Those tricky 5 year olds! I am told that the Reception class (5 year olds) is a very challenging age-group to teach. Yes … in some ways it is – teaching an idea simply and making spiritual things concrete so that the children can understand is hard. BUT they are not cynical. They will b…
In an All age Carol service, keep everything visual and keep changing the communication medium to engage visual learners with short concentration spans. Videos can help with this, to grab attention at the start, to make the Bible reading more engaging or to illustrate a point in the all age talk. Pe…
Let’s get planning for our children’s Christmas in church! Did the arrival of the John Lewis Christmas advert make you “Bah-Humbug” or fill you with anticipation? Did the sight of a Christmas tree in mid-November make you sigh or cheer? However you answered these questions, the time has certainly c…
Can I tell you how I often feel on a Sunday morning? I wake up knowing that I’m teaching Sunday School – again. I’ve worked hard on my prep, giving it the time I can – alongside other commitments. I enjoy teaching Sunday School. But I still wake up with a weariness. I’v…
Our annual training day for Sunday School teachers is coming! It is on the 24th September. It’s called Massive: A bigger vision for smaller people. It may well be the best conference of its kind in the world, but we’ve heard tell of one that happens in a small provincial town in New Sou…
This post is for the heroes of church children’s ministry.For those who feel under-qualified and under-resourced but keep going anyway because you love Jesus Christ and you love your church’s children. Your church loves you and I admire your determination. I want to help. A year ago I mo…
We are commonly asked two questions about singing with children in Church. Firstly how do we encourage children to sing, when they appear to be pretty disinterested and secondly, where do you go for songs that are good to sing? Before we deal with those questions, let’s lay the foundations for…
Mums and Toddlers groups are loved and cherished by those who come, and over time become owned by those visitors. A group seems to become popular if it offers clean toys, good coffee, home made cake and a warm welcome. If you hit those four things, word will quickly get around. But often filling a b…
There is a familiar pattern in children’s workers in their first few years of working for a Church It goes like this: An individual who loves children and enjoys showing them Jesus Christ is employed as a Church’s children’s worker. He or she has a proven track record of leading excellent children’s…