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Last month I started the Wordle challenge. Wordle.net is a sight that allows you to create word pictures of your blog / sight based on the frequency with which you use certain words. Each month I run Dad in the Middle through Wordle to get a visual image of what the blog has been focused on recently. Previous Wordle graphics can be found at the bottom of this post.
Here is my Wordle.net for January 2010 created on January 31, 2010:
“Know” and “Kids” were prominent in the past month. This is likely because of the new series I started on Tips for Large Group Teaching. That also explains why “large” and “groups” were also prominently featured. It always worries me a little bit when “God” is not prominently featured in my blog. I could blame it on the series on teaching, but given that the first post in February in this series was #13 – It’s All About Jesus (Tips For Large Group Teaching), we’ll have to work on that!
If you have a blog, I challenge you to run Wordle.net on it and see where your focus is! If you do take the challenge, post it on your site, and leave a comment here so we can all come see your Wordle!
Previous Wordle Challenges:
Imagine a dating service when there are only two people in the world. Your choices would be a little bit limited. Enjoy!
Welcome to a continuing series of tips on working with large groups of children. I hope that you will find these tips useful and be able to implement them in your dealings with large groups of kids. If you do, please leave a comment and let us know. For a complete list of posts in this series, please see the index page. So, without further introduction, here is today’s installment.
The Bible is the power of God (Romans 1:16). It is perfect (Psalm 19:7), pure (Psalm 19:8) and truthful (John 17:17). It is useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training (2 Timothy 3:16). It sanctifies (1 Timothy 4:5), strengthens (Job 4:4), restores (Psalm 19:7), enlightens (Psalm 19:8) and gives light (Psalm 119:30). In the fall of 2008, I compiled a list of the characteristics of the Bible called simply, God’s Word…
Despite these truths about the Word of God, many of those who work in Children’s Ministry neglect the Word of God in their teaching. Perhaps it is because we don’t feel like the kids we teach are really old enough to understand it, or maybe it’s because it’s easier to talk about behavior and values, but it is critical that we not neglect or minimize the Word of God in talking to kids.
The Bible is fundamental to our own spiritual journey and our relationship with Christ, and it is equally important to the kids we teach. Part of our job in Children’s Ministry is to impart an excitement for, and appreciation of, the Word of God. So how do we do this? How do we effectively use the Bible to teach kids? Let face it – expository teaching is not the norm when it comes to five and six year olds. There are some things we can do though to impress the importance of the Bible on their young minds. Make sure that your lesson incorporates scripture and stories from the Bible, and make sure your kids understand that what you are teaching them comes directly from the Bible. Tell them about all the exciting things they can find in their Bible. Show them how to use their Bibles and encourage them to memorize scripture.
When you’re telling a story from the Bible, make sure you are holding it open in front of you. This is an effective visual reminder for them that what we are teaching comes directly from God’s word. Teach them the truths that the Bible reveals about itself and how it is applicable to their lives. Explain to them that the Bible is a sword with which to battle temptation and the enemy. Remind them that the Bible is a letter to them from God. Help them to visualize the Bible as a light that reveals the will of God.
Furthermore, let the kids in your class see how excited you are about the Bible. Let your enthusiasm for the Word of God be contagious. Talk to them about what you’ve been reading and what you’ve learned from the Bible. Talk about how the Bible has changed your life. Answer their questions with reference to the Scriptures.
Most importantly, tell the kids in your ministry about Jesus. Impress on them that we do not worship the Bible, we worship the person that the Bible tells us about. Show them how every story in the Bible points to, is about, or emanates from Jesus. Explain to them that in order to get to know God better they have to read their Bibles. Help them to see that the Bible is the single most important book they will ever read.
Return to the Tips for Large Group Teaching in Children’s Ministry index page.
Welcome to a continuing series of tips on working with large groups of children. I hope that you will find these tips useful and be able to implement them in your dealings with large groups of kids. If you do, please leave a comment and let us know. For a complete list of posts in this series, please see the index page. So, without further introduction, here is today’s installment.
There is no denying it – we work in children’s ministry. We work with kids, and because of that, many people are of the opinion that we must “dumb down” our message in order to reach our audience. Nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, the idea itself is offensive to the gospel of Christ. No doubt, elements of God and his Word are so mysterious and so foreign to us as finite human beings that we will never understand them this side of heaven. Nonetheless, the simplicity of the gospel is oftentimes easier grasped by children than by those jaded by years of life and hardness of heart.
As those who work in Children’s Ministry, we are in a unique position to know what kids are really capable of. Oftentimes, that which they are capable of will exceed our wildest expectations. In Children’s Ministry, and all other teaching of children, we must not be content to teach to the lowest common denominator. A child who is never challenged will never have the opportunity to exceed. If we were teaching mathematics or foreign language or any number of other topics, the consequences of underestimating our audience would not be as grave, but we are called to teach them the things of God. We cannot afford to deprive them of God’s knowledge solely because we deem it incomprehensible for someone their age.
So, what does this look like in Children’s Ministry? How do we consistently and effectivel challenge the kids in our ministry? Well, we start by not shirking away from those things that we deem too hard for them to understand. Challenge them with theology. Teach them doctrine. Get their little heads thinking about things like the trinity, the hypostatic union of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, and election vs. free will. Their heads might not process it the same way we would – though frankly I think they sometimes grasp these concepts much better than we do – but our job is to start them on the path of thinking and considering the things of God. Part of the challenge, part of the fun, and part of our calling to teach kids about God is finding a way to convey complex information and concepts in a way that they can understand. If we leave our kids scratching their heads because they do not understand something we have taught, it is much more likely the fault of the teacher than the material being taught!
Return to the Tips for Large Group Teaching in Children’s Ministry index page.
Welcome to a continuing series of tips on working with large groups of children. I hope that you will find these tips useful and be able to implement them in your dealings with large groups of kids. If you do, please leave a comment and let us know. For a complete list of posts in this series, please see the index page. So, without further introduction, here is today’s installment.
With a large group of kids (or a small one), you will eventually figure out that it is impossible to fake your way through it. They are very astute and will eventually figure you out. You can’t be someone God hasn’t made you to be. Of all the lessons I have learned in working with kids, this one took me the longest to really comprehend. When it came to doing large group teaching, I wanted to be like teachers I had looked up to as a kid or other teacher’s whose styles I admired or authors whom I had read. While all three of these sources can be great inspiration for ideas and tactics, in the end you have to be yourself. If your lesson doesn’t fit your style and your personality, the kids will see right through it and it won’t seem real. If your teaching doesn’t seem real, how will they accept that your relationship with Christ is real?
At my church, we use a pre-purchased curriculum from a well known organization. Personally, I happen to think they do great job of planning out the curriculum from a big picture stand point and offering a great weekly lesson. In the beginning, I tried to make sure that I touched on every point from the weekly lesson, and oftentimes I stumbled on the delivery because I wanted to make sure I got the wording right or didn’t forget anything. I was so focused on making sure that I didn’t miss something small that I sometimes missed out on the really big things. I was so concerned with it being perfect that I lost sight of the bigger goal – telling these kids about Christ. After some time, I realized a couple of things:
- I wasn’t being me in presenting the lesson.
- By trying to fit me into the lesson rather than tailoring the lesson to my style, I was making myself uncomfortable and not doing an optimal job of presenting the lesson. In the end in trying to be “perfect” I was moving further and further in the other direction.
- This wasn’t going to work unless I learned to take the lesson and make it mine.
After a month or so, I knew I needed to make some changes. As I started to approach each week’s curriculum more as a set of ideas than a script, I got a lot more comfortable with the teaching. Rather than trying to take someone else’s delivery and copy it, I took their ideas and worked it into my style of presenting. Since then, I’ve noticed that the kids seem to be getting a lot more out of each, and I’m having a lot more fun presenting the lessons. I’ve learned that if the lesson doesn’t work for you, it will never work for them.
Return to the Tips for Large Group Teaching in Children’s Ministry index page.
Welcome to The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol. Every month we gather links from around the blogging world related to Children’s Ministry and issues important to Children’s Ministry and compile them here in one place. It’s the very first Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol of 2010 and it’s packed full of great articles. There were a lot of great articles published this month in the world of Children’s Ministry. Everyone must have saved up there good ideas from December when the whole world was writing about Christmas. What the means for you is a disproportionate number of posts in this month’s Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol, but I hope you will take the time to check them all out.
As I’ve been doing for the last several months, I continue to add this little graphic to the right of the title of particularly pertinent posts. I think they’re all must-reads, but if you’re running short on time, make sure that you check out these articles at a minimum!
In addition to everything else going on this month, Kenny Conley started Orange Week this past month. A number of blogs dedicated the third week of the month to articles related to the Orange concept of family ministry. I could have included them all under the Family Ministry section, but I decided to add a separate section for just this month. Here is an index to that and the other sections of The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol:
As I have been doing for the last several months, those posts from Dad in the Middle included in the monthly Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol have this warning label attached to them to warn you / let you know.
With that introduction, let’s have a look at some articles you might have missed this month:
These articles offer tips and advice of teaching, working with kids, running your ministry and basically anything else that involves dealing with a group of kids.
Blog Series – Tips for Large Group Teaching
In this series, which will continue well into next month and the one after, I looks at various tips that can be used in Large Group Teaching situations.
- Karen Wingate offers some advice on how to teach kids about setting goals.
- Amy Dolan looks at a method of teaching kids stories from the Bible from Michael Novelli’s book Shaped by the Story.
- The Kidologist, Karl Bastian offers a suggestion on who to target when teaching to a group of kids with a large age range.
- Karen Wingate reminds us that as teachers we are still students as well.
- Henry Zonio from Elemental Children’s Ministry offers this story on the art of telling a story.
- How do we convey the stories of the Bible without leaving kids with the mistaken notion that Bible stories are no different than other fictional characters they are familiar with.
- Jamie Doyle offers up 16 simple and useful tips for teaching kids the Word of God.
- From Desiring God, David Mathis provides eight ways parents can help teach their kids to love people who are different.
- Brick by Brick offers this article that reminds us that what kids observe in us is as important, if not more important, than the words that come out of our mouths.
- Larry Shallenberger links to the newest endeavor from Phil Vischer titled What’s In The Bible?
- This article from Children’s Ministry Blog offers good practical advice on what it means to work with kids.
- A poem from Linda Stevenson for those who work in Children’s Ministry.
- Larry Shallenberger examines the importance of teaching kids comprehension and not just retention of knowledge.
- In wake of the earthquake in Haiti, Ryan Frank looks at how to help kids cope with such disasters.
This category is a bit of a catch all for everything that doesn’t fit under another category. These articles deal with all kinds of different issues relevant to Children’s Ministry and those who work in that ministry.
Blog Series – Staying Dynamic in Children’s Ministry
Last Month we started a series from Elemental Children’s Ministry looks at eight things a Children’s Ministry needs to do in order to remain dynamic. I’ve included the final four from this month as well as the first four from last month.
- In this article I look at why you must always be prepared for anything in Children’s Ministry.
- In this Children’s Ministry Moment, I recount a story that demonstrates the need for sanctification in kids of all ages.
Blog Series – Ideas in a Collaborative Community
In this series, Anthony Prince from West Coast CM examines some of the best ways to share ideas in a collaborative community.
- Same Luce offers three goals for new Children’s Ministers to keep them grounded and help them get started.
- We all spend a lot of time preparing our lessons. Do you spend enough time evaluating them after the fact?
- Gina McClain comments on a Sam Luce article by the same name in which he uses fishing for an analogy for getting caught up in the wrong things in Children’s Ministry.
- Kenny Conley wonders if we should allow more time in our schedule to not only account for, but encourage, the wandering mind.
- Kevin DeYoung wonders why it is that we always seem so offended by just about anything.
- 10 Commandments penned by Henrietta C. Mears in the early 1900’s.
- Sam Luce shares some ideas for connecting with parents that have not worked and some new ideas that he is trying.
- Chad Swanzy looks at the relationship between Children’s Ministry and Student Ministry.
- Jeff Smith offers a list of ten things every church should do to support them in their role as their children’s spiritual leaders.
- Brick by brick examines the importance of play time in working with kids.
- This article includes a link to a Yancey Arlington Article on putting the gospel at the center of your curriculum.
- Terry Delaney, from Christian Book Notes, reviews this book from the daughter of Francis and Edith Schaffer.
Running a ministry takes leadership at all kinds of different levels. This section is for articles about and for leaders.
Blog Series – Keeping Life Simple
Jim Wideman offers this multi-part series on something we all strive for – simplifying our lives.
Blog Series – 7 Differences Between A Coach And A Critic
Perry Noble exams the fine line between being a coach and being a critic in this series.
Blog Series – Two Principles for Delegation
Nick Blevins looks at two fundamental principles when it comes to delegating responsibilities.
Blog Series – Leading When You’re Young
23 year old J.C. looks at the leading others when you’re young in this interesting series.
- Glen Woods examines five characteristics he looks for in leaders.
- Perry Noble looks at ten things a leader must do in relation to those who work for him.
- Perry Noble looks at four reasons that leaders give up and stop leading.
- Amy Dolan offers some advice on how to hold a successful meeting.
- Ideas for being a better leader to the volunteers who you lead.
- Dan Scott reminds us that we shouldn’t stop dreaming big just because we don’t have the means to implement our dreams.
- From Relevant Children’s Ministry, Dale Hudson examines a biblical model for finding wisdom.
- Inside North Point looks at ways of celebrating and the benefits of celebrating as a team.
- One critical skill for any good leader is the ability to listen. This article looks at the importance of listening in your ministry.
For one month only, I’ve added a section for links to all the Orange Week posts from various Children’s Ministry bloggers around the internet. If you’re interested in the Orange concept, make sure to check out these articles.
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Kenny Conley (Children’s Ministry Online)
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Sam Luce
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Dan Scott
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Kendra Golden
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Matt McKee
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Jonathan Cliff
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Anthony Prince
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Gina McClain
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: JC
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Nick Blevins
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Tamera Kraft (Revival Fire for Kids)
Blog Series – ORANGE WEEK: Orange Leaders
Most Children’s Ministries are made up principally, or entirely, of volunteers. I am amongst that number. This section includes articles related to volunteers both for volunteers and about volunteers.
- Todd McKeever looks at the four stages of team development.
Jesus should be at the center of any Children’s Ministry. That means teaching kids about Jesus and about theology. This section is for articles that discuss and assist with teaching kids about theology and theological concepts.
Blog Series – Interview with Answers in Genesis President Ken Ham
Terry Delaney from Ministry-to-Children.com sits down with the founder and president of the Answers in Genesis ministry which is responsible for the Creation Museum.
- From Effective Children’s Ministry, this two part power point presentation examines the proof for the reliability of the Bible. I have reviewed these presentations as part of our continuing series on this site called Why I Believe the Bible
- Terry Delaney, from Ministry-to-Children.com looks at the role and use of apologetics in Children’s Ministry.
- John Walton examines five common errors writers make when writing children’s curriculum.
In all about Christ! This section is for articles about bringing kids to Christ, bringing kids back to Christ, salvation and children, and anything along those lines. I’ll warn you that I love stories about kids being saved. So, don’t be surprised if you see quite a few of those hear too.
- The Gospel Coalition Blog looks at the alarming increase in the use of electronic devices among children and youth.
- The Children’s Ministry Blog offers a link to an article from Ron Buckland entitled “Children and the Gospel.”
Kid are multi-million dollar target market. Is it any wonder that kids these days have their own culture? This section looks various cultural trends and issues with kids and that affect kids.
- Some interesting facts about kids and cell phones in today’s society.
- The title kind of gives it away. This article looks at the rising number of younger kids with cell phones.
- Ed Stetzer breaks the news that you can now read your Bible on the XBOX 360 gaming console.
- The AWANA blog offers up some interesting statistics about mornings and kids.
- Kenny Conley explores the negative impact of media and electronics on family time.
- Nick Blevins offers some interesting statistics on charity from Mint.com.
One thing I have learned since getting involved in Children’s Ministry is that those who work in Children’s Ministry are generous to a fault. This section is full of useful resources for those working with kids.
- This one is a little bit self-serving, but Effective Children’s Ministry was nice enough to link to a post I did several months ago of great internet resources. So I thought I would mention it here in the Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol.
- Kenny Conley offers a link to this resource which offers a variety of great media content for Children’s Ministries.
- Chad Swanzy offers 7 “gross games” for your reading and playing pleasure.
- Online Christian Colleges offers this listing of top pastor’s blogs in various categories including one for Youth Pastors & Ministries. If you’re a regular of the Blog Patrol, you should recognize most of these.
- Free CM Stuff links to a site with various game show controls which you may find useful in your Children’s Ministry.
- Scripture Lady describes a fun twist on the game of hangman with a Bible theme.
- In this game, Scripture Lady incorporates jump rope with Bible memorization.
- Online Christian Colleges offers 100 links to safe sites for Christian kids to enjoy on the internet.
- Ryan Frank links to Kidscreen which is an online resource that will help keep you up-to-date on “what’s new and what’s coming in the world of preschool and children’s media.”
- Tamera Kraft offers information and links to seven top Children’s Ministry conferences coming up this year.
- Effective Children’s Ministry offers up this Bible review game based on bowling which requires only some questions and some Skittles.
Curriculum was part of the Resources section before I started to see more and more object lessons as blog posts. I don’t put them all here do to time constraints, but I will link to some of my favorite every month. If you’re looking for more, trying searching the blogs that show up under this section. Many of them frequently post object lessons.
- A lesson for 7-12 year olds on the “I AM” names of Jesus from the Gospel of John.
- This lesson from Ministry-to-Children.com is for first to sixth graders and teaches kids about giving.
- This lesson utilizes simple science to demonstrate the omnipresence of God.
- From Ministry-to-Children.com, this article includes a lesson on Godly Character for 9-12 year olds based on the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den.
Family Ministry is a growing trend in the field of Children’s Ministry wherein worship services and teaching are not segregated by age. Instead, the whole family is the core. This section includes articles specifically related to Family Ministry.
Blog Series – 6 Models of Family Ministry
Ryan Frank, editor of K Magazine (one of my personal favorites) shares six models of family ministry he has seen churches using and looks at the pros and cons of each.
- This article looks at the benefit of men serving in Children’s Ministry and links to notes from a lesson on three men from the Bible who invested in the next generation.
- Children’s Ministry Monthly reminds us that parents our not the enemy when it comes to Children’s Ministry.
The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol would not be complete if we did not pay attention to family issues that affect the kids we minister to. This section includes various articles and parenting and marriage.
Blog Series – What Is Biblical Love for your Children?
Jay Younts looks at a definition of biblical love when it comes to being a parent.
- Sojourn Kids offers devotionals for parents from the book of Proverbs.
- Jeff Robinson updates 10 motives for men in providing spiritual guidance to their wives and kids originally written by Puritan Richard Baxter in the 17th Century.
- Jim Wideman reminds us of one more reason why our kids are so important.
- Henry Zonio from Elemental Children’s Ministry and his wife have created a new site on parenting called, appropriately enough, Elemental Parenting.
- This link to an article from Christianity today examines the myth in Christian circles known as the “Perfect Parent.”
- This simple post from the Awana blog offers five proverbs which would serve for great devotional time with your kids.
- From the Shepherd Press blog, this article examined the when and how of having the “sex talk” with your kids.
- The Logos Ministry redefines the question of parenting from “Am I Parenting Successfully?” to “Am I Parenting Faithfully?”
- Christine Yount Jones explores unrealistic expectation some churches may have about parents.
- This article answers the question, “How do we prepare our kids for the end times?”
This section includes posts from various Children’s Ministry blogs from the last month that were lighthearted or just made me chuckle.
- Kevin DeYoung offers a link to Lark News which is a site of funny Christian-satire – a genre DeYoung describes as a “rare bird.”
- When I was little, we used to pass time on our car trips playing the alphabet game. So, this was too good to pass up even though it has nothing to do with Children’s Ministry.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of “The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol.”
Fish Image courtesy of www.christart.com
Welcome to a continuing series of tips on working with large groups of children. I hope that you will find these tips useful and be able to implement them in your dealings with large groups of kids. If you do, please leave a comment and let us know. For a complete list of posts in this series, please see the index page. So, without further introduction, here is today’s installment.
Here are some things that Children’s Ministry should never be about.
- It is not about you and how good or fulfilled or powerful or influential it makes you feel to teach a bunch of kids.
- It is not about rote memorization of verses and stories and names and events.
- It is not about behavior modification or moral guidance or a set of rules.
All of these may, at some points, be part of your work in Children’s Ministry, but there is only one thing, one person, that it’s really all about. It’s all about Jesus! Every story, every lesson, every song, and every game – it should be, is and must be all about Jesus. It’s about a plan hatched before the creation of the world. It’s about our God who took on human flesh and came and lived amongst the filth of his creation. It’s about a birth in a manager, a crucifixion on a cross and an empty tomb. It’s about a resurrection and an ascension and a second coming. It’s about victory over sin and death. It’s about eternal life in the presence of our Maker. At its very core, Children’s Ministry is all about Jesus, and that’s the way it must be!
I believe that everything in the Bible is either about Jesus, points to Jesus, or emanates from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is the sum and substance of the Bible. Every time you prepare a lesson, you should prepare it with a critical eye towards where Jesus shows up in the story. At every turn, you must ask yourself, where is Jesus in this story? In the story of Cain and Abel, figure out where Jesus is and make sure you convey that (Jesus was the ultimate brother’s keeper). In the story of Ruth, you must ask yourself, what does this have to do with Jesus (God’s providence in the family line of Jesus)? When you teach the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, remember who the fourth person in the fiery flame was. And, the list goes on and on.
When we lose sight of Jesus in teaching kids, we miss our principal objective. This results in several potential outcomes – none of which are good. One potential outcome is that we end up teaching kids a whole bunch of stories that they receive similar to those they see on the cartoon network or in Saturday morning cartoons. The Bible ends up being reduced from the very Word of God to a child’s fable in their minds. Another potential outcome is that your lessons end up teaching kids a set of good rules for moral living and miss the grace of God. Working with children is not about changing behaviors, it’s about changing lives! In order to be effective both in life and in Children’s Ministry, we must strive to never lose sight of Jesus!
Return to the Tips for Large Group Teaching in Children’s Ministry index page.
This little video may get you thinking about your own priorities and where God fits in your life:
Welcome to a continuing series of tips on working with large groups of children. I hope that you will find these tips useful and be able to implement them in your dealings with large groups of kids. If you do, please leave a comment and let us know. For a complete list of posts in this series, please see the index page. So, without further introduction, here is today’s installment.
I really ought to start this out this installment with a disclaimer – today’s post is in reaction to a pet peeve of mine. That pet peeve is that I can stand to listen to monotone, uninspired, unemotional presentations of God’s Word. Now, don’t get me wrong – every second of every teaching does not need to be over the top gut wrenching emotion (we’ll save that for the televangelists). But, we’re teaching about God. We are talking about the creator of everything in the universe. We imparting the knowledge of him he came to earth to save us from our sins. We are proclaiming the good news of our God who died for us and rose on the third day to conquer death and save of from our sins – not because we deserve it, but because he loves. In the face of that kind of love, how can you help but be excited? Furthermore, how will kids ever get excited about God if we are not excited when we teach them? So, get fired up about GOD and then impart that fire in the kids you are teaching!
Return to the Tips for Large Group Teaching in Children’s Ministry index page.
Welcome to a continuing series of tips on working with large groups of children. I hope that you will find these tips useful and be able to implement them in your dealings with large groups of kids. If you do, please leave a comment and let us know. For a complete list of posts in this series, please see the index page. So, without further introduction, here is today’s installment.
I read an article recently from an older gentleman who was told that he was now too old to be involved in Children’s Ministry. The consensus in the comments to that article was that the ability to serve in Children’s Ministry has nothing to do with age and everything to do with staying relevant. By relevant, it just means that you must put yourself in a position to talk to the kids in your classroom about the things they do and the things they like.
For me, this is easy because of my circumstances. I teach 5-6 year olds and I have both a six year old girl and an eight year old boy at home. Hardly a week goes by where I have not watched an episode of Zach & Cody on Deck or listened to Hannah Montana. I know who Phineas and Ferb are. I know what video games they like because I buy them. Truth be told, I like to play them as well. I know what the new game systems are. We have several of them at our house. I’ve seen the latest movies. I know what the kids see on television and in the movies. I know what kind of foods they like and the newest gimmicks in the grocery stores. I follow the same sports. I know the difference between a Bakugan and a Pokeman. I use facebook and twitter. In my case, I don’t have to make a concerted effort to go out and learn these things because they are part of my everyday life. Even given my circumstance, I still have to make a concerted effort to take note of what I see and observe. Being immersed in kid culture does me no good in conversation if I can’t remember any of it.
If you are in a different circumstance, you might have to do a little more work to keep up. Subscribe to a kids’ magazine. Watch the occasional kids program on TV. Go to a kids’ movie. Anymore, most of the kids’ movies that are made include enough stuff for adults to at least entertain you a little bit while you’re learning. If you don’t know where to start, ask the kids. Years ago when my kids were much younger and I was working with a class of 2nd graders, I asked them all what their favorite television shows were. They loved telling me about them, and I made a point to find and watch each show they mentioned that week. Over the course of the next year, it gave me a launching point for conversations that enabled me to really connect with them.
In terms of large group teaching, it’s great to be able to engage the kids in things that they are already interested in. Play off of the things they already know to teach them the truths of the Bible. You never know when you might see a relevant story you can use as a parable on the Disney channel or Nickelodeon. And, if you don’t know what Nickelodeon is or that Disney even has a television station – you have a lot of work to do! You better get crackin’!
Return to the Tips for Large Group Teaching in Children’s Ministry index page.
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