Candy Cane Poem Printable

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column][vc_column_text]Looking for a last-minute gift for the children in your ministry or want to include a stocking stuffer that reminds kids about the real reason for the season? Use our Candy Cane Poem Printable from the A Praise in a Manger 4-week Christmas series! I can't claim rights to this poem because it's all over the internet, but I formatted the poem in a cute and modern printable that's easy and fun. Just print, cut, and slap on a candy cane for an instant Christmas gift![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Give me a printable to help share the real reason for the season!" color="sky" align="center" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F12%2FCandy-Cane-Poem-Printable-from-Deeper-KidMin.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text 0=""]What you need: cardstock & printer candy...

Christmas Eve Bingo

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Want a fun and easy way to engage kids during a family Christmas Eve service? Make it a game! I like to give Christmas Eve bingo cards out to kids as part of their Praise Packs, and this Christmas-themed one is perfect for the Christmas Eve service. The idea is that as kids participate in the service or listen for certain words in the sermon, they get to cross out a box on their Bingo board. When they show me their completed board at the end of the service, they earn a Christmas treat! The download even includes a non-reader-friendly version so even your littlest members can still participate. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row 0=""][vc_column 0=""][vc_btn title="Give me a download to help kids engage!" color="sky" align="center"...

Pursue Peace in the Chaos of Christmas

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column][vc_column_text 0=""]"Peace on earth" is the mantra of the season and is what Jesus brings, but sometimes it can feel like Christmas is the least peaceful time of the year. With the shopping, wrapping, decorating, wish lists, tacky sweaters, the Christmas treats you have to make (and eat), and the numerous Christmas parties at school, with friends, with family, and with church, peace is often crowded out by the chaos of the Christmas season. The American Psychological Association did a study on holiday stress and found that the holiday season has "psychological consequences" for many people and that more people reported that their stress increases, rather than decreases, around the holidays. The APA reports that "holiday stress has a particular impact on women, who take charge of many of the holiday celebrations,...

6 Ways to Make Scripture Memory Fun!

  Scripture memory can be a daunting goal to accomplish, even as adults, but the importance of hiding God’s Word in our hearts is undeniably valuable. Check out some of the ideas below for making memorizing Scripture fun (and therefore easier) for you and your kids. We’ve used several in our ministry context, and they are easy to apply at home or in your ministry too! 1) Make it a game! There are SO MANY ways to make memorizing scripture a game, and the more fun your kids are having, the more they’ll want to memorize! Click on the image below to download a copy of my favorite Scripture Memory Games. 2) Sing it Out! – Make up your own song, chant, cheer, or rap using the words in the verse. You could also check out several resources that are readily available for you and your family. JumpStart3 and Seeds Family Worship both...

7 Psalms to Encourage A Child

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column][vc_column_text 0=""]In a recent post about blessing your child, we mentioned that reading Scripture to them and over them can be an easy first step. Using Scripture to encourage your child is also a great way to instill the importance of God's Word and teach them a reliance on God. We studied through the book of Psalms in our small group last year, diving into a variety of themes and circumstances the different psalmists deal with.  One of my favorite things about the Psalms is the examples they give us about how to deal with different emotions and how to talk to God about how we are feeling. While these Psalms can be a great source of encouragement for you as an adult, sharing the Psalms with your kids can be a great way to help them understand that it's OK to be angry, sad, frustrated, lonely, mournful, etc. and how to...

3 Easy Steps to Speak Blessings Over Your Child

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column 0=""][vc_column_text 0=""]Last year I attended a class at my church that focused on how to walk in the freedom Christ has given us through taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. One of the topics we hit on was the importance of speaking blessings and truth over ourselves, using Scripture as a way to remind ourselves of our identity, worth, and purpose. For parents, this habit extends to your children too. Speaking a blessing over your child allows them to understand their worth and begin to walk in the identity Christ has for them. Blessings give children the opportunity to hear affirmation from their parents while connecting that earthly need for acceptance and love with a spiritual level of acceptance and love. Sound intimidating or just plain awkward? It doesn't have to be! Speaking a blessing can be...

Levels of Biblical Learning

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]LifeWay has created an awesome resource that we used at our volunteer training, to help shape our VBS curriculum, and more! The Levels of Biblical Learning cover 10 concept areas that children can conceptually learn and understand at each stage of their lives as they study God’s Word. These LOBL helped shape our VBS curriculum this year and they guide the curriculum we use on Sunday mornings to ensure that each age group interacts with God’s Word and ideas about faith at an age-appropriate level. It’s a great reminder that even your sweet infant can start to understand things about God, and your 2nd grader who asks all the questions is really just trying to make connections to his own life! Check out an overview of the LOBL here, and click on your child’s age group below for a full list of what our...

Resource Highlight: The Aetherlight

[vc_row][vc_column 0=""][vc_video link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y8A65im5D0"][vc_column_text]Join the Resistance and get your kids hooked on a game you'll actually want them to play! I learned about this resource last year at a Children's Pastor's Conference, but it has stepped up its game (no pun intended) since then and is ready for your kids to explore! The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance is an online computer game (also available for ipads I believe) that encourages kids to join the Resistance and fight the Fog that has taken over Aethasia, creating an allegory for the story of the Bible. The world of Aethasia is a mysterious steampunk land, once ruled by a benevolent Great Engineer, but now ruled by the evil emperor Lucky and his army of mechanical automatons. As a player in this world, your child is part of a Resistance...