Curriculum Reviews - Think About the "Tools"!

My 2015 Curriculum Reviews and Side-by-Side Comparison Charts begin to release on Monday, but today we will talk about the "tools" you'll find in your curriculum; scope and sequence, intentionally engaging children in the teaching of the Bible lessons, how to get even shy children talking about the Bible lessons, a unified scope and sequence, "live-it" activities and "Put Feet to Their Faith" service projects!

What "Type" of Curriculum is Your Best "Fit"?

Yesterday I wrote about finding your best curriculum "fit" by identifying your vision/purpose first; so, once you have a vision/purpose, you are ready to select your best curriculum “fit”. 

As you look for your best "fit", keep in mind, the Bible is what you are teaching. Not a particular curriculum. Curriculum is only a “tool” to help you engage children so they experience, remember, understand and live God’s Word for truly changed lives. If it is Biblically sound, any curriculum can be made effective – some curriculum just provide better, more effective tools than others. We select curriculum because it is the best “tool” for our volunteers to utilize so our children will be truly engaged and know how to live God’s Word; not because it has fun gadgets, DVD’s, or colorful artwork! Make sure the curriculum you select provides tools to not only teach the Bible facts – which are important and we do want our children to learn – but also engages children so they understand what these “facts” mean for their everyday lives!

When finding your best curriculum “fit”, keep in mind the different types of curriculum as they each utilize specific teaching styles and tools. Think about what will best help you accomplish your vision/purpose for children’s ministry.

Only Three Days Until My 2015 Curriculum Review Begins! How to Find Your Best Curriculum "Fit" . . . Do You Have a Vision?

The month of April I'll be focusing on Sunday School curriculum reviews. I like reviewing curriculum in the Spring so you can make your decision about which curriculum to use by the beginning of the Summer. This allows you to have time to fully train your volunteers so when the Fall begins they are ready to use the new material! So, today I want to talk about how to find your best curriculum "fit". 

There are many curriculum options available today, so how do you find the best curriculum “fit” for your church; and once you determine your best “fit”, how do you know when or even if you should ever make a change?  Too often we base our curriculum choices on familiarity, marketing and even tradition rather than the carefully thought through and prayerfully considered vision and purpose for our children’s ministry. When we make our curriculum choices based on “familiarity” or marketing, we end up changing curriculum so often the children in our ministry never receive a complete understanding of God’s Word as no one scope and sequence is completed. When we choose our curriculum based on tradition, we may find ourselves utilizing a teaching model no longer as effective, resulting in our children not really understanding or living God’s Word. Consider the following components to help you find your best "fit" . . . 

I Have a Winner!

I'm happy to say Julie Crain is the winner of the Action Bible! (You'll find my full review at this link.) Thank you Julie for reading About the Children's Department (please email me your address by April 5, 2015 so I can send it to you - lyndafreemanatcd@gmail.com) and thank you David C. Cook for sending it so I can give it away!

Free Resurrection Sunday Lesson

Resurrection Sunday is next Sunday . . . if you still haven't decided what you will be doing for Resurrection Sunday . . . maybe this lesson will work for you! Resurrection Sunday is the most important day in the history of man! If Jesus didn't rise from the dead then our faith would be in vain. But He did rise from the dead! This is one of the things which sets Him apart from all the other religious leaders throughout time! I Corinthians 1512-22 . . . "We have preached that Christ has been raised from the dead. So how can some of you say that no one rises from the dead? If no one rises from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, what we preach doesn't mean anything. Your faith doesn't mean anything either. More than that, we would be lying about God. We have given witness that God raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if the dead are not raised. If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith doesn't mean anything. Your sins have not been forgiven. Those who have died believing in Christ are also lost. Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else.But Christ really has been raised from the dead. He is the first of all those who will rise. Death came because of what a man did. Rising from the dead also comes because of what a man did. Because of Adam, all people die. So because of Christ, all will be made alive." (NIrV)

But in fact, Jesus has been raised from the dead and in Him we shall be made alive! This is absolutely something worth celebrating! I'm delighted to give you a free Resurrection Sunday lesson for Preschool/Early Elementary and a free lesson for Elementary age children. You could use them in your Sunday or Mid-Week ministries . . . or anywhere you like!

Help Children Build Friendships!

I've been writing this week about whether Sunday school has outlived its usefulness and talked about choosing to focus on involving children in learning God's Word is for them rather than relying on "gimmicks" to get children to participate and helping children build relationships with other children who love God. As I wrap this up today, I want to share a few ways to help the children in our ministries build relationships with other children in their classes . . . 

Sunday School - A Place for Relationships

This week I've been asking if Sunday school has outlived its usefulness and talked about choosing to focus on involving children in learning God's Word is for them rather than relying on "gimmicks" to get children to participate.

Sunday school has not outlived its usefulness because at its "core" it is all about building relationships; relationships between children and Jesus and relationships between children and children. We help children build their relationships with Jesus when we focus on helping them learn God's Word is for them and help them learn how to go to God's Word to find the answers they need for their own lives. But along with doing this, we also need to be focused on helping children build relationships with other children. 

Help Children Discover God's Word!

Yesterday I wrote about how we need to focus on, "getting children to actually open their Bibles to look for information and learn to find answers in God's Word", so today I want to think about a couple ways we could do exactly this.

Please know when I talk about focusing on getting children into their Bibles, I am not talking about them listening to teachers talk or having to fill in the blanks in workbooks. I am not advocating a return to more traditional teaching methods. However; I'm also not saying we should just engage children in games and activities which keep their attention, but rarely have them opening their Bibles for themselves to discover what God's Word says.

Instead I would like to see us build an excitement in children so they want to discover for themselves what God's Word has to say! Consider the following ideas of how to do this . . . 

Sunday School - God's Word Not Gimmicks!

Yesterday I asked if Sunday school has outlived its usefulness and commented on an article by Melissa Pandika which talked about how families are not participating in Sunday school as much as they once did. More and more families are opting out of Sunday school and mid week ministry as well; this is something I think we all see in our ministries.

So, what do we do to reverse this trend? Do we go the route of trying the latest and "greatest" new "gimmicks" to get children to participate? Does this mean we have to work more to "entertain" children so we can "compete" with sports and other activities in which children are participating?

Has Sunday School Outlived Its Usefulness?

I read an article yesterday by Melissa Pandika where she asked if the "sun has set on Sunday School"? She said; "Between 1997 and 2004, churches lost tens of thousands of Sunday school programs, according to data from the Barna Group, and more recent studies show enrollment has fallen across denominations. From 2004 to 2010, for example, Sunday school attendance dropped nearly 40 percent among Evangelical Lutheran churches in America and almost eight percent among Southern Baptist  churches, prompting speculation that the problem may be more than just a decline in American religiosity."

Melissa went on to say parents and children are just too busy on the weekends to attend church and churches in general are paying a higher price than they anticipated for the occurrences of sex abuse in some churches leaving some to wonder if, "Sunday school has outlived it's usefulness". She wrapped up her article saying churches are trying new things to get people to come back to Sunday school. (You'll find the full article at this link.)

So, has Sunday school outlived its usefulness? Is our answer to give it one last "push" by trying new things to get parents and children to return? Do we need to use "gimmicks" to "compete" with sports and the other things children attend and participate in on Sundays? 

Let's Educate Ourselves About Child Slavery & Act

I recently wrote about child slavery and was asked how we can find out where the things

we buy were made so we do not end up supporting child slavery. I will give you several websites where you can find out more about this, so along with checking labels - look for information about where the item is from, the fair trade label, Rainforest Alliance label - shop the frog - or even if it is listed as "organic" - all these can help you find manufacturers who do not use slaves.

But, please keep in mind, simply boycotting items is not the answer in and of itself. In some cases entire families work to provide a living for the family. In these cases it is important for manufacturers to provide a living wage and to insure safe working conditions along with education for children. In the cases where children are sold as slaves or kidnapped and used as slaves or work in the sex or porn industries, it must be stopped. Where children are exploited we do have to speak very loudly with our dollars as it is often the only language they understand. The following links will help you learn more about this -

Why Integrity Matters in Children's Ministry

I've been writing this week about integrity and Children's Ministry and looked at if we are people who do what we say we will do, who do not gossip and who give credit to those who have ideas and do things.  I said; "It truly matters if we are people who show the highest integrity if we are Christians; it matters even more when we are people who are leaders in Children's Ministry, because if we do not show this type of integrity, we harm others and damage our ministry." 

So, as I wrap up this conversation about integrity, I want to say, aside from being someone committed to acting in a way which shows integrity because it is what God's Word tells us to do, we must do so because otherwise we hurt people and show we can not be trusted. Sadly, there are people who have been harmed by people in leadership positions in their church who did not show integrity. Some of these people who have been harmed end up leaving the church; they may not ever return. Some of these people think if they can not trust leaders in their church, they can not trust God. They do not differentiate between people who hurt them and God. These people do more than just leave the church; they "leave" God. Look at Jeremiah 23:1,2 -

Don't Contribute to Child Slavery

I know this blog is about Children's Ministry, but after doing some research on Children's

MInistry around the world, my eyes were opened to the horror of child slavery. In many places around the world children as young as five years old are forced into dangerous and difficult labor as slaves. I'm confident you all are as horrified by this as I am.

But, are you horrified enough to actually do anything about it? True, there may not be much we can do to physically stop the selling and abuse of children by making them slaves, but we can choose to not purchase things which are a result of child slavery. 

In my research I learned there are so many children in slavery who are forced to work on cocoa farms in Africa and 70% of the cocoa used in this world is from Africa. I love chocolate, but I hate child slavery, so I will no longer buy chocolate which is a result of child slavery. And just so you know, coffee, tea and vanilla are also crops where children are forced to work long and hard as slaves; children as young as five years old.

Why Integrity Matters in Children's Ministry - Give Credit Where it is Due

I've been writing about integrity and Children's Ministry and have looked at if we are people who do what we say we will do and who do not gossip. You know, it truly matters if we are people who show the highest integrity if we are Christians; it matters even more when we are people who are leaders in Children's Ministry because if we do not show this type of integrity, we harm others and damage our ministry. 

When Jesus was on Earth, He didn't condemn sinners; He ate with them, talked with them and showed them God's love. He did, however; condemn religious leaders who did not show integrity - He said they were hypocrites. In fact, He had a lot to say about them and none of it was positive, so if we think for even a moment, it does not really matter if we are "lax" with our integrity, we are definitely mistaken. It matters, so, today let's think about being people who do not take credit for what others think of or do. When might we do this? Consider the following . . . 

Why Integrity Matters in Children's Ministry - Do Not Gossip

A couple days ago I asked if we actually live as people who show integrity in our children's ministry and if when it came down to it, do the volunteers, families and children truly see us as people of integrity. I looked at whether we are people who actually do what we say we will do. Today I want to talk about if we are really people who do not gossip. Consider the following . . . 

Four Special Easter Books Give-Away & Resurrection Sunday Crafts for Everyone!

I was recently invited to participate in a special give-away which I'm holding on my other blog, grandma's cookie jar where one person will win four books from Zonderkidz! Yes, four books! 

I thought you might be interested in this give-away and the Resurrection Sunday crafts, so I'm posting here as well, but you will need to go to grandma's cookie jar at this link to enter the give-away. 

The books arrived for me to review yesterday, but I have to have the winner's information to Zonderkidz in one week, so this will be a short give-away. These books will make great additions to the baskets you give to your grandchildren, children or just as a special surprise! 

I love celebrating Resurrection Sunday, so along with this give-away, I'll include a couple fun crafts which you could include in your baskets - or use with your grandchildren, children or a Sunday School class. Let's begin with the books you will receive if you are the winner!

Why Integrity Matters in Children's Ministry - Do What We Say We Will Do

If asked, I'm confident we would all agree integrity matters in children's ministry, but do we actually live as people who show integrity in our children's ministry? When it actually comes down to it, do the volunteers, families and children truly see us as people of integrity? People who actually do what we say we will do? People who do not gossip? People who tell the truth? People who do not take credit for what others think of and do? People who can truly be trusted?

In far too many cases the answers to those questions, sadly, are "no". Why is this? Certainly we all want to be people who show high integrity in all areas of our lives, but especially in our ministries; so why is it so many of us do not? There are several areas where our integrity - or sadly, lack thereof, will show up; today let's think about being people who do what we say we will do. When might this happen? Consider the following . . . 

I Have Two Winners!

I'm happy to announce M Wilson and James Wilson are the winners in my CM Connect Children's Ministry Conference Ticket Give-Away (you'll find the review at this link). Thank you for reading About the Children's Department (M and James, please email me with your email so I can connect you with CM Connect to get your tickets) and thank you CM Connect for making these tickets available for me to give away!

The Action Bible - I'm Giving One Away!

For years and years if your church used David C. Cook Bible in Life curriculum, the Elementary take-home papers had a portion of the Action Bible in it each week. Children loved these take-home papers . . . it was like getting a portion of a comic book each week and the great part was it was all about the Bible!

My Top Five Reasons for Having a Discipline Policy Which Shows Grace

I have three grandsons; ages six, three and 18 months. While these three boys are as sweet as you can possibly imagine, they are young boys and from time to time they do not obey, they annoy each other and end up arguing or even hitting one another. Yes, I know, this is shocking and almost unbelievable, but from time to time it does happen.

So, when my grandsons do not make a wise choice, what do I do? I give time-outs, we talk about what happened and how even when they are tired or have had a long day, they still have to obey and learn to make wise choices. I lean heavily towards showing my grandsons - and definitely giving them - grace. 

As I thought about this, I thought about the children in our ministries and showing grace to them. There are definitely times when children in our ministries do not obey and we have to implement a discipline policy. Our discipline policies need to be firmly grounded, saturated and immersed in grace. I believe this for the following reasons . . . 

My Top Five Reasons for Being Someone Who Listens

The other day when my grandsons were at my house they were watching a children's show and the topic of not being listened to came up (it was the "title" of the episode). I asked my oldest grandson if he felt that way sometimes and he said; "Yes. Well, except for you, grandma, because you always listen to us." 

As adults it is far too easy to be busy with the things we are doing or with our tech and just not listen to children. Children do tend to talk a lot and it is not always "earth-shattering" things they have to say; but when it comes to my grandsons, I feel like if it is important to them and they want to tell me, I want to hear it! I'm so glad Josiah has noticed this!

So, as I thought about this conversation, I thought it applied to Children's Ministry as well and came up with five reasons we need to be people who listen to children, families and volunteers and today I'm sharing them with you. They are . . . 

My Top Five Ways to Show Love to the Children in Our Ministries

Children's Ministries and "love" go hand-in-hand and showing this love to the children should be something which is obvious for all to see, but today I thought I'd take a minute or two and write about my Top Five Ways to Show Love to the Children in Our Ministries!

Top Five Prayer Requests for the Children in our Ministries

We need to pray for the children in our ministries. When I look at this world around me and how God's Word is mocked and disregarded, I am concerned about what it will be like for them to grow up. I most sincerely want them to grow to be people who know, love and walk with Jesus, so I pray. I pray for them because while I am limited in what I can actually do, God is not. He is bigger than I think He is and He is able to do ever so much more than I can even begin to imagine!

So, what do I pray about? Certainly the list has a number of things on it and changes depending on the situations they are facing, but the main prayer requests I have for them are as follows . . . 

Tiny Bear's Bible - I'm Giving One Away!

I was recently invited to review a new Bible storybook for the littlest ones and today I'm happy to review the one which was sent to me - Tiny Bear's Bible.

Let's "Design" Our Children's Ministry for Children!

For the past couple days I've been talking about the "design" of our Children's Ministries; are the really "designed" for children or for adults? I've asked a few questions to help us see if our ministries are more adult-friendly or child-friendly so today I want to think about what we can do if our ministries are designed to serve adults more than children and how we can focus in on children. Consider the following . . . 

Do We "Design" Our Children's Ministries for Adults or Children? Part 2

Yesterday I asked, when we think about Children's Ministry do we "design" it for adults or children? I said I'm sure we all want to think we design it for children, but if we look closely will we see this is actually the case or will we see it is actually "designed" for adults?

Then I looked at what we might see if our Children's Ministry is actually designed for adults. Today I want to look at what we might see if our Children's Ministry is in fact, designed for children. Consider the following . . . 

Do We "Design" Our Children's Ministries for Adults or Children?

When we think about Children's Ministry do we "design" it for adults or children? I'm sure we all want to think we design it for children, but if we look closely will we see this is actually the case or will we see it is actually "designed" for adults?

Let's think about this for the next few days, beginning with what might we see if our Children's Ministry is actually designed for adults? Consider the following . . . 

The Five Most Important Things I Want My Volunteers to Know

We all know we can not do what we do in our Children's Ministries without the volunteers who serve in our churches; they are truly essential. But far too often volunteers do not feel like what they do matters; or even if they are appreciated.

I remember years ago when I was a volunteer Sunday school teacher at my church in California. The parents were usually running late to the church service or their own class, so when they dropped off their children they were typically in a hurry to leave their children and get to where they were going. When they picked their children up, they were usually thinking about getting their children and then on to whatever they were doing the rest of the day (in Northern California there are many wonderful things you can do on a lovely day and there are many lovely days!). It was rare for a parent to even talk to me, let alone thank me for serving their children as their teacher. 

In many of our churches the Children's MInistry is "invisible"; in an area separate from the auditorium, out of the way where the only people who see it are the volunteers, the children and the parents . . . and as I just mentioned, parents do not always actually "talk" to the volunteers. 

It is so easy for volunteers to become discouraged and think what they do does not matter . . . and does not really mean anything to anyone. If this happens, they are much more likely to stop serving. The opposite could not be more true for me with the volunteers I had. I appreciated them so much and wanted them to know it. So, as I think about these things, I'm reminded of the five most important things I want volunteers to know. They are . . . 

The Top Five "Do-Not's" for Children's Ministry

When it comes to Children's Ministry there are so many wonderful things we get to do; the most important of which include telling children about Jesus and helping them grow to know and walk with Him. But, there are also things we must be careful not to do, so today I'm sharing with you my Top Five "Do-Not's" for Children's Ministry.

CM Children's Ministry Conference - I'm Giving Tickets Away!

It is easy for people who serve in children's ministry to find themselves in one of two situations - or even both. We may end up feeling isolated and on our own. Or, we may feel like we know all we need to know and do not really need others. It is possible to feel both - alone, but not mind because we do not really think we need others anyway.

Obviously any - or all of these are unhealthy - for us and for our children's ministry. The truth is, no matter how long we have been serving in children's ministry, we do not know all there is to know. And, we do need others.

So, if you find yourself in any of the above situations - or not - I have great news for you! CM Connect is sponsoring a wonderful conference where you will meet others who serve in children's ministry, make friends and learn new things! And . . . I have ten yes ten (10) tickets to this conference which I am giving away . . . which means you can go for free! More on the tickets in a moment, but first, info on the conference . . . 

Grateful or Greedy; Are We Grateful?

For the past couple days I've been asking if our ministries are grateful or greedy. Yesterday I looked at some signals we can watch for which might indicate our ministries are "greedy", so today I want to focus on how we can tell if our ministries are "grateful".

While I'm sure all of us want to at least think our ministry show we are "grateful", if we do not ask questions and keep our eyes open, we may indeed discover our ministries are not as "grateful" as we want them to be. So, what might we see if our children's ministry is "grateful"? Consider the following . . . 

Grateful or Greedy; Are We Greedy?

Yesterday I asked if our ministries are "grateful" or "greedy" and posted a link to an excellent article. While I'm sure none of us want to even think our ministry might show we are "greedy", if we do not ask the question and keep our eyes open, we may indeed discover our ministries are "greedy" and are not "grateful". So, what might we see if our children's ministry is "greedy"? Consider the following . . . 

Is Your Ministry Grateful or Greedy?

I had the wonderful opportunity to read an excellent article about parenting today - you will find it at this link. Please read it and share it with every parent in your ministry. I love how it ends -