Categories: Leadership

Christmas KidMin Debrief Questions

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]Use these questions to pause, reflect, and learn from your Christmas season before jumping into what’s next. Take a few minutes to celebrate the wins, think through what worked (and what didn’t), and jot down notes that will help you next year. Tip: Save these notes somewhere you will remember to pull them out when planning for next year! You could even schedule an email to yourself for August or September to look back at these notes for next Christmas. Find all of our Christmas resources here, and find more admin/leadership resources here.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Questions Here! " align="center" css="" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F11%2FDKM-KidMin-Christmas-debrief.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_column_text css=""] Celebrate the Wins ...
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5 Tips for Volunteer Appreciation

Christmas is the perfect time of year to shower your volunteers with a little extra appreciation and thanks for all they do in your ministry! But it can be tricky to come up with creative ideas year after year and not feel like you're stuck in a gift-giving rut. That’s why I’m excited to share this guest blog post from Jaden Howard, a DKM Vendor, on 5 tips for Volunteer Appreciation! These tips come from and helped create her Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Volunteer Appreciation Event.  What an honor to love and appreciate such an awesome team of volunteers! The goal of volunteer appreciation is to express gratitude and to make your volunteers feel seen and known. Although we all want to be like Oprah and shout out “you get a car…. you get a car” at all of our volunteer gatherings, we understand the limits of a ministry budget and the...
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Last Christmas

🎵 "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 posts and freebies from Last Christmas! Making Plans: Advent Devotional for KidMin Leaders Many of our resources and freebies are geared toward the kids and families in your ministry, but this one is for YOU, kidmin leader. It’s an overview and preview of a weekly Advent devotion written specifically with children’s ministry leaders in mind.  3 Candy Cane Games for Your KidMin SUBSCRIBER-ONLY ACCESS: Play these fun candy-cane-themed games in your kidmin this Christmas! They’re...
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3 Things to Do Weekly Between Now and the End of the Year

It's the final countdown of the year and the peak of the holiday season! Between Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas, it's a busy time of year. To help you stay focused on the reason for the season and stay sane amidst the chaos, here are 3 things to do weekly between now and the end of the year: Rest: What’s one way I can truly rest in the next 7 days? How can I be intentional to take time off and rest in His presence? Release: What’s one burden I need to hand over to God? What's something I can delegate? What feelings of guilt or stress do I need to let go of? Refill: What spiritual practice or activity brings me life? What sparks joy for me in this season, and how can I prioritize it this week? Each week, ask yourself these questions and set aside time to rest, release, and refill. Your heart, family, and ministry will be...
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4 Ways to Help Kids Slow Down this Christmas

The Advent season is all about waiting and preparing. Even if your church doesn’t lean into the traditional Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, this season gives us a powerful opportunity to help kids (and ourselves) slow down and focus on Jesus. But let’s be honest. Slowing down in December feels nearly impossible. Between Christmas programs, family gatherings, school events, and sugar-fueled excitement, kids (and adults) are moving at full speed. That’s why Advent matters. It invites us to pause, breathe, and remember what we’re really celebrating. So how can we help kids embrace that slower rhythm of waiting and preparing their hearts for Jesus? Here are a few simple ways to help them do just that: Talk About Waiting - Kids don’t love waiting (and honestly who does?). But waiting is something God uses to grow...
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20 Creative Ways to Teach the Christmas Story

When you teach the Christmas story every year, it can be hard to find new and engaging ways to teach it. Here are 20 creative and interactive ideas for teaching the Christmas story in your children's ministry this year! Use these ideas during Sunday services, family events, on Christmas Eve, or anytime you want to help kids connect with the story of Jesus’ birth in a fresh way. Find a printable version of this list here.  Interactive Storytelling Ideas Story Stations: Set up simple stations that walk kids through each part of the Christmas story (announcement, journey, birth, angels, shepherds). This event turns the story stations into an "escape room" challenge for kids to decode and discover! Live Nativity Remix: Let kids act out the story using costumes, puppets, or even Lego sets. Christmas Escape Room: Create simple puzzles and clues...
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Gratitude + Generosity = The Full Picture of Thanksgiving

This post is sponsored by one of our favorite mission organizations: Rice Bowls. Rice Bowls offers a simple and effective way to feed hungry kids around the world, and their Rice Bowl campaigns are the perfect service project for kids! Order rice bowl coin banks (Rice Bowls will send them to you for free here). Families fill them with coins and money, then SMASH THE BOWLS (everyone's favorite part), and you return the money to Rice Bowls to use to feed kids around the world! Learn more about getting involved with Rice Bowls and hosting your own Rice Bowl campaign here. As children's ministry leaders, we love helping kids learn to be thankful. November is full of lessons, crafts, and conversations about gratitude, and rightly so. But if we stop there, we miss something important. Thanksgiving isn’t just about gratitude; it’s also about...
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10 Tips for Planning Christmas in Your KidMin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 10 Tips for Planning the Christmas Season in Children’s Ministry The Christmas season in children’s ministry is full of opportunity and activity. Between Christmas programs, family events, Advent lessons, and volunteer appreciation, it can feel like there’s always more to do. But what if this Christmas you could lead from a place of peace instead of pressure? Here are some practical tips to help you prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus with your kids and families, and join us on November 13 for an online workshop all about making Christmas manageable and meaningful in your kidmin. 1. Start early. Christmas always comes on the same day every year, but it still somehow manages to sneak up on us. The earlier you start planning, the more freedom you’ll have to stay organized and calm once December...
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The Great 8! Celebrating DKM’s 8th Birthday!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="165535" img_size="full" alignment="center" css=""][vc_column_text css=""]It's our party, and we'll give away stuff if we want to. We are celebrating our 8th birthday this week with a special sale and a fun, limited-time bonus! October 19-25, get 30% off EVERY resource on the site! So whether you're thinking about Thanksgiving, planning for Christmas, or even looking ahead to Easter, save big this week in honor of our birthday!  Find our newest resources here, and explore all our resources in the DKM Marketplace here.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="165536" img_size="full" alignment="center" css=""][vc_column_text css=""]And if you spend more than $25 during the sale week, we'll mail you a set of our KidMin Stickers (a $9.99 value) for free! We don't often send things in the mail since...
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12 Filters for Curriculum Evaluation in Your Children’s Ministry

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Leaders often ask about curriculum I recommend or how I choose curriculum. And while I point to Deeper KidMin and some of our series for special occasions or seasons, if you’re looking at various larger curriculum companies for your Sunday morning curriculum, the “best” curriculum will vary from church to church. Vicki Abbott, a kidimin leader in Michigan, shared about her experience with switching curricula, and they created these 12 filters for evaluation based on their ministry’s goals. Read about her full experience here, and explore the 12 filters below. Note: These lenses fit the priorities and goals of Vicki and her church. Use them as a brainstorming launch point, but then use your own ministry goals and priorities to create your own list of evaluation filters. [/vc_column_text][vc_btn...
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20 Quick Wins To Serve Young Families in Your Church

I'm in Evansville, IN at the KidzMatter Conference this week, hosting the Deeper KidMin booth in the resource center and teaching 3 breakouts! One of my breakouts is all about how we can best serve young families in our church. My breakout session walks through a S-E-R-V-E acronym, with each letter highlighting a specific action leaders must prioritize with young families. While I'm saving the full details for those who attend my breakout at the conference, here's a little nugget from that session to help you serve the young families in your church... Families with littles are in one of the most demanding, exhausting, and spiritually significant seasons of their lives. When it comes to ministering to families with young children, one of the best things we can do as leaders is to SERVE them well. What does that look like practically? Here are 20...
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6 Ways to Use Pumpkins In Your KidMin This Fall

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] October starts this week, which means pumpkin patches, pumpkin spice, and of course, pumpkin-themed ministry ideas! (Are anyone else's kids as obsessed with pumpkins as mine are?) Pumpkins are fun, familiar, and full of potential when it comes to engaging kids with God’s Word. If you’re looking for simple and seasonal ways to bring pumpkins into your children’s ministry, here are six ideas (and some fall pumpkin resources) that make it easy. 1. Play with Pumpkins - Pumpkins aren’t just for carving. They can also be the star of your next game time! Kids love interactive activities that get them moving, laughing, and connecting with one another. Try a few ready-to-go options like Pumpkin Select, Pumpkin Peekaboo, Pumpkin Jokes countdown, or Pumpkin Shuffle to bring some pumpkin fun into your large...
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15 Fall Service Projects for Families

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The fall season is the perfect time to encourage families to serve your church and your community! Here are 15 fall service project ideas families can complete together: Write a thank you note to your teacher Shop for and stuff a box for Operation Christmas Child (This event guide does the work for you!) Leave a snack & note for the mail carrier Clean something for someone else Raise & donate money for offering or a mission partner at church Pick up trash in a local park Visit a nursing home Donate used towels and blankets to a local animal shelter OR make no-sew blankets for your local homeless shelter or foster care (This event guide includes a fun way to celebrate the blankets with bananas splits too!) Send flowers to someone going through a hard time Volunteer at church...
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Fall Reminds Us: God’s Word Never Changes

As we head into the fall season, it often brings change. Change of routines as kids head back to school. Change in the weather as the temperature cools down and the days get shorter. Maybe even a change of ministry rhythms and events. But one thing that never changes? God's Word. Which is why I'm excited to share a guest blog post this week from Tricia Machel, a DKM Vendor, who is passionate about helping kids dig into God's Word. Plus, we're celebrating that Tricia now has activity pages available for over 400 passages of Scripture!!! Find them all here or use the search bar to search for a specific passage, and read more about helping kids remember that God's Word never changes below.  Fall... autumn… a season that echoes the pattern of life. The pattern of change. Life is full of changes. We experience changes every single day: ...
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From Resources to Relationships: Shifting Your Mindset in Partnering with Parents

When most ministry leaders talk about equipping parents, they usually mean one thing: providing resources. And while there’s nothing wrong with handing out resources (we love a good family resource here at Deeper KidMin), if our strategy for partnering with parents stops there, we’re missing the bigger picture. Equipping parents is more than just distributing resources. If our only strategy for engaging families is giving them materials (that don't even make it into the house half the time), we’ve slipped into what I call a “vending machine mindset.” In a vending machine mindset… The children’s ministry leader simply provides resources with little interaction. Parents are expected to come to us: our buildings, our events, our parent resource shelves. Families may not know how to use what we’ve provided (or may not...
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KidMin Leader Family Prayer Calendar: Make Praying For Your Families a Habit!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]Make praying for the families in your ministry a habit with this simple printable! Just write one family's name per box, then on that day of the month, pray for that family! If you have more than 31 families, make more copies. Repeat all year to make a habit of praying for the families you serve.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the KidMin Leader Family Prayer Calendar Here!" align="center" css=""...
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5 Faith-Focused Family Fall Events For Your KidMin

Fall is one of my favorite seasons in ministry. Families are settling back into routines, kids are excited about pumpkins and festivals, and there are plenty of natural opportunities to gather people together. But as children's ministry leaders, we have to add value to families' lives, not just events on their calendars. So what if your fall ministry calendar did more than offer seasonal fun? With a little creativity and intentionality, your fall family events can become moments where parents and kids laugh, learn, and grow deeper in their faith together. Here are 5 family events that incorporate an intentional faith element into the fall fun! Click on the title of each event to learn even more and download the guides for your ministry!  Find even more Fall Events for your kidmin here! Minute to Win It Family Faith Night - Through fun...
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What Parents Really Need From Your KidMin

In children’s ministry, there are a few lessons you learn pretty quickly: Saturday-night volunteer call-outs are going to happen (so plan for them and don't let them wreck your weekend). The check-in printers will die at the worst possible moment (right before the Sunday morning rush). And if you bring out the glitter, you will still be finding it in the carpet six months later. But when it comes to partnering with parents, there’s one lesson that matters most: Consistent is better than flashy. Parents don’t need one more giant, blown-out event from you (though those are great when they're intentional). They don’t need the perfectly polished devotional resource that took you weeks to design and put together. They don’t even need a “wow” moment every single Sunday. What parents really need is simple, steady encouragement that...
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Digital Ministry Audit

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Technology changes fast, and it's time to update! Use this quick audit to assess what’s working, what needs improvement, and where to focus your digital ministry efforts in the year ahead. Reflect on the questions, then evaluate how your ministry is doing. Then make a goal for a small next step to increase the effectiveness of your digital discipleship! [/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Digital Ministry Audit Here!" align="center" css="" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F08%2FDKM-Digital-Ministry-Audit-Freebie.pdf|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="108203" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=""...
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5 Ways to Start the School Year Strong in Your Children’s Ministry

Backpacks are packed, first-day-of-school outfits are purchased, and everyone's trying to get back into a routine after the summer, which means it's officially back-to-school season! Whether you’re pumped for a fresh start or still mourning the end of summer fun, now is the perfect time to refocus, refresh, and relaunch your ministry for a brand-new year. Here are 5 ways to start the school year strong in your children’s ministry: Get Organized (Before the Sunday Morning Scramble Hits) - From updated rosters to curriculum plans to stocked classrooms, a little prep now will save you a ton of stress later. Take time to update parent contact info, allergy alerts, and class lists. Make sure your check-in system is ready to go for new families. Clean out all those VBS supplies from your office, and take a look at your overall calendar to figure...
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Back-to-School Survival Kits

Making back-to-school survival kits are the perfect opportunity for you to connect with the families in your ministry as they head back to school. A Back-to-School Survival Kit can be a great opportunity to provide families with simple ways to connect with God and each other! The point of the survival kit is to provide families with items they’ll need to “survive” the school year. You can include a spiritual element like this free customizable calendar, this Back to School Prayer Journal for Kids, or this full Back to School Survival Kit that includes a family devotional and the list of ideas below. You can also include physical items that offer practical help and encouragement. Here are some ideas for packing and distributing your Back-to-School Survival Kits! What do I pack the Back to School Survival Kits in? Colorful gift...
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5 Ways to Celebrate Back-To-School Season in Your Ministry

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Knowing the rhythms of life for the families you serve and stepping into those rhythms to celebrate milestones is a key factor in connecting with your families. One of the biggest milestones each year is back-to-school season! So here are 5 ways to celebrate this important time in your children's ministry: Host a special event - Whether it's a family event like a Back to School Prayer Bash, a Taco Bingo Night, a Family Trivia Night, or a kids-only event that gives the parents a break (like our science-themed Parents' Night Out), hosting a fun kick-off event for the Back to School Season is a great way to help families celebrate! Find all our favorite Back-to-School Special Events here. Equip families to celebrate at home - A lot of prep goes into the back-to-school season for families. School supply...
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4 Classroom Management Tips For Your Volunteers

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Classroom Management will make or break your volunteers' experience teaching and your kids' experience learning. Share these simple and quick best practices for classroom management with your volunteers to help them serve and lead well. Sharing simple strategies and techniques like these with your team helps them enjoy leading/serving in your ministry (which means they'll stick around longer) and helps kids enjoy learning about Jesus (always a win).[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download a Printable Version Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F07%2FDKM-Classroom-Management-Tips-Tricks-for-Volunteers.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_column_text] Be early. Be prepared - The first one to arrive is the one in charge. Be sure that you are the first one in the...
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5 Tips for Turning a Meeting into a Party

No one wants to attend ANOTHER boring meeting, and your volunteers are no different! Using just a few simple and applicable ideas, you can host trainings that volunteers actually WANT to attend. Whether it’s an annual volunteer training or your weekly volunteer meeting, here are five tips for turning your meetings into a party! Don’t call it a “meeting.” You probably aren’t super excited about attending meetings, and your volunteers aren’t either. Whether you call it a training session, a convention, a conference, a summit, a rally, or even a gathering, what you call your training event will subliminally influence a volunteer’s attitude about attending. Offer food (even if it’s just a brownie bite). It’s a great way to show appreciation for your volunteers from the very beginning. If you feed them, they will come. ...
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Bumps and Bandaids: Why Incident Report Forms Belong in Your KidMin Administration Processes

Whether it's a game that gets a little too rough at VBS or some heightened emotions on a Sunday morning, accidents and injuries happen in your children's ministry. Do you have a system in place for when they do? Once the dust settles and the bandaids are put on, the incident isn't over yet. Next, you want to complete an Accident/Incident Form to document what happened. Filling out an Accident/Incident Form might feel like extra paperwork in the moment, but it's a simple step that serves a big purpose. These forms protect your ministry, your volunteers, and most importantly, your kids. By clearly documenting what happened, when it happened, and how it was handled, you're creating a record that can help clarify misunderstandings, answer parent questions, and demonstrate your commitment to safety and care. It also sets a tone of professionalism...
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