RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: #kidmin curriculum

Showing posts with label #kidmin curriculum. Show all posts

50 Largest Churches in America All Have Something in Common....Can You Guess What It Is?

8:21 AM Dale Hudson

Recently, I did some research and found without exception that the 50 largest churches in America all have something in common. Can you guess what it is?

Drumroll Please!!!!

Here's what they all have in common.

They are MULTI-SITE churches.

It has been proven over and over again. If you want to grow your ministry and reach more people, then multi-site is the way to go.

I propose that all of these 50 largest churches would be platued or even declining if it wasn't for their decision to go multi-site. I have personally been on staff at 4 multi-site churches and have witnessed the growth that mult-site ministry can bring. At the most recent church where I was the children's pastor, in a period of 9 years we grew from 3 campuses to 10 campuses. During this time, because of being multi-site, we grew from 10,000 in weekend attendance to 28,000 in weekend attendance across the campuses.

You can grow your ministry by using a multi-site strategy and I want to help you get there. That's why I am hosting a webinar about multi-site children's ministry. You will hear from 2 of the top children's ministry multi-site leaders as they share how to have a thriving multi-site children's ministry. More info. available below.

As an added bonus, everyone who registers will receive an ecopy of my latest children's ministry book - Lead Well in Children's Ministry ($12.99 value).

If you can't be present on the date of the webinar, no problem. When you register, you get access to the video and audio of the sessions. Instant download and streaming formats. Below is more info. and you can register at this link.

Kids' Characteristics by Age

9:02 AM Dale Hudson

God makes every child special and unique. Our role is to find the abilities God has placed within them and then call them up to walk in His ways and fulfill their special destiny.

We are to help children discover who they are in Christ and how He can work through them to further God's kingdom.

This is very clear in Psalm 139:14-16. Look what it says.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be."

While every child is unique, there are some general attributes that all kids experience as they grow up. Let's look at a few of these. These are from a research company called Cengage learning.

Ages 3-5 (3 through kindergarten)

extremely active
need frequent rest periods
large muscles are more developed than those that control fingers and hands
eye-hand coordination is still developing
bodies are flexible and resilient
most have one or two friends, but those friendships change quickly
play activities contributes to their social, emotional and cognitive development
show preferences for gender of play peers
awareness of gender roles is evidence
tend to express their emotions freely and openly with frequent anger bursts
jealousy among peers is common
tend to have much affection for their teacher and actively seek approval
begin to develop a theory of mind
becoming skillful with language
competence is encouraged by interaction, interests, opportunities and more

Grades 1-3

extremely active so need breaks like recess
may have difficulty focusing on small print or objects
tend to be extreme in their physical activities
bone growth not complete
more selective in their choice of friends
likely to have a best friend
like organized games
sensitive to criticism
begin to understand that there are different ways to know things and that some ways are better than others
being to understand that learning and recall are caused by cognitive processes that they can control

Grades 4-5

boys and girls become leaner and stronger
obesity can become a problem for some kids at this age
gender differences in motor skill performance are apparent
relative calm and predictability in physical development
peer groups become powerful and begin to replace adults as the major source of behavior
friendships are more selective and gender based
organized play continues to contribute to social, emotional and cognitive development
develop a more global, integrated and complex self-image
self-image composed of self-description, self-esteem and self-concept
disruptive family relationships, social rejection and school failure may lead to delinquent behavior
can think logically, although such thinking is constrained and inconsistent
simple memory tasks - children can perform as well as adults
performance is limited with complex memory tasks

These insights can be very helpful as you minister to children. Remember these when you are preparing lessons, activities, games, etc. Every stage of a child's life is an opportunity to share with them how much Jesus loves them and how they were created for a special mission from God.

Why Your Lessons Must Be Strategic

5:56 AM Dale Hudson

What you are teaching the children God has entrusted in your care is crucial.

The Bible is full of things we can teach. From Genesis to Revelation, there is so much you can share with kids (okay...maybe Revelation is the exception).

This leads many children's ministries to jump around and teach whatever catches their eye at the time. Or to blindly follow whatever curriculum they have chosen with out taking the time to research what the curriculum is focused on.

I believe we must be strategic with what we are teaching. Think about this - we only have a few short years to impact kids. A narrow window of time that we can pour into their lives. And we must understand that what we are pouring into their lives during that time matters...immensely.

What you teach should be laser focused. What should the focus be? What you teach should line up with what you want kids to walk away with when they leave your children's ministry.

Our goal must also be for what we teach to get locked into kids' long-term memory. When this happens, we are equipping children to live out what they have been taught both now and in the years ahead.

So what should our focus be? What should we laser in on?

I asked that question many years ago and it led the team I was leading at the time to sit down and spend weeks on narrowing down what the "must knows" are.

Out of this time spent, I developed a curriculum called...

Connect12 connects kids to 12 essential truths they need to know to continue to grow and thrive for the rest of their life.

The pathway I created takes kids from salvation to spiritual leadership. Over 12 months, kids learn that...

Month 1 - The Bible is clear to say...Jesus is the only way. (salvation)

Month 2 - God made me and loves me totally. (identity in Christ)

Month 3 - This is my story...worshiping God and declaring His glory. (worship)

Month 4 - Jesus is my friend...on Him I can depend. (spiritual growth)

Month 5 - I will obey and follow God's way. (obedience)

Month 6 - The Bible is true...I can trust it through and through. (Bible & apologetics)

Month 7 - I know and can see...God has a special plan for me. (purpose)

Month 8 - My friendships will grow...when love and respect I show (relationships)

Month 9 - I will live to give. (stewardship)

Month 10 - Listening to God's voice helps me make the right choice. (wisdom)

Month 11 - I will go and share...my faith everywhere (outreach)

Month 12 - God can use me to make a difference for eternity. (leadership)

I believe if we embed these truths into kids' lives, it will enable them to stick with their faith for a lifetime.

There is something that each of these truths have in common. Do you know what it is? It's this - these key truths all rhyme. Why does this matter? Because stats show that when something rhymes, it moves the truth into kids' long-term memory.

To help make sure the curriculum was effective, I created a grid that each lesson had to pass through before being ready. It had to hit as many learning styles as possible. It had to use repetition (which is a key to long-term memory). It had to connect with the needs kids have. It had to relate to something that kids already know and love. And the extensive list could go on and on.

And since today's kids hear with their eyes, we placed lots of cutting-edge video and graphics in the mix.

See, I believe if kids walk out of our ministry knowing these 12 truths, they will have a balanced faith that will help them serve Jesus for a lifetime.

If this resonates with you, then take time to look more closely at this truth pathway. You can see full descriptions, sample lessons / videos and test out samples for each series at this link.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at dale@buildingchildrensministry.com.

What will you pour into the kids for the upcoming 12 months? Join me and let's give kids the truths they need to serve Jesus for a lifetime.