Openings Zone

How do you make your lessons start with EXCITEMENT? How do you engage kids from the moment they enter the room? Karl, the Kidologist, believes that as a teacher you only have precious few minutes each week to invest in the spiritual lives of your students - so to waste any of those minutes with pointless games and activities is a lost opportunity.

This Zone provides lesson ideas that are designed for the beginning of children's church or as lesson introductions to engage kids right from the start and help to introduce your topic or theme and get children thinking about what you will be teaching.

It's time to have your kids start thinking about your topic, or at least start being primed for the subject matter, the moment they arrive. You'll be a much for effective teacher if you make every minute count - but in a FUN and entertaining way!

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Membership Levels:
Guest Starter Members
Level Title Topic
Plus Confession List... For Others?!

As a lesson intro on Confessing Sin, a puppet (or actor) has a list of sins to confess... only they are OTHER people's sins!

Confession
Starter King of Hearts Card Trick with Video Demonstration

This is a super easy and impressive trick that requires no sleight of hand.

Gospel Magic
Plus Asking God

Open your service with this great and simple lesson, as the kids learn to go to God.

Need, Ask, Prayer
Plus Bible Formulas

A fun way to spark interest in the Bible or review Bible books.

Bible books, Games, Science VBS
Plus Bible Numbers and Facts

This is a fun activity for helping kids learn some amazing facts about the Bible!

Bible Facts
Plus Bible Story Mad Libs

A FUN way to tell a familiar Bible story

Bible Story Fun
Plus Candy Auction

Using children's love of candy to demonstrate that worship is a show of worth!

Worship
Plus Charades Talent Show

Put on an INSTANT Talent Show as you talk about the gifts God gives us.

Gifts and Talents
Plus Choose Your Lesson Order!

Let the kids choose the lesson order to learn about choices!

Choices
Plus Country Name Tags

This is a fun way to get kids thinking about different countries around the world throughout an entire missions program! Rename them the name of a country for a service!

Missions
Plus FUN Choices Opening Game

This is a fun interactive game that gets kids moving and trying to solve a fun but easy puzzle. It's all about choices!

Choices
Starter Grumpy Greeters

A fun way to open a lesson on attidudes or friendliness by having some greeters really put on the grumpiness.

Witnessing, Attitudes
Plus Hidden Golden Coins

Teach your kids how to be missionaries and start your service off with this exciting activity.

Missionaries, Evangelism
Plus Hidden Messages

This is a fun on screen word puzzle to get kids talking about biblical phrases.

Puzzle
Plus How May I Serve You?

To introduce the topic of service, treat the kids like royalty as the enter kids church!

Service
Plus Hug Love!

A huggable game that lasts the whole kids church service! FUN and memorable!!

Showing Love
Plus Karl's Giant Square to Circle Object Lesson

A giant object lesson illustrating how God can do the impossible - as a teacher transforms a GIANT square made of metal brackets instantly into in a giant CIRCLE!

God Can Do the Impossible
Plus Kid's Church Top 10 - Christmas

What are the Top 10 Toys that DIDN'T make it to market? This is a FUNNY lesson intro for Christmas time.

Power Point Christmas
Plus Kids Church Ushers

For one Sunday show the kids what it feel like to be greeted like a celebrity when they arrive at church.

Service
Plus List of Worries!

This is a humorous list of worries that a puppet or character has made. A leader talks them through it and challenges them to 'cast their cares upon Jesus.' (1 Peter 5:7)

Worry Trust Faith
Plus Lost Sheep

Fun game to open your lesson with where kids go and search for the lost sheep.

Game, Shepherd
Plus My Plan vs. God's Plan

A super cool Magic Trick / Object Lesson that illustrates why sometimes God says no to our plans. He has a bigger plan!

Trusting God
Plus New Friend Seating

This is a simple way on one Sunday to gently force all the kids to make some new friends!

Friendship
Plus Noah’s Ark Animal Mix-Up Game

A super fun mixer game that introduces Noah and the Ark.

Noah's Ark
Plus Now or Later?

A fun (and yummy) lesson introduction that helps kids learn about delayed gratification.

Delayed Gratification!
Plus One Now or Two When You Leave

A lesson on waiting the involves one of kids favorite things, CANDY!

Waiting, Patience
Plus Perplex - The Last Shall Be First GAME

Kids hear "the last shall be first," this game helps them experience it!

Service - Selflessness
Plus Pinterest Get to Know You Game

This is a "Get to Know You" game based on the popular website Pinterest.com. It helps a large group of kids or teens quickly find people with common interests.  

Ice Breaker Game w/ Pinterest
Plus Snake in a Tree Puzzle

Fun Floor Puzzle of Snake in a Tree

Floor Puzzle
Plus The Bubble Wrap Bop

Jumping on bubble wrap while bopping to music that has children jump or stomp

Music Activity
Free The Good Friend List

Fun puppet or skit routine that bring the Golden Rule to life!

Golden Rule
Free The NO RULES Game

A game that demonstrates WHY God gave us commandments.

Commandments
Plus Vote with Your Feet

This opening lesson activity helps to illustrate that while we have many things that make us different... there are some things we can all agree on.  

Fun Lesson Intro
Plus Who's Missing?

Webster's Dictionary defines memorizing as "committing (something) to memory," or "learning (something)by heart." Use this simple game to introduce a time of Scripture memory or show children the importance of memorizing Scripture.

Scripture memory
Plus Armor of God Activity Sheet + Mini Lesson

A Mini Lesson on the Armor of God featuring an Activity Sheet with BOTH a male and female soldier in the Armor of God and the armor listed (out of order) so the kids have to draw a line to match the armor name with the correct armor on the Soldier of God.

Armor of God
Plus Hate to Wait Activity + Mini Lesson

A fun, interactive activity where kids physically vote on how hard it is to wait on different things they have to be patient for.

Patience
Starter The 7 Most Powerful Letters

This simple, fun activity will help kids discover the power of saying "I'm Sorry."

Forgiveness
Plus Holy Spirit Balloon Game & Object Lesson

A fun game that also teaches four things the Holy Spirit does for us.

Holy Spirit Helps
Plus Fidget Spinner Bible Lesson

How to use a fidget spinner (and other fad toys) to teach about the eternity of God!

Object Lesson; God Endures Forever
Plus I Am Awesome!

A great opening activity to help encourage your kids.

Encouragement,
Free Teaching Kids To Hear The Voice Of God

Teach your kids how they can listen for the voice of God when choosing friends.

Wise Choices, Hearing the Holy Spirit, Discernment
Plus STOP and GO Preschool Game

Class Stop and Go Game with printable signs to use

Stop and Go Game
Plus 3 Things You May Have Overlooked

A visual object lesson - the audience misses the obvious. Do we miss out on the most important thing in life?

Christian Life
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