Articles Zone

Practical and insightful articles about Children's Ministry.

Looking for some expert advice? This Zone is a treasury of Children's Ministry expertise from the Kidologist and other veterans in children's ministry.

Some of the most popular articles are:

Getting into the Home | Mailbox Ministry | Discipline that Disciples | Entering the World of Kids | First Steps for a New Children's Pastor | The Great KID Mission |

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All Access Candy Cane Balancing Act

Jesus quickly gets overshadowed at Christmas by all the hype. This opening icebreaker object lesson helps kids learn to make Jesus #1 all year long.

Making Jesus #1 in our Lives
All Access Care, Beyond Compare!

The effort to create a caring paradigm in children’s ministry has to come from the Children’s Pastor in concert with their leadership team. When the leader creates that kind of caring atmosphere among the teachers, it gives permission for the quality of care to trickle down like rain on the children.

Children's Ministry Team
Free Celebrate the One

Each week, God has provided committed children's ministry volunteers for our needs, but as the ministry leader, it is my job to ensure that screened, trained, committed, Christ-following volunteers show up to care for and teach the children He brings to us.

The Importance of Every Volunteer
All Access Check List for A Better VBS

A checklist that can help you improve your VBS every year!

VBS, Evaluation, Leadership
All Access Children of Divorce and Overcoming Anger at God

This is a study of the anger that so many children of divorce feel towards God for letting their family fall apart.

Anger Towards God after Divorce
All Access Children of Divorce Need YOU to Help Them Manage Their Behaviors

How can you and your volunteers help children deal with stress?

Divorce, Behavior
All Access Children's Ministry Manual for Volunteers

A 25-page Children's Ministry Manual for your volunteers!

CM Manual, Volunteers
All Access Children's Pastor as Counselor

Picking up some basic counseling knowledge has been a huge part in my growth as a children's pastor.

Basic Counseling Skills
All Access Chinese Take-Out: A Bible Memory Verse Activity

What do Chinese take-out and Bible memory verses have in common? Find out with this tasty activity for preschoolers!

Bible Memory Verse Activity
Free Choose to Speak Life

God brings many people (staff, volunteers, parents and children) into our circle of influence. Pray for them, and choose to speak life into their lives. 

Encouragement, Inspiration
All Access Christian Lyrics to the London Bridge Game

Have you ever played the London Bridge Game? These Christian versions of this children's game will not only be fun for your children, but will also help teach them about God!

Children's Games
All Access Christmas Devotional: A Time of Giving or Receiving?

 Teach your children that receiving is better than giving...

Christmas, Devotional, Gift Giving, Receiving
All Access Christmas Play: The Birth of Jesus

Need a Christmas skit that the children in your ministry can perform? This narrative skit on the birth of Jesus is written directly from the Bible and is very powerful. Teach your children the Christmas story through this skit and let them share the good news with others!

Christmas, Children's Skit
All Access Church, Not Childcare

What do you call your Church's children's service time?

Kids Church
Free Coaching Elementary Small Group Leaders

What a difference a week makes when you are coaching elementary small group leaders! Here's what I did to coach a small group leader.

Coaching Small Group Leaders
All Access Co-Active Coaching Quotes

Quotes from “Co-Active Coaching,” a book written by the founders of The Coaches Training Institute

Coaching, Leadership
All Access Collaborative Problem Solving

3 steps to collaborative problem solving.

Problem Solving
All Access Combination Lock

An introduction to talking the the unique gifts and talents that God has given every boy and girl.

Gifts, Talents
Starter Compassionate Discernment

Compassionate discernment helps us to understand when to allow flexibility in certain rules or customary ways of doing things in the ministry. This essay gives one such example.

Classroom Rules
All Access Comprehensive Candidate Screening Part 6&7 - Motor Vehicle Report and Waiting Period

The final step in the candidate screening process: motor vehicle check and waiting period.

Background Checks
Free Connected to the Vine

Amid the hectic world of kidmin, how do you stay connected with God on a daily basis?

Connecting with God
All Access Consider. Choose. Commit.

The case for choosing curriculum carefully and staying with it consistently

Curriculum Selection
All Access Co-Parenting That Hurts Kids

Co-parenting among divorcing couples is becoming more popular. What can churches do to help?

Bad Co-Parenting
All Access Co-Parenting the Divorce Way

Co-parenting is becoming the norm for divorcing couples and couples who are involved in cohabitation situations. But what exactly is co-parenting?

Co-Parenting
All Access Counseling Kids for Salvation

One of the best parts of our job is counseling kids and students about salvation. Even better than that is equipping their parents to be the primary ones responsible for these conversations.

Salvation, Counseling
All Access Counseling Kids for Salvation

Learn to counsel kids effectively regarding the most important decision of their life.

Salvation, Counseling
All Access Crash Course in Preschool Lessons

Preschool lessons are important! I believe that we may have the greatest opportunity to create a true sense of wonder and awe with “the least of these.” What amazing potential to make a life-long difference!

Preschool Lessons
All Access Create Your Kidmin Brand

Here are seven ideas to help you identify your unique brand of ministry to children.

Identifying Your Brand
All Access Creating a Culture of Warmth

Where is the warmth-meter in your ministry?  

Making Kids Feel Safe and Comfortable
All Access Creating Creation

Here is a fun activity to help your little ones become more familiar with this wondrous time in earth’s history. 

Preschooler Game
All Access Creative Emergence

We are impressed with Kidmin who are creative. We enjoy the fruit of their creativity. However, our Creative God made us like Him, creative! Here are six creative habits that creatives use.

Developing Creativity
All Access Creative tips to use when living with or ministering to a traumatized child

A look at what we can do when ministering to, living with or working with a child that has been traumatized.

Divorce, Trauma
All Access Dealing with Challenging Kids at VBS

With VBS coming up, attitudes and conversations can make a difference when you have a rambunctious group of kids.

Divorce, Discipleship, Difficult Kids
Free Dear Student Leader

Here is a personal note that I wrote to encourage a student leader for their service.

Encouraging Note
Free Delegation is a MUST in Children's Ministry

Delegation is a must in Children's Ministry! Here are some great tips for how to delegate effectively in your ministry.

Delegation, Children's Ministry
Starter Develop: Leveraging Transformational Moments

Development as a dynamic system [is] a perpetually ongoing process, extending from conception to death, that is molded by a complex network of biological, psychological, and social influences. ~ Laura E. Berk “Jesus became wiser and stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to God and to people.” (Luke 2:52)   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 11.7px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none}

Teaching Tips, Teachable Moments
All Access Developing a 45-Minute Show

Here are ten things I’ve learned over the years about how to put together quality content for a 45-minute stage show.

Stage Performance
All Access Developing a Ministry-Wide Strategy for Making Disciples

Everywhere around us, we are hearing a growing call: The spiritual formation of children must be done by parents, not for parents. The church’s role is shifting from one of serving and supporting parents to one of empowering, equipping, and encouraging parents. How can children's ministry leaders respond to this call?

Church Wide Discipleship Focus
All Access Digital Detox: Helping Kids Get a Balance on Screen Time

Tech screens are everywhere. How do you know when it's time for a digital detox?

Technology
All Access Disciplers and Specialists

The Acts 6 Model makes it possible for a local Family of God to provide a ministry to children that meets each child’s individual needs.

Discipleship, Church Leadership
All Access Discipleship Ideas for Divorced and Single Parents

When discipleship is the strategy, Deuteronomy 6:6-8 can be a reality, even for single and divorced parents. 

Divorce, Discipleship, Single Parents
All Access Discipleship Roller Coaster

Discipleship is messy and gritty and sloppy, and that’s the beauty. And some weeks that can also be the tough part of it.

Discipleship
Free Discipline Policies That Work (1 of 2)

Almost every teacher in a church's children's ministry is looking for help to manage the classroom. Trisha Peach shares her best and time-tested discipline ideas.

Discipline
All Access Do Children Experience Stages of Divorce?

Do children with divorced parents experience stages of grief from the divorce?

Stages of Grief from Divorce
Free Do You Apologize Too Much in Recruiting?

Saying "sorry" is a good thing, but not when your goal is to win volunteers to your ministry and vision.

Leadership, Mistakes, Recruitment
Free Do You Have Cliques in Your Children's Ministry?

“Two are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT

Families, Programming
All Access Do You Know? A Game Idea for Learning about God!

Moses once boldly said: "Show Me Your Glory!" If you want a game to introduce a lesson on Exodus 33:18, then "How Well Do You Know Your Sibling?" is the game for you!

Games
All Access Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Volunteers?

Learn 4 mistakes many Children's Pastors make with their volunteers and how to avoid making them

Volunteers, Encouragement, Gifts
All Access Do You REALLY Believe in Prayer?

Of course, as Christians we are called to pray in everything. But how big of a role does it really play in your ministry?

Prayer
All Access Do You REALLY See Your Neighbors?

It's important to see people the way Jesus did. We should not see their faults, but rather see a PERSON!

Seeing Others as Jesus Did
it Bible Curriculum Protect My Ministry 2023 KidCheck Toddler Kid Conversation Cards U-Turn Cards Gospel Presentation Kidology's Ultimate Toolbox for Children's Ministr My Awesome Adventure DiscipleTown Unit 22 - Holy Spirit Order of the Ancient Kidology Store
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