The World's 15 Best Attractions for Kids

Travel website, Gogobot, recently released it's list of the world's 15 best attractions for kids.  I've taken my kids to several of these places and they are great.  Of course, being a Disney fan, I would have to add that to the list.

Check out the list and tell us what you think.  Have you been to any of these?  How would you rate them?  What other attractions would you add to the list?  Share with us in the comment section below.

Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, Las Vegas

New England Aquarium, Boston

Busch Gardens, Tampa

Night Safari, Singapore

Franklin Institute, Philadelphia

Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

Cite des Sciences et de L'Industrie, Paris

SeaWorld, Orlando

John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago

San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Montery

American Museum of Natural History, New York

The British Museum, London

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco

Tower of London, London

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20 Easy Ways to Show Your Volunteers You Appreciate Them

1. Send them a handwritten thank you note.
2. Bring them their favorite candy bar.
3. Give them a Starbucks gift card.
4. Recognize their birthday.
5. Give a flower to the mothers who volunteer on Mother's Day.
6. Have snacks available for them.
7. Bring bottled water to them while they are serving.
8. Take a volunteer to lunch.
9. Bake homemade cookies for them.
10. Take a picture of them serving and put it on Facebook.  Use the comment section to brag on them.
11. Ask for their input and ideas on a regular basis.
12. Have them over for a cookout.
13. Text them and tell them how much you appreciate them.
14. Personally thank them for serving as they are leaving.
15. Brag on them publicly.
16. Give them movie tickets.
17. Recognize them each year on their serving anniversary.
18. Give them a small gift and card at Christmas.
19. Have the kids make a card that tells how they've impacted their lives.
20. Give them a book or other resource that will help them grow personally.

How do you show your volunteers you appreciate them?  Share your ideas with us in the comment section.

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How to Listen to a Parent Who is Really Ticked Off

Have you ever had a parent in your ministry get mad...I mean really mad?  Most of us have.  Sometimes it's unjustified and unfortunately sometimes it's for a good reason.

How you respond to an upset parent can make or break the relationship you have with the family.  Here's some practical steps from Harvard Business Review about being a good listener when someone is in "spew" mode.

Ask them what they are most frustrated about.  Then let them vent their feelings.  As they vent, listen for words that have a lot of emotion attached to them.  Words like "never" or "didn't" or "screwed up."  Listen for words they say with high inflection.

Ask them to explain more about what they mean by the word(s) that had a lot of emotion attached to them.  This will help them release their anger even more.

Then ask them what they are most angry about.  This continues to let them release their angry emotions.  During this time, you may feel your own emotions amping up, put don't give in to the urge to jump into a debate.  Listen without interrupting.  Let them have their say and get everything off their chest.

Next, ask them what they are really worried about.  After they have shared, ask them again to tell you more about their worry. This will allow you to get to the core of their emotional wound.

Finally, say, "Now I know why you are so frustrated, angry, and worried.  Since we can't turn time back, let's put our heads together and come up with a solution."

Just remember, when a parent gets upset, what you tell them is less important than what you enable them to tell you.  After they share their frustrations, angers, and worries, then you are ready to move into a healthy conversation and resolution.

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One Thing You Can Do to Make a Big Impact on Families

Do you want to make a big spiritual impact on families?  Try this.

Host a family baptism celebration.  When a child steps across the line of faith and is ready to be baptized, invite the family to a baptism celebration.

Here's some ideas from one we just hosted.  We do these once a quarter after the service.  We've had great reports on the impact it's making in kids' and parents' lives.  Here's a flow and some pictures for ideas.

Encourage families to invite their extended family and friends to come celebrate with them.  Provide them with invitations they can use to invite people.  You can also use this as a time of outreach and encourage them to invite unchurched friends, neighbors, and classmates to come watch their baptism.

Decorate.  Have a table for each family with a name placard, balloons, and cake.

Take some time to celebrate with music, singing, etc.

Invite parents to speak a blessing/prayer over their child.

Share the Gospel and the meaning of baptism.  We put John 3:16 on the cakes as a bridge to share the Gospel.  Many times we will see parents or other families members follow Christ in baptism as well.

Present each child with their baptism certificate. 

Move to the baptistry area.  When each child is baptized, have their family come up and surround the baptistry to show their support.

Close with prayer. 

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AdventureBible.com Review & Bible Giveaway

The Adventure Bible (NIV) is a great Bible to get kids excited about God's Word.  And now it is complimented with online resources at www.adventurebible.com.

The site provides over 700 free resources for educators of kids ages 9-12.  Resources include, crosswords, word searches, children sermons / activity sheets, illustrations which can be also used as coloring pages, printable Scripture memory flash cards, timelines, maps, fill-in-the blanks, and much more.

The site also features online games that will help kids learn Biblical truth and memorize key scripture. 

I am very impressed with the content and layout of the site.  The quality is excellent and will help you connect today's high-tech, digital kids with God's Word in a fresh, new way.  What a great tool to put in the hands of the parents in your ministry.  There is even an iPad and iPhone app parents can use to help their kids memorize scripture.

Check out the site and let me know what you think in the comment section below.

We are also giving away an Adventure Bible.
You can enter by emailing me at daleh@cftoday.org.  The winner will be announced next Monday, May 20.

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Every Kid Needs a Champion

In this video, Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, gives a rousing call to believe in kids and connect with them on a real, human, personal level.  Watch and be motivated to be a champion for the kids in your ministry.

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Census Report Shows 60% of Mothers in 20's Are Unmarried

A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau says 62% of women age 20 to 24 who gave birth in the previous 12 months were unmarried.  This compares with 31.9% of women age 25 to 29, 19.3% of women ages 30-34, and 17.4% of women ages 35 to 39.

The increased share of unmarried recent mothers is one measure of the nation's changing family structure.  Non-marital fertility has been climbing steadily since the 1940s and has risen even more markedly in recent years."

There were a number of metropolitan areas with considerably higher percentages of unmarried recent moms than the national average.  Among these were Flagstaff, Ariz. (75 percent); Greenville, N.C. (69 percent); Lima, Ohio (68 percent); Myrtle Beach, S.C. (67 percent); and Danville, Va. (67 percent).

Several metropolitan areas had considerably lower percentages of unmarried recent moms than the national average. Among these are Provo-Orem, Utah (8 percent); Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash. (12 percent); Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash. (13 percent); and Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz. (13 percent).

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Do You Have a Ministry Dashboard?

Your car has a dashboard that tells you lots of important things.  It's a big indicator of the health of your car.

It's important to have a dashboard for your ministry.  Key elements that you check each week that help you determine the health of your ministry.

Here are 10 items I have on our ministry dashboard.  I check these every Monday morning.  They are not the only indicator of health...but they are key indicators of kids and families taking significant spiritual steps.

Overall church attendance
Are we growing?
How is our attendance compared to this time last year?
What percentage of the overall church attendance is children?

Children's Ministry attendance
Are we growing?
How is our attendance compared to this time last year?
How is the attendance in each area? (nursery, preschool, elementary, pre-teen, etc.)
How is the children's ministry growth compared to the overall church growth?

Small Groups
How many children did we enroll in a small group this week?
How many total children do we have enrolled in small groups?
What percentage of the overall children's ministry attendance is enrolled in a small group?

Volunteers
How many total volunteers served?
How many new volunteers joined the team this week?
How many volunteers do we have compared to this time last year?
What areas do we need more volunteers in?

New Believer's Class
How many children went through our new believer's class? (parents must attend with them)
How many children have been through the class this year?

Baptisms
How many children were baptized this week?
How many children have been baptized this year?

Kids serving
How many kids served this week as greeters, ushers, praise team, tech team, etc.?

Parent & Child Dedication
How many parents and children have we dedicated this year?

New families
How many first-time families did we register?
How many first-time families have we registered this year?

Returning new families (we have a system to track new families who return)
How many new families came back for the second time?
How many new families came back for the third time?
How many new families have returned this year?

What's on your dashboard?  What other indicators do you check?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

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5 Ways to Stay Motivated in Children's Ministry

Children's Ministry is a marathon...not a sprint.  In a marathon, it's pretty easy to be motivated for the first mile or so.  But with each passing mile, you have to be more intentional about staying motivated.  It's in mile 18...20...23...24...25...26  that you need the most motivation.

So how do you stay motivated in Children's Ministry for the long haul?  How do you keep your passion and dedication fresh and new?

Prayer.  Nothing will keep you motivated like spending time with Jesus.  When you feel your motivation waning, (which we all do at times) get alone with Jesus.  His presence will fill your motivation tank up.

Pause.  Many times our motivation wanes due to physical or mental tiredness.  Take time to pause and rest.  Pulling away for rest will renew your motivation.  You'll come back ready to conquer the world.

Praise.  When you get discouraged, you'll find your motivation dipping.  When that happens, start praising God for His blessings.  Think about all the good things He has given you.  Dwell on the victories.  I have a folder where I keep cards, notes, letters, and stories from people God has helped through my ministry.  When I get discouraged, I pull out that folder, start reading, and begin praising God.  It doesn't take long before my motivation returns. 

Positive people.  If you want to stay motivated, surround yourself with people who are motivated.  Negative people will slowly drain your motivation.  Be kind to them, but don't spend much time with them.  Your motivation level is directly tied to the motivation level of the people you spend the most time with.

Purpose.  Your ultimate motivation must come from the purpose God has for your life.  His calling on your life is what will keep you motivated through the ups and downs...the good times and the bad times...the happy times and the sad times.  Always remember why you are doing what you are doing.  It's the call God has placed on your life.

What are some other ways you stay motivated?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.   

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