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 All Access
Level Title Topic
All Access 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
All Access Asking God

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

Need, Ask, Prayer
All Access Bible Formulas

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

Bible books, Games, Science VBS
All Access Bible Numbers and Facts

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

Bible Facts
All Access Bible Story Mad Libs

A FUN way to tell a familiar Bible story

Bible Story Fun
All Access Candy Auction

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

Worship
All Access Charades Talent Show

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

Gifts and Talents
All Access Choose Your Lesson Order!

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

Choices
All Access Christmas Tic-Tac-Toe

A Fun Free Christmas Game - Tic-Tac-Toe Christmas Style! Download this fun themed pre-service game that kids will love!

Christmas Game
All Access 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
All Access 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
All Access Hidden Golden Coins

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

Missionaries, Evangelism
All Access Hidden Messages

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

Puzzle
All Access How May I Serve You?

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

Service
All Access Hug Love!

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

Showing Love
All Access 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
All Access 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
All Access 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
All Access 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
All Access Lost Sheep

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

Game, Shepherd
All Access 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
All Access New Friend Seating

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

Friendship
All Access Noah’s Ark Animal Mix-Up Game

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

Noah's Ark
All Access Now or Later?

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

Delayed Gratification!
All Access One Now or Two When You Leave

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

Waiting, Patience
All Access Perplex - The Last Shall Be First GAME

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

Service - Selflessness
All Access 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
All Access Place Jesus in the Manger Game

A twist on the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey Game.

Christmas Game
All Access Snake in a Tree Puzzle

Fun Floor Puzzle of Snake in a Tree

Floor Puzzle
All Access 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
All Access 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
All Access 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
Starter The 7 Most Powerful Letters

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

Forgiveness
All Access Holy Spirit Balloon Game & Object Lesson

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

Holy Spirit Helps
All Access 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
All Access 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
All Access STOP and GO Preschool Game

Class Stop and Go Game with printable signs to use

Stop and Go Game
All Access 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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