Use All the Senses: Reach Every Kid, Every Way Sight, sound, touch (and sometimes taste and smell!) — engaging more senses makes learning stick for every type of learner. Have you ever walked into a room and instantly been transported by a smell? Maybe fresh cookies reminded you of Grandma’s house… or the scent of pine brought you back to Christmas morning. Smell is one of the most powerful and memorable senses we have. That’s why I love this verse: “For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ…”
 2 Corinthians 2:15 What a vivid image — not just that we live for Christ, but that our very presence can carry the fragrance of Jesus into the world. It’s a sensory picture of spiritual truth. That’s what we want in our teaching too — to leave a spiritual fragrance that lingers long after the lesson ends. And one of the best ways to do that is to engage all five senses in our teaching. When kids see, hear, touch, taste, and maybe even smell the truth you’re teaching, it sticks. It moves from their heads to their hearts — and stays. Every child learns differently. Some children love to…

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A picture is worth a thousand words — learn to use costumes, props, and visuals to make teaching unforgettable. Truth becomes clearer when it’s not just heard but seen. When you turn lessons into something visual, you’re creating snapshots of truth that stick for life. God, though Himself invisible, is a visual God – He always made His presence visible, from a pillar of cloud by day to a pillar of fire by night for His people, to His incredible acts in the Old Testament to the literal object lessons Jesus did in the New. God knows His people need to SEE Him at work, not just read or hear about Him. In my planning, one of the questions I ask myself regularly is, “How can I help the kids SEE this — not just HEAR it?” “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them… Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6–9 (NIV) Kids are naturally visual. In a world filled with screens, images, and sensory input,…

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God’s Word: Show Them Where Truth Comes From Don’t just reference the Bible — make it your visible, active teaching tool every time. Aside from our primary goal of leading kids to Jesus and helping them build a personal relationship with Him, a close second must be this: teaching them to love, trust, and use the Word of God. It’s not enough to simply teach from the Bible — we need to teach kids how to use the Bible for themselves. Long after they leave our ministry, if we’ve imparted a love of God’s Word and the skills to navigate it, we will have equipped them with the greatest spiritual tool they’ll ever need. Without this foundation, we risk spiritually handicapping them for life. It’s like the old saying: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. The same applies to our teaching: If we merely teach kids a Bible lesson, we may feed them spiritually for a week. But if we teach them how to read, study, and apply the Bible on their own — we will help them feed themselves for a…

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Get Off the Stage: Teach from the Heart, Not Just the Platform Authority impresses; authenticity impacts. Learn the secret of connecting eye-to-eye with kids. This Secret of Excellent Kid Communicators is something I rarely see. For those in small ministries, it may not seem immediately relevant—maybe you’re in a room with no stage at all, just a circle of kids and a worn carpet. But trust me, this principle is universal. Whether you’re speaking to a crowd of hundreds or sitting with a handful of wiggly kids on the floor, the key is the same: connection over performance. When you’re on stage, you have authority. But when you’re among the kids, you have authenticity. And while authority can command respect, authenticity captures hearts. Over the years, whether leading ministries of 10 or 100+, one of my favorite and most impactful habits has been to step off the stage—literally. I sit among the kids during worship or videos. Sometimes I just plop down beside a child during a game or activity. The effect is immediate. I’ve seen children’s eyes light up as if someone famous just chose them to sit with. I once overheard a little boy run up to his mom…

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Feelings drive memory — discover how experiences anchor God’s truth deeper than any lecture. Want to make your teaching unforgettable? Then stop aiming only for the head — and aim for the heart. Kids remember what they feel. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”— Psalm 34:8 How many books have you read? How many movies or TV shows have you watched? Countless, right? But which ones do you remember? Without a doubt, it’s the ones that moved you emotionally — the ones that made you cry, laugh, sit on the edge of your seat… or maybe even scream if you’re one of those “scary movie” people. (Not me!) We remember what we experience, not just what we hear. We’ve already talked about creating surprises and involving kids in your lessons. Those are powerful — but now it’s time to go even deeper. The most Excellent Kid Communicators create emotional experiences that help kids feel the truth of a lesson — through wonder, amazement, laughter, challenge, even discomfort. “They may forget what you said — but they will never forget how you made them feel.” — Carl W. Buehner Sometimes you’ll…

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