RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: #Ifdisneyranyourchildrensmistrty

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10 Quotes You Can Use to Inspire Your Volunteer Team

11:34 AM Dale Hudson

The pandemic we have been walking through has left many volunteers hesitant about coming back until things clear up. Which is very understandable.

As a leader, one of our tasks is to keep our volunteers excited and passionate about serving and reaching the next generation.

The pandemic has definitely made this a challenging things to do as a leader.

I have found that quotes can be used to encourage and empower volunteers.

Here are 10 quotes that you can use to encourage your volunteers and let them know how valuable they are to God and to the volunteer team.

Remember that we want to use the ministry to build people rather than using people to build the ministry. We should use wisdom and let volunteers know that first and foremost we want them to be okay personally and that they protect their health. When people know you care about them, they will be more prone to return when the time is right.

Here are the quotes. My prayer is they will be a blessing to you and your volunteers as you lead though these tumultuous times.

1. You matter. What you do matters. A lot.

2. Comparison is clamoring for your attention. Don't look. Keep your eyes on the course God has for you.

3. Choose optimism today.

4. Children are the future of your church and without them your church has no future.

5. Stop waiting for someone to tell you how important you are. Jesus showed how important you are on the cross.

6. Walk on - even when you've been walked on.

7. Serve not for the applause, but rather for the cause.

8. Your best insight will come from your hardest challenges.

9. Your greatest experience is waiting outside your comfort zone.

10. You can't go forward if you keep going back to your past.

Your turn. Share a quote that has encouraged and helped you. You can put them in the comment section below.

Kids Play...Kids Learn

9:37 AM Dale Hudson

Kids play.

That's what they do.

They play and play and play until they are worn out for the day.

They go to sleep and wake up...ready to play some more.

Have you thought about this?

Kids love recess time.

Why?

Because they get to play.

Kids sit and listen to lectures and they get bored.

Kids watch a video and don't get to interact with it.

Kids are told to be quiet and so they shut down (except 3rd grade boys).

They learn some things through these methods but I want to propose something that can be life-changing for your ministry.

What if you combined play and spiritual education?

What if you encouraged kids to learn through play?

What would it look like if you gave kids lots of opportunities to put the lesson into play format?

Here's an example I jut thought of.

What if you are teaching the kids about Jesus and Lazarus and you let them wrap up someone with toilet paper to be Lazarus? What if you then let them play act out the story? What if you had a couple of games that tie into the lesson and would also be used for discussion starters?

No matter what your teaching situation is now or how far removed you are from the real world where children play, you can add more play into your lesson.

You can do this. You can add play into your lessons.

Some curriculums will do the work for you and provide games, activities, etc. in the lesson so kids can play.

But you can also take it to another level, by brainstorming and coming up with ways to incorporate more games and activities that will get kids moving, moving and moving some more.sfff

It comes down to this.

When kids play. Kids learn.

How much of your lesson time reflects this?

Yes, it will get noisy at times.

Yes, at times you will feel like you are losing control of the group.

Yes, kids will move around a lot.

But trust me...it will work. When kids play, kids learn.

Studies show that trying to get kids to learn through lecturing is the worst way to help kids learn.

Do this. Take out your lesson. Look at it and determine this. How much time is devoted to play vs. lecturing and listening? If you're heavy on the lecture side, it's time to make some changes.

If you are hesitant about doing this, remember this. The kind of play opportunities you are going to give the kids is not just playing for fun. It is play with a purpose. Each part of your play should teach and reinforce the main point of the lesson. There should be discussion questions attached to the end of each game or activity.

Also understand this. Play should never be just about play. Play should be a tool you use to help kids learn more about Jesus.

You can read more about that in these articles:

Can Kids Have Fun and Learn at the Same Time?

Why Kids Are Misbehaving in Your Class (and how to fix it)

Why Nothing Should Ever Be "Just For Fun" at Church

Why Kids Are Saying Your Ministry Boring

Sunday is coming. Make it a play day!

How do you make play a part of your lessons? Share your thoughts, insight and ideas in the comment section below.

Tips From How Disney Is Helping Families Make Magical Moments at Home

9:46 AM Dale Hudson

It is awesome to see how children's ministries are ministering to kids and their families not just on Sunday, but also during the week in the midst of the current pandemic. We know that millions of kids are home and parents are looking for ways to keep them busy, learning and entertained.

Using technology, churches are equipping parents to disciple their kids at home, discipling kids through interactive videos, broadcasting devotions, engaging with interactive activities and providing downloadable activities, games, learning pages and much more.

I'm sure you are aware that Disney has closed its physical parks during this pandemic. But true to Disney form, they are providing lots of great stuff to help families make magical moments at home. Let's take a look at what they are doing and gather some ideas from their strategy.

Like everyone else, they are running their programs online. Their website for this can be found at this link.

Here are some of the things they are offering. Be thinking of how you could do these things on a smaller scale and shoestring budget. The good news is most of the ideas below can be done with little to no cost. And for the video portions, if you have a phone with a camera built in, you are ready to go.

A digital video series called At Home With Olaf. What short videos can you create? Grab a camera and create a fun video with elements that tie into your lessons. If you don't have the resources or ability to create your own videos, then check to see if there are some other short videos you could show (make sure to follow copyright policies)?

Disney also has made a virtual ride-through of "It's a Small Word" attraction. What if you created a walk through video of your children's area? How could you make it creative? Maybe there are some puppets waiting to interact in one of the rooms? Maybe you can show them behind the scenes in your prop or storage rooms.

They have a sing-a-long time with a Dapper Dans' group. Take a cue from this and post your worship songs / videos on line and encourage kids and parents to sing-a-long (remember to follow copyright laws). Challenge parents to see if they can keep up with their kids' moves.

Disney also has a story time with the original Mulan voice actress, Ming-Na Wen. You can also stream or have on demand Bible stories read by someone.

There are also cooking recipes for kids who love to cook. Kids and parents can make a meal or dessert together. You could do this as well and tie the ingredients into truths from God's Word. An example would be making homemade bread and using it for communion...explaining what the bread represents.

There is a tutorial on how to draw Olaf. What if you walked the kids through drawing some Bible characters or scenes? Moses parting the Red Sea? Daniel with sling shot? Jesus in the boat with the disciples? You can keep the drawings simple.

Disney also has coloring and activity sheets that you can download and print from their website. You can do the same thing with lesson activity sheets, coloring pages, etc.

Their mission statement for this online strategy is this.

Disney Magic Moments lets you experience the magic of Disney wherever you may be. Enjoy Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and National Geographic with stories, videos and activities to inspire imagination and discovery among kids, fans and families alike.

Disney says they have been "thrilled" to see families creating their own Disney moments while isolating at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

What an amazing opportunity you have as a children's ministry leader to connect with families at home and provide them with tools they can use together to create some "God moments."

Would love to see some examples of what you are doing at your church to engage kids and families during the weekdays. Share the link in the comment section below so we can check it out.

p.s. Have you gotten your copy of "If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry? It shares tons of ideas you can use from Disney to make your ministry a magnet for kids. You can get the book at this link.