RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: cnn

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Why Kids Love "Frozen" and What Children's Ministry Can Learn From It

8:11 AM Dale Hudson

Frozen...it's the highest grossing animated film of all times.

It is also the most downloaded kid movie from iTunes. You can often hear kids singing, "Let it Go...Let it Go...Let it Go!" Last October, you could see kids in Elsa, Anna and Kristoff costumes at fall festivals across the country.

Disney, as usual, used their expertise in marketing and you find the characters images on clothes, toys, school supplies, lunch boxes and more.

Let's stop and think about why Frozen has resonated with kids so well. What makes them want to watch it over and over? What's the appeal? Why do they connect with the characters so well? What can we learn from this?

Recently two psychologists, Yalda Uhls with Common Sense Media and Maryam Kia-Keating with the University of California shared with CNN why Frozen was such a big hit with kids.

There is a strong family-themed message. The story line is about the bond between two sisters. Family ties are extremely important to kids. It defines their world.

Use family relationships as examples when you teach.
Make equipping parents a key part of your discipleship strategy. The more you can get families talking about the lessons at home, the more effective it will be.

It engages kids imaginations. Kids have big imaginations and they respond well to stories that capture their imagination.

Tap into kid's imaginations when you share Bible stories.
Let kids use their imaginations to discuss situations where they can live out the lesson.
Give kids opportunities to use their creative imagination through crafts, activities, games, etc.

It shows characters facing challenges and overcoming struggles.

Show how characters in the Bible faced challenges and overcame struggles.
Show kids how they can personally face challenges and overcome struggles through Christ.

Makes them feel empowered. Kids often don't feel powerful. They are always being told what they can and cannot do. When they do have opportunities to be in control, they get excited. Ever seen a kid wag his or her finger like Elsa while singing, "Let it Go?" It's all about empowerment.

Give kids choices during the service. Let them choose between activities, help pick which songs will be sung next weekend, choose which group they want to be part of, etc.
Teach kids how the Holy Spirit can empower them to accomplish anything God asks them to do.

It is done with excellence. The movie is in line with the high standard of excellence that Disney sets for it's productions.

You may not have the budget that Disney does, but do the very best with what God has given you.
Don't fall into the mentality of "it's just for the kids, they won't notice." Do everything with excellence.
Pay attention to the details. Small details done well add up to an excellent production.

What are some other reasons kids like Frozen? What ideas have you taken and used from Frozen? Share with us in the comment section below.

How to Make the Bible Come Alive for Kids

8:11 AM Dale Hudson

Dan Johnson makes history come alive for his students. Watch the video below and pick up some great ideas for making the Bible come alive for the kids you minister to. The ideas I gleaned from him are listed below. Feel free to share your ideas and thoughts in the comment section.

Engage all senses. He even used kerosene lamps to engage the sense of smell.
Create experiences instead of just dishing out facts and figures.
Make it interesting. Kids quickly know the difference between interesting and boring.
Take them there by re-creating the environment. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Using a few simple props makes a difference. This will jump start kids' imaginations.
Kids will only get as excited about the lesson as you are.

Where Children's Ministry is Headed in the Next 10 Years

6:18 AM Dale Hudson

David Houle is a futurist and author of the “The Shift Age." In a recent CNN interview, he talked about the future of education. Take note of what he says. The implications will not only affect how kids learn at school, but at church as well.

"In the next decade, there will be more transformation at all levels of education than in any 10-, 20-, or perhaps 50-year period in history. Generational forces at play will accelerate these changes.

The aging baby boomers - who I call the “bridge generation,” as they have bridged education from the middle of the 20th century to now - are retiring in ever increasing numbers. They have held on to the legacy thinking about education, remembering how they were taught. Their retirement opens up the discussion about transformation.

At the same time, we have the rising digital natives as the students of tomorrow. This generation, born since 1997, is the first that was likely to grow up with a computer in the house, high-speed Internet, parents with cell phones and often a touch screen app phone as their first phone.

They are the first generation of the 21th century with no memory of the 20th. They are the first generation born into the information-overloaded world; for them, that’s simply the way it is. The digital natives are different than prior generations and need new models for education.

Let’s take a quick look for all levels of education to see what some major transformations will be:

Preschool
A child born in 2009 is one of the younger digital natives. In upper-middle class households, they are the first children for whom all content can be found on screens. They are using touch screen and other interactive computing devices starting as early as 2, and therefore walk into the first day of preschool or nursery school with a level of digital skills.

This will spark greater use of digital devices and interactive learning at this first level of education. Classrooms will increasingly have interactive touch screen devices.

K-12 education
The elevation and integration of digital interactivity is soaring in K-12 education. School districts are setting up cloud computing to provide always-available information for always-connected education communities.

Schools that used to make students turn off cellular devices during the school day are allowing them to remain on and become an integral part of the classroom education. If all of the world’s knowledge and information are just a few keystrokes away, why make the classroom the only unconnected place students experience?

Self-directed learning - the interaction of the student with learning courses on a computer - will accelerate education and provide more students with the opportunity to learn at a challenging pace.

Connectivity will bring the world ever more into the classroom and will allow for the grammar school and the high school to be more involved in the local community and the larger global community.

The year 2013 will bring about the first steps in a transformation that, by 2020, will leave education at all levels profoundly different from it is today."

Here's my thoughts...

The church normally lags behind changes in education. It's time we flip that and get on the edge of these transformations.

Are we trying to use the 20th century, lecture-style model of learning to communicate to a new generation of kids and then wondering why they are not engaging with us? "Ssshhhhh....sit still and listen to me download information" has to change to sounds of kids talking, sharing, and discovering together with a trusted guide.

How can we leverage technology to teach God's Word to kids who are digital natives?

It's time we shift from inactive environments to interactive environments.

What thoughts or ideas do you have?
How do you think churches can make the shift to this new model?
What are some things you are doing to effectively connect with today's kids?

Share your thoughts with us below.

Boy Scouts Sex Abuse Scandal...Churches Beware

6:49 AM Unknown

Attorneys recently released more than 20,000 Boy Scout documents identifying more than 1,000 leaders and volunteers banned from the group after being accused of sexual or inappropriate conduct with boys.

Boy Scouts admitted, "There have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate or wrong."

What can you do as a church to ensure that this doesn't happen in your ministry?

Have a thorough screening process for new volunteers which includes an application, personal interview, background check, and reference calls.

The files show that the expelled Scout leaders and volunteers -- all men -- "are sociopathic geniuses," Clark said. "They fool everybody," he said. "And then they are able to coerce, convince or threaten these kids to stay silent. And you see that play out over and over again in the files."

NEVER allow anyone who has abused a child to serve in your children's ministry.

In one file from 1982, an official at an Indiana branch asked to have a volunteer leader placed in a "confidential file" because parents accused him of molesting two boys on a camping trip.

The leader, a Scout adviser, had previously been on the ineligible list in the early 1970s for the same charges, but he was removed from the list after his psychologist and pastor intervened and declared him "cured," the file said.

There were "a small number of files where an alleged offender was allowed back into Scouting after offending," often after psychiatric treatment, "those cases were extraordinarily rare," wrote Warren, who was an expert witness for the Boy Scouts during the court case.

One Scout leader was removed, but was allowed to stay on as a volunteer and the abuse continued. In 1983, the assistant Scoutmaster told troop leaders he abused 17 Scouts, according to plaintiff's attorneys.

Do not allow men to serve in your children's ministry if they were sexually abused as a child. The risk that they will also abuse is too high.

Tim Kosnoff, an attorney in Seattle, said the abuse allegedly inflicted on the men as boys "has a corrosive effect" in which trust, relationship and sexuality issues develop with adulthood.

NEVER allow a volunteer to be alone with a child. There must always be at least two volunteers present at all times.

Be careful about allowing outside groups to use your church facilities for events and programs. If you do, make sure they are following your safety and security policies and procedures.

Remember you are a mandatory reporter of abuse.

Two-thirds of those files have involved "local law enforcement already," and the group enacted a mandatory policy in 2011 requiring all members to tell police of possible abuse child abuse or use of child pornography, the Boy Scouts said.

But the attorneys representing victims in several lawsuits against the Scouts say the group hid evidence from the public and police and that the so-called perversion files offer insight into what they deem a serious problem in the organization.

The secrecy protected more than 1,000 suspected child molesters, said the attorneys, who publicly released the documents during a news conference at a hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Churches...let this be a reminder! The safety and security of children must be a top priority.

What You Can Learn From Disney About Ministering to Kids with Autism

6:47 AM Unknown

CNN recently reported that 1 in 88 children in the U.S. have some form of autism. This means there are many children in your community who have autism. Are you being intentional about providing a place where they feel comfortable and have their needs met?

Disney is a great example of this. They now offer "sensory friendly" movie experiences for guests with autism. During a sensory friendly showing, theater lights are turned up, sound is reduced and audience members are welcome to talk or get up and move during the show.

A recent showing in Columbia, Maryland was attended by over 300 parents and children.

Way to go Disney! Churches...let's be this intentional about creating welcoming environments for kids with autism.