I remember as a child there was a prize inside the cereal box. As soon as we got back from the grocery store, my brother and I would be digging in the cereal box to find the toy. We chose the cereal we would eat based on which box had the coolest toy.
Today, breakfast cereal sales have gone down. Sales have fallen more than 15% in the last five years, from 2.47 billion boxes sold in 2021 to 2.14 billion boxes sold in 2025.
So companies like Kellogs are reviving their cereal box prizes for the first time in over a decade. Kelloggs is putting collectible spoon figurines from Toy Story 5 characters in their cereal boxes.
General Mills is partnering with the Jim Henson company to put textured puppets in their cereal. In October, they will include characters like Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry.
Consumer demand is bringing the prizes back. Parents remember finding toys in their cereal boxes and now they want to share that experience with their kids. Today's parents are increasingly looking for simple, screen free moments of play with their children. Something as simple as the toy in a cereal box is something they can do with their child.
So...think about this with me.
What's the "cereal box prize" you can offer kids and families?
Remember...they are looking for simple, screen free moments to share together.
One thing I have done is to send children home with a small "prize" or toy that ties into the lesson. Here's an example. If I share a lesson about Daniel and lion's den, I might send home a small, plastic lion figurine and encourage the kids and their parents to use it to talk about the story and lesson learned. They can even act out the lesson at home using the lion and then talk about some key questions together.
Another idea is to give first-time guests a small toy or other gift on their second visit. Send them a postcard after their first visit and tell them what they will get when they return. I have personally seen this work very well. It actually helped us go from 7% of families returning for a second visit to 38% of families returning.
You can also give families a small craft or activity they can do together. Hands on activities are a big hit for kids and parents to do together.
Another factor...kids have great buying influence when families are at the grocery store picking out food.
Who is going to make the final decision on which cereal to buy? Most likely, it will be the children.
The same can be said about picking a church. Children carry great influence in deciding which church the family will attend. In most cases, they are the final decision maker.
Remember...it's the small things that make a big difference.
You wouldn't think a small toy in a cereal box would be such a big, determining factor in choices. It's a great reminder that excellence comes from doing the small things well. The small things add up to excellence.
Excellence is the whisper that comes from doing the small things well.
As cereal box toys return, I believe sales for these companies will go back up. Kids love to discover prizes...even when it's just a simple toy in a cereal box.
I believe if you follow this pattern, your ministry can also grow and retain more new families.
Your turn. Did you love cereal box toys when you were a kid? What are some more ways we can implement this into reaching and discipling families? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
