Categories: Leadership

Helping Kids Understand the Spiritual Discipline of Fasting

[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!)...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

3 Hospital Appreciation Ideas for Children’s Ministries

My church and my neighborhood are located just 2 miles down the road from a major hospital, and several of our church members work at the hospital or in the medical field. After talking with some of these frontline workers about how things are going, here are some of their responses: "Morale is dipping and community support has been lacking." "Support was great at the beginning, but people have gone back to their normal lives, and there's hardly any extra show of support now." "Our employees need encouragement." And here's a recent post in my neighborhood's FB group: "The staff is exhausted... The signs of support from the community will be a big morale booster for the staff." It's obvious our local hospitals need some encouragement as they continue to risk their lives to save and protect ours. And what better place for that...
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Get It Done Post-It Printable

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Does anyone else have a weird obsession with sticky notes? Just me? Well I've discovered a way to help me keep my post-it notes a little more organized... Use this "Get It Done" Post-It To-Do List Printable to help you, well, get things done![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Get It Done Post It Printable Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2FDKM-GET-IT-DONE-POST-IT-PRINTABLE.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_column_text] Write your thoughts, lists, tasks, and to-dos on a post-it note, then put the post-it in the boxes to help you accomplish them today, tomorrow, sometime this week, or in the near future. You can also laminate the printable and then use an expo marker to write in the boxes instead of using post-it notes. Pro tip: Before leaving the...
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Filed Under Blog, Free Weekly Downloads, Leadership

20 Lessons from 2020

2020 was quite a year, and I learned a lot. These lessons may be relevant to you, or they may not, and they vary from personal to ministry-related. Here are 20 lessons I learned from 2020: "Creativity begins at the moment we don't know what we are doing." - Simon Sinek Motherhood is simultaneously the most beautiful and most exhausting thing in the world. We all need each other. My worldview is smaller than I believed, and I still have more to learn. Listening to audiobooks still counts as reading. A little bit of sunshine and fresh air goes a long way. Learning doesn't have to be formal. Change isn't a bad thing. Playing is just as important as working. There is good to be found in every situation because God can be found in every situation. Good lighting makes a big difference. Dreaming is not the same as...
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Filed Under Blog, Leadership

The Weary World Rejoices

Our Advent series at church this year is fittingly titled "The Weary World Rejoices," and man has it been sweet. "O Holy Night" has always been my favorite Christmas carol anyway, but the lyrics really hit home this year. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. "Weary" is one of the best words I can think of to describe this year and this season of ministry. From a global pandemic to racial injustice to the political divide we're experiencing in the U.S., the world is experiencing a bone-deep fatigue that seems to permeate all areas of life. Add in trying to do children's ministry in the midst of all this, and whew! Talk about weary! Maybe you're feeling drained of emotional and physical energy as you try to stay connected with families, equipping them for at-home discipleship without...
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Family Christmas Eve Bags: Taking the Christmas Eve Celebration Home

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]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...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

Christmas Card Day

Did you know that December 9 is an official holiday called "Christmas Card Day"? Who knew!? It's celebrated in honor of the very first commercial Christmas cards that were sent in 1843 in London by Sir Henry Cole. And while it very well could be a holiday that Hallmark added to our calendars to boost their own sales, the spirit of the day remains true. The tradition of sending a little Christmas cheer to family and friends is a sure way to brighten someone's holiday season. So how can you celebrate Christmas Card Day as a children's ministry leader?  Send Christmas cards! 2020 is the perfect year to send Christmas cards to your families, especially if you're back/still in quarantine. It's an easy way to connect with families and let kids know you miss them. (Psst - we've made this one super easy for you! Download our "We miss you!"...
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Last Christmas 2020

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]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 resources from Last Christmas (and Last Last Christmas and Last Last Last Christmas too!)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="20028" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/have-a-cup-of-cheer-christmas-volunteer-appreciation-printable/"][vc_custom_heading text="Have a Cup of Cheer Volunteer Appreciation Printable" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"...
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Filed Under Blog, Free Weekly Downloads, Leadership, Volunteers

Volunteer Appreciation Printables

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Happy Thanksgiving! This week is all about gratitude, and we're sharing all of our volunteer appreciation printables! While you may not yet have a full roster of volunteers back (thanks COVID), that just means that you have more time and resources to shower the volunteers you DO have with a little extra love and appreciation. Use the free printables listed below to plan out your volunteer appreciation for the holiday season and into 2021! Just click on each image to download the printable.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text="FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="18576" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank"...
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Joy to the World: A Christmas Devotion on Psalm 98

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaaaaaa-ven, and Heaven, and nature sing! I know you've heard that last line sung with the confident (and often off-key) belt-out that only kids can muster. :) But how much do you know about this famous Christmas carol? This short devotion talks about the origins of the song, and it comes from Christmas Karaoke, a 4-week family faith kit from Vanessa Myers that focuses on Christmas hymns! One of the most well-known Christmas songs is Joy to the World. But did you know that this song is not based on the birth of Jesus, but actually comes from Psalm 98 found in the Old Testament? Yes... a song that was once actually meant to celebrate the second coming of Jesus turned into one of the...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

COVID-Friendly Christmas Resources

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And while we're not sure what Christmas will look like this year, we hope these COVID-friendly Christmas ideas/resources help make your season merry and bright! Want a more visual rundown of our best Christmas resources for 2020? Check out our DKM 2020 Christmas Catalog![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the DKM 2020 Christmas Catalog here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2FDeeper-KidMins-2020-Christmas-Catalog.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_toggle title="Family Advent Resources"]Family Advent Bingo - New for 2020! Family Advent Bingo turns your typical family Advent calendar into a fun, month-long game! Your families can count down to Christmas with simple, daily activities designed to help them learn...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

Brand New from Bible Games Central

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I'm a big fan of Bible Games Central. Who doesn't love an entire site devoted to games relating to the Bible?! That's why I was so excited to learn that Bible Games Central just released 4 new games![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="44100" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]Bible Bingo - Really, this is a game every children's pastor should have on hand. It's perfect as a time-filler activity or large group game that also allows kids to work on their Bible skills! While there are lots of versions of Bible Bingo out there, what I really love about this version is that the Bingo boards are specially designed to correspond to how the Bible is organized. Rather than the columns spelling out B-I-N-G-O, they are divided into distinct, colored sections that match the sections of the Bible! It...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

Make It Better

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of my favorite things is watching leaders take a sad song take a Deeper KidMin resource and make it better! (Better, better, better, better!) Bethany in Idaho recently downloaded our Preschool Playdate: Brown Bag Fall Hunt. Here's what she said and how she's making it even better... "It's a wonderful and easy-to-implement plan, but I wanted to add a spiritual element. So I'm going to introduce the event with this little speech: When you make a something out of playdoh, what do you want people to say? “That’s beautiful! You did such a good job!” Or if you make a huge Lego tower, what do you want to people to say? “Wow, that’s the tallest lego tower I’ve ever seen! I love it!” God made everything in the world. He loves it when we notice what a good job He did making things. Today we are...
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Top 10 Freebies from Year 3

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This week, Deeper KidMin is celebrating 3 years of serving children's ministry leaders! We're celebrating our birthday by highlighting the top 10 posts and freebies from year 3 (plus a 30% off sale in the DKM Marketplace). Just click on each picture below to access each post/free download, and join our subscriber's list here to make sure you don't miss one of our weekly free downloads in year 4! Want to see our top freebies from other years? Find year 2 here and year 1 here![/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title="#1 - Parent Note for Family Worship" color="custom" border_width="3" accent_color="#3ac1e1"][vc_single_image image="29849" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/parent-note-for-family-worship/"][vc_text_separator title="#2 -...
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Filed Under Blog, Free Weekly Downloads, Leadership, Volunteers

Driveway Dinners: Fall Fellowship Idea

If quarantine has taught us one thing, it's our need for community and fellowship. RISING Church in Buford, GA is meeting that need with a monthly event called Driveway Dinners, and they've agreed to let me share the details! What are Driveway Dinners? Driveway Dinners are a social distancing event for church families to get together and catch up. Each family brings a chair, blanket, bug spray, outdoor activities if they want, and enough food and drinks for themselves, then they meet in a host's driveway for dinner and hangs with 3-4 other church families. It's a great way to gather together while still accommodating different comfort levels since you ask people to socially-distance outside in the driveway. People can choose to wear masks or not (RISING Church is located in Georgia, where masks are optional - follow your local social distancing...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

Ministry Planning Tool

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Even if you didn't win our Equip Family Online Courses giveaway, we've still got something for you! This week's freebie is a Ministry Planning Tool that helps you plan the year ahead. It was only available for free through the end of October 2020, but you can purchase the Ministry Planning Tool as part of the Creative Ideas for Family Ministry online course, or for a small fee here.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Make plans for your ministry year with this ministry planning tool. This PDF includes four sections: Ask key questions about your ministry goals for the year. Brainstorm ideas for events, teaching & family connections – and filter them. Create a ministry calendar. Think about a back-up plan in case of changes to in-person ministry or large...
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Equip Family Online Courses Giveaway

If you’ve been around long, you know I’m a total nerd and conference junkie. I love to learn and share what I learn. That’s why I am so excited about this week's giveaway: 2 leaders will win free access to one online course from Equip Family! With online courses, you don’t have to pay tons of money, travel far away, or even leave your couch to learn valuable ministry skills and gain leadership development. * This giveaway is now closed.* This week, we're giving away free access to one course from Equip Family to 2 lucky winners! Equip Family is run by Julia Ball, the creator of our Fall Family Night, Fruit of the Spirit Take Home Kit, Guide to Family Worship, Family Advent Calendar, and more! In August 2020, Julia launched 2 online courses designed specifically for children's ministry leaders... 1) Creative Ideas for Family...
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Fidget-Friendly Signs Printable

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you're hosting family worship services, your families with young kids may be nervous about how their little ones will do during the service. Post these signs in sections of your main worship space to let families know they (and their wiggly little ones) are welcome! [/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Fidget-Friendly Signs here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F09%2FFidget-Friendly-Signs-DKM.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text]You may also consider providing Praise Packs, a Parent Note, or Sermon Notes for Kids, and use the resources in our Guide to Family Worship! And if you really want to help kids and parents have the best experience possible in a family worship service, consider registering for our online ministry training all about...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Free Weekly Downloads, Leadership

5 Practical Tips for Family Worship

There are lots of resources you can offer parents to help their kids engage in a family worship service (find some in the resource list at the bottom of this post), but as a ministry leader, there are lots of things YOU can do to make a family worship service engaging for all ages too. Here are 5 practical tips for hosting a family worship service: Remember it's a team effort. Effective family worship services involve more than just you as the children's pastor. Your senior pastor and worship leaders have to be on board too. Have a conversation with your senior pastor and share your vision and your heart with him or her. Talk about your ideas and what he or she is comfortable pursuing. Make a list of the top 3 things you’d like to see, then share with him/her and ask how you as a staff can work together to make it a great experience for the...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

Creative Ministry Brainstorming List

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This week's freebie is a little bit different than our normal Freebie Friday Download. It's not cute. It's not formatted. It's not even complete. This Google Doc is a brainstorming list from my church staff as of August 28, 2020. After opening our doors and then closing again when nearly half of our staff tested positive for COVID-19 (hear the full story here), our pastor challenged us to consider new and creative ways to do ministry in a social-distanced world, and this is the result. It’s a list of all of the ideas, resources, links, and thoughts we’ve come up with individually and as a staff on how to move forward this semester in light of COVID-19. As a brainstorming page, it’s messy, it’s incomplete, and it’s unorganized. Some of these ideas have already turned into realities (marked green)....
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Creative Problem-Solving in Ministry

"Creativity begins at the moment we don't know what we are doing." - Simon Sinek  If that quote doesn't sum up 2020, I don't know what does. This year has given us lots of opportunities to be creative in ministry, and it's encouraged me to dig deeper into the process of creative thinking and creative problem-solving. I started listening to The Creative Thinker's Toolkit course on Audible. Even though I'm only a few lectures in, I've really enjoyed the challenges and encouragement to think creatively and build up my creative thinking muscles. Like other skills, creativity can be taught, refined, and strengthened. The more we practice it, the more creative we can be. The creative problem-solving process involves 4 key steps: Clarify - What is the problem you are trying to solve? If creativity is providing value in a new way, what kind...
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12 Things Invented By Kids

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Kids are some of the most creative people on the planet, and we have the privilege of helping them discover how to use that creativity for the Kingdom. Their brains often see solutions to problems that our adult brains don't. So next time you encounter a problem in your ministry, ask some of your kids how they would solve the problem. While you might get some funny answers, I'd bet one of them says something that sparks a valuable solution. After all, the 12 items below were invented by kids to solve a problem they faced. Use this list in a teaching time or encouraging note to inspire the kids in your ministry to use their gifts and talents to solve problems and serve others! BRAILLE LANGUAGE by Louis Braille, 12 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS by Albert Sadacca, 15 TRAMPOLINE by George Nissen, 16 POPSICLE by...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

COVID-Friendly Fall Resources

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Although autumn won't technically begin until the end of September, I know you're already planning what to do this year. How will you pull off your Fall Festival, Trunk or Treat, or other fall event while also maintaining social distancing and keeping everyone safe? Whether you're gathering in person, hosting a drive-through event, or equipping parents for the fall season at home, these ideas may help![/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text="In-Person Fall Events" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Preschool Playdate Brown Bag Hunt- Host this event for the littles with social-distancing at a local park, or distribute the game to preschool families with a brown lunch bag to complete on their own! Learn more and download the...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Leadership

Back to School Customizable Calendar

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Use this customizable Back to School Calendar to provide families with daily prompts to keep them connected to God and each other! The goal: each day’s activity should take five minutes or less. There are no dates on the calendar so you can begin and end whenever you want! Please note: The customizable feature will not show up on a mobile device. Read the Editable PDF instructions below for more details.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Click here to download the customizable Back to School Calendar!" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2FDKM-Back-to-School-Customizable-Calendar-Freebie.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text]Recommended Ideas for Daily Activities: Make each day of the week fit a specific theme or idea: Prayer Prompt Sundays (Tell God one thing...
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Filed Under Blog, For Parents, Free Weekly Downloads, Leadership

Drive-Through Food Drive Back to School Event

Since we can't do our normal Back to School Bash this year (thanks COVID), we're getting creative with another idea instead! Our children's pastor wanted to find a fun way to distribute our Back to School Kits to families while also helping our food pantry stock up on the most-needed items for the year ahead. So she came up with Drive Away Hunger: A Drive-Through Food Drive Event!  What is it? Drive Away Hunger is a back to school event that helps us connect with our people and also gives back to the community. It's a drive-through food drive where families bring donations for our food pantry, and they also pick up a Back to School Kit and an ice cream treat! How will it work? Church members of all ages are invited to drive through the church parking lot and drop off their donations anytime between 6:30-8:00 PM on Wednesday, August 19....
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