This month I’m starting something new on Leading Kids Today. Each month I’ll include a five- to ten-minute audio file, called Parent Link Live, addressing relevant issues in the home. Even though these talks are designed to help parents fine-tune their parenting skills, they also have value for children’s leaders in other contexts. This month’s [...]
Continue reading about Parent Link Live: Fighting for the heart of your child
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 [...]
I strongly believe that positive life change happens in loving relationships. Therefore, if we want kids’ lives to be changed as a result of attending church, we need to create environments in which they can be in loving relationships. This is why small groups with consistent kids and leaders are so important. When kids develop [...]
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 [...]
A couple weeks ago on a Sunday morning a family entered the church through the office door. This is a family that attends our church but comes more “off” than “on.” The kids were a bit tentative about being here but they were here – YEA! As they left the office, I overheard the mom [...]
Continue reading about We Miss You. We Really, Really Miss You!
The foundational components of our Sunday morning program for kids are (1) relevant, engaging Biblical content and (2) loving community. Kids face all kids of challenges in life – broken homes, financial uncertainty, and social pressure, to name of few. Security is a foreign concept to many kids. Our dream is to create an environment [...]
Continue reading about 8 Tips for Building Community in Your Small Group
Your top priority as a small group leader is to build relationships with the kids in your group. Get to know them and what is going on in their lives. Your caring about each kid personally will open up opportunities for God to speak to them through you. If a kid doesn’t feel like you [...]
In my last tip, I shared that one of the best ways to communicate to kids that they have value is to be prepared for small group. Thank you for looking over your plans before you arrive and knowing what you want to teach and how you want to teach it. I enjoyed walking around [...]