Categories: For Parents

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...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]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. Let us help you and your families dive into God's Word this summer with some of these sizzling summer resources![/vc_column_text][vc_toggle title="New for 2021" custom_font_container="tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%233ac1e1" custom_use_theme_fonts="yes" use_custom_heading="true"] Summer Social Media Challenges - We know that summer (and especially summer in a worldwide pandemic!) can be a tough time to try to connect with families, so this resource includes eight simple and fun ideas you...

Does your church recognize and celebrate Pentecost Sunday? It's a church holiday that I didn't even learn about until I was an adult, but recognizing Pentecost offers great value to kids in teaching them about the early church and the Holy Spirit. Use this resource and the ideas below to help your kids and families learn about and celebrate this special day in the Church! What is Pentecost? Pentecost is a Christian day that commemorates the descending of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church, also known as the birthday of the church. You can read about Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Christians celebrate this day on the 50th day after Easter. And - because God's timing is so cool and He intentionally orchestrates events - Pentecost is actually a Jewish holiday, also called Shavuot, that happened 50 days after...

I'd bet there were a lot of baby dedications this past weekend for Mother's Day. What a perfect day to honor new babies and welcome them into your church family! But did you feel fully equipped to teach the parents what a baby dedication is all about? Because - plot twist - a baby dedication is not about the baby. It's about the parents and their commitment to raise their child in the church. It's about the church's commitment to partner with parents in the discipleship of their child. (Psst - If you want a full resource to help you communicate the significance of a child dedication, check out our baby dedication guide here.) Many leaders and churches also give a special gift to the family for a baby dedication to help them commemorate the day and start them off on their discipleship journey as a family. Here are some of the most popular...

Moms are pretty special, and they deserve to be celebrated. But each mom is unique and feels celebrated in a different way. Use some of these ideas and resources to celebrate the moms in your ministry in the way(s) they feel loved the most. Offer a combination of the different ideas to hit all 5 love languages! Quality time: Pass to a local family museum or fun family outing - Even as something simple as an ice cream coupon so the family can go on an ice cream date with mom! Mother/Son Prayer Journal by Christie Thomas - I don't have sons, but I bought a copy of this family devotional. Wow, what a resource! What better way to spend quality time together than by studying God's word as a family? It would make the perfect gift for the boy moms in your ministry! Bible Moms Award Event - Make a night of it and celebrate moms with a...

The families you serve probably know all about the excitement of Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, but do they know what happens in between? How can you help them remember and honor the full story of Jesus' last days on earth? Here are some simple and meaningful Holy Week activities to share with your families or add to your Holy Week events! Palm Sunday - Make a Palm Sunday craft (like this free one) with your kids at church. Or share the printables (and other fun ones like these) with your families to do at home. Encourage families to use their Palm branches to host a parade around their house or down their street, waving their palm branches and shouting "Hosanna!" (P.S. It wouldn't be too late to give families an Eggs of Easter Resurrection Eggs Kit either - they can double up on the days!) Holy Monday - Holy Monday is the day that Jesus...

Kim, a kidmin leader in Virginia, recently shared about her team's idea for an around-the-town egg hunt, and I couldn't wait to learn more! Normally, Kim and her team host a big community event with over 2,000 eggs. They usually promote the event on lots of different platforms and hold the event during a community farmers market that is held across the street. That obviously wasn't an option this year as we continue through the global pandemic. Kim said... "We always target the community with our Easter egg hunt, but this year I felt like we needed to focus on our own families and gently leading them back to the building and back into Christian activities." Even as she's focusing on her church families rather than the community, Kim is finding that a lot of them are inviting their friends to the around-the-town egg hunt, so that's a huge...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Well, here we are again, friends. Almost a full year later, and the global pandemic is still going strong, limiting our Easter plans and celebrations. While I’m lamenting all that we’ve missed over the last year, I’m also grateful for the creativity God has inspired in the church! Let us help you and your families celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, no matter what your Easter looks like. If you'd like a more visual version of this list, find that here.[/vc_column_text][vc_toggle title="New for 2021" custom_font_container="tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%233ac1e1" custom_use_theme_fonts="yes" use_custom_heading="true"]These are our BRAND NEW resources made for 2021! The Eggs of Easter - This 12-Day Family Devotion Kit leads families toward the true meaning of Easter through...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With Valentine's Day falling on a Sunday 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 (especially when they still have to social distance). 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...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the typical practices during Lent is fasting. Fasting is meant to mirror the practice of Jesus, who fasted 40 days in the desert in preparation for his public ministry. Fasting during Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter) is meant to help us draw closer to Jesus and prepare our hearts and spirits to remember His death and resurrection. And we can help guide the families we serve through this season of fasting and prayer by intentionally teaching them (and their kids) about the spiritual discipline of fasting. I know what you're thinking - should kids fast? Valid question. We would discourage kids and teens from fasting meals - for health reasons, and also because of their maturity. (And we discuss the answer to "should kids fast" in more detail here.) However, people of any age (kids included!)...

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 enjoy together. Happy Birthday...