Home Articles posted by kidologist (Page 36)

Help Your Kids Honor Jesus This Christmas

Last Christmas I learned about a new tool for helping my family focus on Jesus from Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas – and it is VERY cool! It is called Cradle for the King – and the concept is simple. As your family notices the fruit of the Spirit in each other, the manger is created and prepared for Jesus at Christmas. STARTING AT THANKSGIVING is ideal, but you can start any time before Christmas to get the focus of the season where it belongs – on Jesus and the impact He should be having on our lives. Through the book included in the set, children witness a family who joyfully exhibits the spiritual gifts in Galatians chapter five and “prepare the way” for Jesus who finally appears in the cradle on Christmas morning. While it is ideal for families, you can also get a set to give out at church. Check out the Cradle for the King 12-pack. Our family is using this fun tool this season, and I invite you to join us as we prepare for season with a reason! LEARN MORE AT: Cradle for a King available on Kidology.org

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NEW! ThanksLiving Game for Church or Home

Thanksgiving isn’t just something we do once a year – it is an annual reminder that we should be THANKSLIVING! That is why for Thanksgiving this year, I created this simple game, based off the classic game of “MEMORY,” will help kids to think of things they are thankful for – and then focus on them. You could easily make this yourself, but I made your job easy by creating all the tools for you: Complete Instructions for the interactive Large or Small Group game 5 pairs of ThanksLiving Verses 5 pairs of ThanksLiving Objects Blank template for making your own Back cover for every sheet in the game PowerPoint of the ThanksLiving Verses as well as the Team Names Printable Numbers to determine the order of play. HAVE FUN this Thanksgiving helping your kids to be ThanksLIVING! Giving thanks ALWAYS and for EVERYTHING to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20 HOW TO GET IT: Available in the Kidology.org Store Or FREE for Premium Members of Kidology.org

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A Gauntlet in Kidmin?

The Gauntlet was one of the best scenes in the classic movie staring Sean Connery as Kind Arthur – but it wasn’t until this week that I saw a Gauntlet used in kidmin! Was this some kind of new disciplinary device? Did the kids forget to bring their Bibles? What could this be? Actually, it was just a fun way to honor the kids who had completed a section in their Awana Handbooks – and judging by the smiles and laughter, they loved it. Is handing out candy or giving stickers not getting the results you’d like? Perhaps it is time to add a Gauntlet to your children’s ministry! Regardless of whether you start handing out swim tubes to leaders – I commend their creativity in doing some NEW and DIFFERENT to recognize kids and motivate them to participate. What creative thing are YOU doing to engage kids in your ministry?  

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Check-in Without Lines?

Imagine computer check-in without computers! Imagine secure check-in without lines. Sound impossible? Not any more. Thanks to the always innovating geniuses at KidCheck, secure check-in is getting even easier. As you can tell by the related links below, I’ve been an avid supporter and promoter of KidCheck for years. I love how they are always innovating to make child security easier and more effective each year. While other systems provide the basics – KidCheck continues to add features and benefits that not only provide a pick-up label, but improve communication between parents, volunteers, and leaders. AND NOW… (wait for it) … They have introduced Express Check-in. That means parents can check-in on their smart phone in the parking lot or while walking it, come to your check-in area, hit “PRINT” and be on their way to dropping off their kiddos without every standing in line or typing into a computer. Learn all about KidCheck Express Check-in Here. As I mentioned on my podcast today, the safety of kids is of the utmost importance to parents. When you have a secure check-in area, you score points with parents who want to have the peace of mind that their child is not…

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Kids Napkin Art

I love sharing great ideas that I notice out and about. If you every visit Colorado Springs, make sure you visit Fargo’s Pizza. It’s an old-time pizza parlor, with player piano and all. I was there recently as a part of the Kidology Coaching Summit. After enjoying some great pizza and fellowship we were on the way out, and as I often do, I checked out the stuff they had for kids. What caught my eye was a framed collage of kid’s art. Here are some of the pictures close up: I think this is a great idea that could be easily incorporated into a children’s ministry. Whether you encourage kids to illustrate the sermon when they are sitting in “Big Church” or pass out a biblical coloring sheet for a coloring contest. You could do a Draw the Pastor contest or My Favorite Bible Story. Look at any parent’s refrigerator and you’ll have no doubt that kids LOVE to see their art displayed. Why not do the same at church where many more will see their art. PLUS, it shows off your children’s ministry to the pastor, parents and others who walk by the wall you have them displayed…

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