and resources that help kids and families dig into Scripture over the summer: S'more Scripture - A summer resource for kids that helps them memorize Bible verses! Summer Scripture Scratch-Off - A fun and simple way to encourage a daily habit of prayer and reading scripture over the summer months while focusing on who God and Jesus are! Scripture Scoops - Scoop up the Word of God this...
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Mother’s Day Card Freebie

Print these foldable cards on cardstock, cut, then fold in half. Encourage kids to write or draw a special note to their mom on the inside! The card is also generic enough for them to create one for any special woman in their life! Download the Mother's Day Card here! This card design/printable is 1 of 4 available in one of our Mother’s Day Cards and Tags resources. Find even more Mother’s Day card/craft downloads...
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What Millennial Moms Want From Your KidMin this Mother’s Day

We've been talking all month long about today's parents, how they're different from parents of the past, and what that means for our strategy in effectively partnering with parents. With Mother's Day coming up, let's talk specifically about today's moms. Research has shown that Millennial moms prefer experiences over things, and they love to customize. Like the rest of their generation, they're technologically inclined, highly connected online, and are always looking for ways to make their lives easier. They value life management assistance (think house cleaners, meal services, organizational apps, etc.), and they are also more likely than moms of generations past to work outside the home and contribute to the family income. So while the carnation still makes a sweet gift, consider getting a little more intentional or creative with how you...
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8 Summer Toy Family Devotions

Below you will find 8 devotions built around commonly known summer toys and other items kids are familiar with. Read through these and decide which you want to offer your families. You can reword or change up any of the devotions included here - make them your own! Decide if you will provide just the papers to your families, or if you will provide the necessary items. If you will provide the items you will need zip-top baggies along with the items you want to include. Most of the items in these devotions can be found at your local dollar store or Walmart. When packaging the items up, place a copy of the devotion and the related item in the right-sized bag. You may wonder how many of each devotion to make…. it really depends on your church size and your families! For context, the church this author serves at serves about 100 distinct...
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Parent Resources Shelves: A Digital Interview with a Local KidMin Leader

Last week, we talked about moving beyond a vending machine mentality and into a meal kit mentality when it comes to our strategy for effectively partnering with parents (a month-long conversation you can join here). I ran across a Facebook post from Kelly Turner, a kidmin leader in Springfield, IL, about the success she's found with her parent resource shelves, and I knew we had to talk more! Kelly graciously shared ideas and pictures and even took the time to answer a few questions about her parent resource shelves. I love that they move beyond just a stagnant spot for resources to a deeper strategy for equipping parents. You might be asking: "But aren't parent resource shelves just like a vending machine? Isn't that what we're trying to move beyond?" Yes! We are trying to move beyond just resourcing parents, but an easy first step in...
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Is Your Ministry a Vending Machine or a Meal Kit?

When I ask what leaders do to equip parents or to partner with them, most of them say they provide resources. Equipping parents has become synonymous with that; when we say we "equip parents," what we often really mean is "distribute resources." And while there's nothing wrong with that, if our strategy for partnering with parents stays ONLY in the resources lane, we've got an incomplete and ultimately ineffective strategy. The idea of equipping parents only through distributing resources has turned our ministries into vending machines and created a vending machine mindset when it comes to equipping parents. In a vending machine ministry mindset... The children's ministry leader operates like a vending machine by simply providing resources without much interaction.  Parents are expected to come to the church or ministry location...
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3 Lies Parents Believe About At-Home Discipleship (And the Truths You Can Help Them Discover)

I've been eyeball-deep in research about today's parents - specifically Millennial parents - lately, and a common factor among parents is a list of reasons why they can't disciple their kids at home. But in reality, those reasons are often lies, and as children's ministry leaders, we can help parents replace those lies with important truths about their role as primary disciplers of their children. To speak into this discussion, I'm excited to share this week's guest blog post from Christie Thomas, author and one of our DKM Vendors, all about the 3 lies parents believe about at-home discipleship and the truths we can help them discover: If your efforts to equip families with the best family discipleship resources aren’t well received, know this: The answer isn’t to send home more resources to gather crumbs in the minivan, but to take one...
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Family Discipleship 101 Free Sample

You want the families in your church to thrive in their faith, but it seems like your efforts don’t make much of a difference. You pass out take-home sheets, only for them to be stepped on and dirtied on the minivan floor. You plan out and send home fantastic Christmas and Easter kits, only to discover that all your hard work was used for two days and then forgotten in the busyness of the season. The only parents who seem to respond well to your family-equipping efforts are those who are already discipling their kids at home. But you want to reach those who feel like they’re too busy to pray with their kids, too ill-equipped to read the Bible at home, or too new in their faith to know what family discipleship looks like. The answer isn’t to send home more resources to gather crumbs in the minivan, but to...
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5 Things KidMin Leaders Must Do To Effectively Partner with Today’s Parents

If you’ve been serving in children’s ministry for longer than a week, you’ve realized that children’s ministry is not just about the children. It’s about the parents and grown-ups in a child’s life too. That's why we'll be focusing on partnering with parents for the next 4 weeks and diving deep into how to effectively minister to this generation of parents.  To kick off our month-long discussion, we have to identify WHO today's parents are, and surprise: they're Millennials! Millennials may spark a variety of stereotypes in your mind: entitled young adults who eat avocado toast for breakfast and still live with their parents. But in reality, we Millennials are all grown up. The Millennial generation includes anyone born between 1981-1996, which means that in 2024, Millennials now range in age from 28 to 43 years old. (We're getting...
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5 Family Easter Resources

Easter is always an important season in children’s ministry, especially as we help families connect with each other and with Jesus. Browse all of our Easter resources here, but check out our top 5 Family Easter resources below to help families engage and interact with the Easter story in a variety of ways! The Eggs of Easter Family Devotion - This 12-Day Family Devotion Kit leads families toward the true meaning of Easter through a Resurrection Egg kit. Learn more and download here. Preparing for Easter Family Devotion - In this family devotion, you will find ten unique hands-on experiences that walk your kids and families through the Easter story, starting with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and ending with the resurrection. Learn more and download here. Easter Story Shapes Kits -...
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Feet Washing Family Activity

Share this simple but impactful Easter family activity and discussion guide with your families! It invites them to dive into the story of the Last Supper, ponder and discuss what it means for us today, and then participate in a feet-washing activity together as a family. Just print and distribute or share digitally! It’s sure to be a special time for your families to serve and love each other this Easter season. Download the Feet Washing Family Activity Here! This activity is one of the ten found in Preparing for Easter Family Devotions. In Preparing for Easter, families will find ten unique hands-on experiences like this one that walk them through the Easter story, starting with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and ending with the resurrection. Learn more about the full family resource...
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10 Non-Candy Valentine Gifts for Kids

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With Valentine's Day falling on a Wednesday this year, you may be considering a simple Valentine gift or treat to share with the kids and families in your ministry. But if you've worked with kids long, you know giving a room full of kids a bunch of sugar can lead to complete chaos. So I've been researching, and here are my 10 favorite non-candy Valentine gifts for kids along with some links to the printables when possible! (Trust me, the parents in your ministry will appreciate the non-sugary gift!) Scripture Valentine Cards + Heart Stress Ball (Kids are dealing with a lot these days! Remind them that they are loved and that they can count on God with this simple idea!) "I'm Stuck on You, Valentine" + Sticker Pack (Kids love stickers! Use Generic stickers or Valentine-themed stickers) "I think you are...
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Christmas Scavenger Hunt Printable

Share this fun Christmas Scavenger Hunt Printable with the families in your church to send them on a fun family activity hunting for Christmas lights and decorations all December long! Download the printable here! This activity is one of the many included in our Christmas Karaoke December Family Faith Kit! Christmas Karaoke is a 4-week devotional resource that provides devotions and activities for kids and families, focusing on 4 Christmas hymns: Angels We Have Heard on High, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Joy to the World, and Silent Night. Learn more about Christmas Karaoke...
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Wondering to Bethlehem: Advent Devotional for Kids Review & Giveaway!

If you've been around long, then you know how much I love talking about the imagination and learning. Developing a child's biblical imagination is a key element of their spiritual development, which is why I am STOKED for the newest Advent Devotional for Kids: Wondering to Bethlehem. In Wondering to Bethlehem, author Vanessa Myers invites kids to dive into their wonder and imagination as they journey to Bethlehem! Starting December 1 and going through Christmas Day, kids have a daily short reading, prayer prompt, spot to jot down their wondering notes, and an interactive activity that takes them a little deeper into the story. These extra wonders to unpack give kids snapshots of how the Christmas story connects to other parts of the Bible or historical/contextual facts that help bring the story to life. There's even a bonus devotion for...
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The Power of Little Moments: 10 Ways Parents Can Nurture Faith in Children At Home

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Earlier this spring, we dedicated our youngest in a Sunday morning church service. It was a sweet moment when even our toddler was included in the charge to raise up our daughter in the Christian faith. We stood before the church, the pastor held our baby girl to show her off to the congregation, and he shared words of wisdom, advice, and encouragement. We prayed together, asking God to help us as parents lead her into a life-giving relationship with Him. And I of course took lots of pictures of her in her sweet little dedication dress.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="107370" img_size="full" alignment="center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="107368" img_size="full"...
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Certificate of Dedication

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A family dedicating their child to the Lord is a special time of celebration for the church and the family. Many families may want a keepsake of the day. Use this free certificate of dedication to share with your families and help them remember this special time.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Certificate Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F07%2FDKM-Certificate-of-Dedication-Freebie.pdf|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="102800" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/product/parent-child-dedication-milestone-class/"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]Want to help parents understand the true meaning...
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Fruit Pizza: Fruit of the Spirit Family Activity

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As you're encouraging families to taste and see God's goodness this summer, share this fun fruit of the Spirit activity with your families to do together this summer![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Fruit Pizza Family Activity Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F06%2FDeeper-KidMin-Fruit-Pizza-Freebie-updated.pdf"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="13453" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/product/church-take-out-box-fruit-of-the-spirit-edition/"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]Use the second page of this download to share the recipe with your families digitally or as print-outs. And if you really want to...
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