photo by Leo Reynolds
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 last week and seeing groups engaged in the lesson and learning about God’s joy.
Another very important way to communicate to kids that they are valuable is to be on time. Some of the most important minutes in our ministry are from 9:25 (yes, some kids show up then) to 9:48. You might be thinking – “Why are those minutes so important? Kids are just hanging out. That’s a good time for me to get my supplies, set up my area and get my caffeine fix so I can be prepared for small group time.”
The reason this time is SO important is that in those minutes our kids feel the most vulnerable. Many of them aren’t comfortable without structure. They don’t have many friends here and don’t really know how to plug into the activities we have for them. If you make an effort to reach out to them and engage them in a conversation or activity, you’ll communicate to them in a HUGE way that they matter. Before they can believe that they matter to God, they need to feel like they matter to us, so I encourage you to be in your room by 9:30 at the latest, ready to love on kids.
THANK YOU for showing kids they matter to you and to God!
photo by bartmaguire
I appreciate all the small group leaders in the children’s ministry at the Lawrence Free Methodist Church and want to dedicate this blog to you. My prayer is that it will help children’s ministry leaders be the best leaders they can be!
One of the best ways to have a great small group and to communicate to kids that you love them and value them is to be ready for small group time. Kids appreciate knowing that their leader has a plan, is excited about what is going on, and cares enough about the lesson and the kids to prepare for their time together. Just like the scouts, a great motto for leaders is “Be Prepared.”