carolyn on September 21st, 2008

Last week I introduced a few tips for how keep energetic kids engaged in your small group. Since this is such an important topic and since there are so many great ideas, I’m continuing with that topic this week.
One of the best ways to keep energetic kids engaged in your small group is to [...]

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carolyn on September 14th, 2008

Diana has been asked to lead a small group of kids at her church. She’s excited about this prospect and works hard to prepare for her first lesson. She loves kids and has always wanted to get involved in children’s ministry.
Within minutes after she arrives, Diana notices that one of the boys in her [...]

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carolyn on August 26th, 2008

Have you ever led one of those small groups that you felt was a total waste of time? Every once in a while I have one of those days. It seems like no matter what I do or how hard I try, the kids have a hard time focusing.
If you have ever felt like that, [...]

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carolyn on August 17th, 2008

In my last post, I wrote about the value of having kids sit in a tight circle to increase involvement and focus. Another extremely helpful tactic for keeping kids engaged during small group time is to call each child by name several times during your time with them.
For example, a couple weeks ago, we [...]

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carolyn on August 11th, 2008

These past few weeks, I’ve had about 14 second graders in my “small group.” As I mentioned in an earlier post, 14 kids is more like a class than a group so I need to be very intentional about helping them stay focused.
My main tactic for keeping my group on task is to have [...]

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carolyn on July 7th, 2008

Once or twice a year, I get the privilege of preaching in our church. Since I don’t get to do that very often, I don’t get many opportunities to refine my public speaking. A couple years ago, I decided I’d better read some books to figure out how to deliver a message [...]

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carolyn on June 17th, 2008

One of the best ways to help your kids focus during small group time is to make sure they are sitting next to people who won’t distract them. As the leader of a small group, you not only have the authority to ask your kids to sit in specific places, but you have the [...]

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One of the best learning strategies out there is that people learn better through short, repeated practices than through massed practice (in one long session). This is why teachers encourage students to review a little each night instead of cramming for tests. It’s why athletes practice nearly every day instead of doing all [...]

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