Introducing Kwik Tips!

KIDMO's Kwik Tips segments are bite-sized bits of tips, ideas and advice to encourage you in your children's ministry. You can watch them on our blog, on our Facebook page (Like us if you haven't yet!), or on YouTube. Wherever you watch, be sure to leave a comment to let us know what you think! We hope you enjoy our Kwik Tips segments!

In this episode Chuck challenges us to pray for our ministries while we gas up.

Meeting Your Kids at the World-Wide Well

by Johnny Rogers and Douglas McKelvey

In a world of connectivity, not to have access to certain creature comforts is rarely given a second thought. When was the last time you went hiking down the road with a bucket looking for the nearest well to draw water? Yet, there are still people in the world that survive on one water source - one spring, one well, one stream. People are drawn to a water source because everyone needs water for drinking, cooking, washing clothes. Conversations take place, relationships are developed, and news and information are gathered, concentrated, and disseminated at one place: the water source.

If you are over 30 years old, you have seen connectivity through technology grow from a futuristic idea to something merely commonplace. My 12-year-old expects that water will come out of the faucet. With the same degree of anticipation, she expects to be able to connect with ideas and find information about things that are important to her through technology. When the WiFi at home goes down, my kids can't comprehend it. It is as if they turned the faucet and no water came out of the tap.

Turning the Digital Faucet
Digital technologies provide kids with multiple “wells” from which they can draw content that is important to them. It is easy to forget that today's kids have no knowledge of a pre-internet lifestyle. Kids expect to seek out multiple sources for anything they’re interested in. They are accustomed to exploring and gathering information so they can come at it from a number of angles.

Are you a fan of Hannah Montana? If you are, you can watch it on TV on Saturday morning, or you can watch multiple episodes online at Disney.com anytime you want. You can buy an entire season on DVD. You can watch episodes on your iPod in the car. You can download the songs from iTunes. You can go to her concerts with thousands of other screaming kids. The point is, this generation has an expectation to draw their information from multiple sources. They increasingly expect to interact with their interests in a way that is multifaceted and uniquely personal.

Taking a Digital Drink
Integrating Biblical truth into everyday reality strengthens a Biblical worldview and bridges the perception gap between the Bible being merely a book of stories and the Bible being a transformational "light unto my path." Giving kids mid-week access to what they are taught on Sundays helps reinforce the lessons they are learning and provides a practical connection between Biblical truth and their lives "right now." By providing additional access to lessons online, children have the opportunity to personalize lessons in the context of their everyday lives. Helping kids process through a lesson requires asking the right questions.



What's The Point?
Can you simply communicate last week's lesson in a simple statement, phrase or single word? If you can, you are well on your way to helping a child connect a Biblical truth to a real-life situation. One way to accomplish this is with an online quiz. Google Documents offer a free feature that allows you to create a safe and secure online quiz your kids can access either through email or through your existing children's ministry website. Even though many kids do not have email accounts, most families do. This is also a great opportunity to connect parents with what their kids are learning. One suggestion is to create a sign up sheet at your checkout station that reads:

Dear Parents,
We've created a fun kid-quiz for you and your child to help apply what they have been learning. If you would like to participate, please leave your family email address below and we will email you the link this week.

Sincerely,
Your Children's Ministry Team


The goal of each quiz is to lead a child through a progression of thought from concept to completion. Remember to write questions that will help kids think through concepts, not just quiz them on what they remember. Start by clarifying the concept from the child's perspective and then gradually move them to a concrete conclusion that requires action.

You might start your first question by focusing on a key word or theme in the week’s memory verse. For instance, the focus of your quiz may have to do with "confessing." Therefore, your first question should help clarify that key word. For example you might ask: “What do you think the word confess means?” Then offer multiple-choice answers to help guide the child to the correct definition.

Example:

Confess means to:
a) Be sneaky
b) Be quiet
c) Tell on others
d) Say something out loud

Next, determine what the key word or theme would look like in action. If someone were to "confess," or "be kind," or "love others," what would it look like?

Example:

If someone were to confess something, they would:
a) Think to yourself
b) Say something really loud
c) Tell the truth about what they did
d) Tell a good joke.


Why Should I Care?
It is easy to assume a child understands why it is important to apply the truth of God's Word. But the reality is that often, embedded beneath the surface of a verse or lesson is a practical truth that rests unearthed. This is a great opportunity to help a child discover the depth of God's Word -- that there is more beneath the surface when we take time to look. We can begin by questioning the importance of the concept. Why is this idea important? What would happen if no one was kind, loved others, shared? Great communicators will use a question like this to create a tension in the minds of the audience. Creating a tension through an unanswered question causes the learner to sit up and take notice while creating an appetite for a solution.

How Does That Apply to Me?
What does the point of the lesson look like in the life of an eight-year-old? It probably looks very different than it does in the life of a twelve-year-old. When drawing an application for your kids, start with the world they live in everyday. What would living this lesson look like at home, with a brother or sister, at school or in the car ride home from church? The greater the clarity you have in your mind, the greater the chance your questions will cause a real-life situation to pop into a child's head while they are working through the quiz.

What Does It Look Like In Action?
I can't tell you how many times I've watched kids walk out the doors of a classroom and wondered, "Are they really getting it? Are they making a connection between what was just taught and what life will throw at them this week?"

Often we teach lessons about being kind, loving others, or trusting God and then we try to help kids see how they can apply the Bible to their lives. We tell the story of Moses leading the Israelites across the parted sea and we say, "Moses trusted God in a difficult circumstance. We can trust God in a difficult circumstance." But there still lingers the unanswered question in the minds of our kids, "How will I know when I get it right?" In order for transformation to take place, we must move kids beyond application to personalization. When we say, "be kind to others" or "trust God in a difficult circumstance," use examples from their world. "When you are picked on at school, and you respond like this (insert your real-world example here), that's what it means to be kind." The picture must be so clear that a kid says, "Oh, I get it!" It's so clear, that when they walk out the door, they know what to do or what not to do -- the choice becomes real.

We all want kids to get the point of our lessons. We want them to apply what they have learned. But sometimes there is a disconnect between what is learned and what living life like Jesus looks like in the everyday moments of a child's life. Giving kids access to learning throughout the week can help them apply Biblical concepts in the changing context of their lives.

Being able to process the Bible in the context of everyday moments allows kids to personalize what they are learning by connecting it to their own experiences.

Technology is simply a faucet that draws information from the water source. It takes a message and connects it with kids on their home turf. By creating multiple points of access, we can help kids make better connections with the truth of God’s Word, with its application to their own lives, and with opportunities to put it into practice.


Johnny Rogers has served in full-time children's ministry for over 15 years. He currently lives in Tennessee where he is co-founder and Creative Director of KIDMO, a premiere media-driven resource for Children's Ministry.

Douglas McKelvey is an author and song writer. He lives in Franklin, TN with his wife and three media-savvy daughters.

Dealing with "Disruptives"

by Kai Vilhelmsen

We’ve all had it happen to us. You are before those whom God has entrusted you to communicate the truths of the Bible that will set on fire the very course of their lives! Every eye is upon you, so great is their attention span and respect for you. Quietly and attentively they absorb every word, nodding in agreement… and the smiling and grateful parents come in at just that moment to pick up their kids! If only it was always that way.

The truth is, there IS a problem. There is a fundamental challenge to teaching kids: They are kids. Now that we have that out of the way… Developmentally speaking, each age group or division will have it’s own unique set of challenges, but it seems in ANY age group there will be one or more of what I will call “Disruptives.” (I’m using this term merely in terms of its interruptive nature, not in regards to the child’s personal nature.) Maybe it’s a result of excitement, or of chemical, emotional or physical concerns. Whatever the underlying root, it manifests itself in interruptive behavior. Those of you who have leaders or helpers who immediately exhort those who pull focus are blessed indeed. But here is what I’ve experienced.

When I am teaching and I have to draw attention to the one who is talking or acting up, I will usually begin to lose those who are paying attention. And if they see that someone else can get away with it, well, you know the rest. There is a certain momentum in teaching. You know what it feels like. And it’s just a bummer when you have to disengage to discipline.

Here is a technique that I have used to help keep that momentum. It involves proximity, you know, how close you are to something. Instead of “using your words” simply keep teaching, and without even acknowledging the behavior, walk over and stand within a couple feet of the disrupter and continue talking to the class. Many times they will get it on the first try. If not, take another step closer. If that doesn’t work, pause, just look at them, and keep going. No words are necessary. You are not giving them attention, if that’s what they are after, and the rest of the class, as well as those nearby, will see that it matters to you. It’s actually kinda fun. It’s a strategy that works for large or small groups. It’s always nice to give them a knowing little smile if they do quiet down. Positive reinforcement and all that.

Try this next time you find yourself in a “disruptive” situation. At the end of the day, we remember those teachers and leaders who have “loved on us,” and believed that we were significant. This made them close to us… a blessed “proximity”

Kai Vilhemsen holds multiple degrees in education and biblical studies, and is the writer/host of KIDMO’s Lil K preschool curriculum.

The 3 R's: Johnny's Rules of Engagements

The best way to get your kids to behave and interact the way you want them to is to communicate your expectation to them in a way that they understand. In this short video Johnny Rogers shares the 3 Rules of Engagement that he teaches the kids in his group... maybe they'll work for your kids too.

One's in the Crowd

It’s easy to think of the kids in your ministry as a group… a crowd… maybe even a mob! ...that's not necessarily a good thing. I was recently reminded that, no matter how massive our groups get, we need to minister to our kids as individuals. The ultimate goal is for each child to feel spoken to, related to, and ministered to personally each week. Making your ministry personal can be a challenge as your group grows in number, but the only number that really counts is 1. So whether your group is 20, 40, or 170, try to not think of them as a group of that many... but as that many 1's. Purposefully speaking to each one as if they were the only one will help keep your kids from feeling lost in the crowd.

 ~cp

Christmas Lists

About this time every year postal workers in New York City begin opening thousands of letters that kids have written and mailed to Santa Claus through the USPS. The project is called Operation Santa Claus, and its goal is to match children in need with surrogate Santa’s who can help give an underprivileged child a Merry Christmas. While we’re not endorsing Operation Santa, or asking you to participate in the project, we do want to pass on some information on the trends that its participants are reporting this year. 

In a recent radio interview, Gary Smiley, a New York Paramedic who has picked up letters from the NYC Post Office and given gifts to their writers for 18 years, said that he has seen kids Christmas wishes change this year, “It has kind of shifted a lot from toys to more clothing and necessities. They really just need the basics in life. They don’t want a race car they want a coat, or a pair of pants or a nice outfit they can wear to school as opposed to a doll or something.” 

What can we take from this as Children’s Ministry workers? We need to be acutely aware that, while Christmas is a joyous time for many of the families in our churches, many others are struggling at home financially, emotionally and relationally during this current time of economic recession, and many of the kids in our programs may be facing slim Christmases. 

What can you do? If your church doesn’t already have a means of matching children in need with others who can provide them with gifts, food and clothing this season, you can start one! There’s still plenty of time to create your own Christ-centered Christmas “Operation” to help the kids in your class. This also gives us a unique opportunity to teach our kids that the real gift of Christmas isn't one that comes wrapped in colored paper, but one that came wrapped in swaddling clothes.  If New Yorkers can “bless” children and their families in the name of Santa, how much more so should we bless the families in our churches and communities in the name of Jesus, and remind them that He alone is the real reason for the Season, and Hero of the Holiday. 

Kid (or Kids) of the Week Profiles

Church is an awesome place for kids (and grown-ups, for that matter) to find great friends... but it can be difficult for kids to really get to know each other unless you, the leader, are purposeful about helping kids connect. One way you can cultivate connection is by taking a few minutes each week to highlight a couple kids by doing "Kid of the Week" profiles.

Print up some cards & have each of your kids answer some simple questions about themselves. Things like:

- Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are they older or younger than you?

- Do you have a pet? What is it? What is it's name?

- If you could go anyplace for lunch, where would you want to go? What would you order?

- What is your favorite color?

- Do you play any sports?

- What do you want to be when you grow up?

- What is your favorite thing about coming to church each week?

The questions should be easy to answer, and non-threatening. The goal is to ask things that will help kids discover that they have things in common.

Take a week to fill out & collect the cards, then make a schedule & take a couple minutes to introduce a kid or two to the class each week. With their cards in hand, invite them to the front of the room, have everyone clap for them, and tell the class about them, "This is Stephen! He has two younger brothers. Does anyone else have a younger brother?"    

Take the idea and make it your own... Have fun with it! -- It can be fun to give them a special crown to wear (customized Burger King crowns are perfect!) and dub them the kids of the day! Depending on the size of your group, you may choose to do this once a month, or you might highlight 3 or 4 kids every week... the idea is to make it easy for your kids to get to know each other. After the interview, encourage kids to say "hi" to the people you profile. You might even add a couple bonus questions to your Team Competition time at the end and award extra points for teams that can correctly answer questions about your kid(s) of the week.

Try it! You might be surprised at how something so simple can help foster friendships & create community in your class. 

~cp

Building a Relational CHAIN - #5 NOTICE

For those of you following my series on building a relational CHAIN to your kids,  I bring you the last link in the acronym!!! Yaay!!!

Connect    Honor    Ask    Invest     NOTICE

Today's link is brought to you by the letter "N" ...NOTICE. As in, notice what is happening in the lives of your kids. The three keys to noticing are as simple as crossing the street. In fact, if you can do one, you can do the other! The secret to both is to Stop, Look, and Listen.

1) STOP - Often the greatest ministry opportunities show up when we're busy, and too many times, we miss them. When faced with a choice between a child or a chore, we need to stop what we're doing, kneel down, and invest some time to make that child feel special.

2) LOOK - Appearances can be deceiving. There can be hurts and worries behind well-groomed smiling faces. As leaders, we need to be intentional about pausing our busyness long enough to look children in the eyes and see into their hearts.

3) LISTEN - You can find out a lot about a kid's life if you simply listen to them. Listen for comments that will give you clues about their family, friends, school, likes and dislikes. These clues will help you see what is truly going on in the life of a child so you can know how to pray for and minister to the kids in your class.

As children arrive in your ministry this week, beware of being so busy that you miss the opportunity to truly notice what is happening beneath the surface in the lives of your kids. Building a relational bridge sometimes requires us to put something down and empty our hands, so that we can reach out to our kids, "hands free" and fully available.

Johnny Rogers

Check out Johnny's personal blog here

Parenting Ain't Easy

According to a 2007 survey by The Barna Group, it appears that a lot of parents are struggling. In its April 23, 2007 update, www.barna.org reported that...  

1. A majority of parents feel overly busy, stressed out or are buckling under the pressure of mounting financial debt.
2. Most adults are dissatisfied with their job, even though it consumes a majority of their waking hours.
3. American parents tend to blame other parents for the problems evident among today’s young people while excusing themselves from any blame. A large share of parents, however, do express worry about the future that their children will inherit and how prepared their children are to deal with the challenges of that future.Fewer than one out of every ten families have parents who pray together, study the Bible together and lead the family in regular explorations of their faith.
4. The standards that parents have established for evaluating their own performance as a parent are innocuous. If their children have avoided publicly recognized problems - such as physical or substance abuse, gang involvement, satanic activity, pregnancy, or physical aggression - and continue to get passing grades in school and stay relatively healthy, the parents believe they are doing an acceptable job.
5. Few parents are aware of the dramatic effect the media have upon people’s behavior and values. Just 9% of parents believe that the media are the most significant influence on their children’s lives, and only one out of every three parents of kids under 13 impose any significant restrictions or limitations on how much or what type of media their children are exposed to. Shockingly few parents have discussions with their children about the content of the media they have digested."

So... as you minister to the children in your church, remember to be prayerfully aware of the pressures that their parents are under.    

Interested in more? Read the full article here: http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=269

Building a Relational CHAIN - #4 Invest

Are you busy? Me too! When our frantic weeks are filled with the busyness of life, it's hard to imagine finding more time to give away. But would you scrounge together a few minutes if you knew it would make a transformational difference in the life of a child? Me too! In fact, if you are truly going to invest in something, it is going to cost you something up front.

Connect      Honor      Ask      INVEST      Notice

Building a strong relational CHAIN often requires making an extra investment with our time. Here are some practical ways that you can INVEST in the lives of your kids this week: 

1) Ask, Listen & Remember - When children 

arrive in your ministry, ask them about their week, listen more than you talk, and remember what they share so you can follow up the next time you see them. 

2) Pray For Your Kids During The Week - Have your kids write down prayer requests so you can pray specifically for them throughout the week. Remember to follow up and ask for updates. This will remind each child that you really are praying for them.

3) Mail Your Kids A Note - Kids love getting mail! Sending a simple note to a child in your group is a great way to let them know that they are important to you. It doesn't need to be long or profound. A simple comment like, "I'm so glad you are in my group" or "I'm praying for you" are great ways to let kids know that you care.

Imagine being able to pray specifically for your kids throughout the week. Imagine looking a child in the eye and telling him he was prayed for all week long. Do you think that might make a difference? Absolutely! It might make all the difference in the world for your kids.

Johnny Rogers

Check out Johnny's personal blog here.

Building a Relational CHAIN - #3 Ask

We've been looking at ways that we can build a strong relational CHAIN to the kids we minister to. Today we'll look at the third aspect of the CHAIN... Ask.

Connect     Honor    ASK     Invest     Notice

Conversation can be a key to unlock a meaningful relationship with a child. However, many kids are not natural conversationalists. So how do you start a connection with a kid through conversation? The first step is to get them talking.

I recommend using these 3 questions to create connections with your kids: 

1) ASK - How was your week? Asking kids about their weeks sends the message, “I’m interested in you. Tell me something about your life.” 

2) ASK - Did anything different or unusual happen to you this week? If a child is drawing a blank, offer some possibilities like, "Did you win your game? Did you go swimming?" Asking specific questions will help jog a child’s memory. Kids might not simply offer information, but they will share in great detail if you ask them the right questions. 

3) ASK - Do you have any brothers of sisters? or Do you have any pets? Many children have siblings or pets and they love to talk about them. Having a child share about brothers, sisters or pets can give you great insight into a child's family life.   

Once a child begins to share, stop talking and start listening. In fact, listen more than you talk. Showing genuine interest in what a child is sharing means listening intently. As you get to know them better you become better equipped to minister to them more effectively.

 I Thessalonians 5:11 tells us that we should, “…encourage each other and build each other up.” One way to begin encouraging your kids is to take an interest in their lives. 

So this week, ask your kids about their lives and listen to them! You may be surprised by what they have to say.

 

Johnny Rogers

Building a Relational CHAIN - #2 Honor

This is the second post in a series on building a strong relational CHAIN with your kids. There are 5 aspects to this relational CHAIN.

    Connect    HONOR    Ask    Invest    Notice

Today I want to share some thoughts on Honoring your kids. A great way to do this is by celebrating their arrival. So, how can you do this effectively?

1) Show Enthusiasm: Giving high-fives and greeting a child with enthusiasm offers that child a sense of celebration and gets them excited about being there.  

2) Call Them by Name: Calling a child by his or her first name makes them to feel known and valued.

(Name tags are a great way to help you and your volunteers.) 

3) Set Busyness Aside: When a child arrives at your door, stop what you are doing to acknowledge each one as he or she enters the room. This focused attention lets each child (and the adults who drop them off) know that they are important to you. This is a job is so important that you may want to do it yourself!

Your ultimate goal should be to greet and treat each boy or girl the same way you would greet and treat Jesus. In Matthew 18:5 (NLT) Jesus said, "...anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me."  Acknowledging and welcoming children was important to Jesus, and it should be important to us as we seek to reach and teach kids about Him.

Thanks for investing your time and energy into kids! I hope you stay encouraged as we seek to inspire world changers together! 

Johnny Rogers

Check out Johnny's personal blog here.

Building a Relational CHAIN: #1 Connect

I don't know about you, but there are times when I've wondered if I'm really connecting with the kids in my ministry. I've watched them walk out the doors of my classroom and wondered, "Are they really getting it? Are they making a connection between what was just taught and what life will throw at them this week?”  What do we need to provide to inspire our kids to change their world?  Well it all begins with relationship.

I want to encourage you to be purposeful about building a strong relational CHAIN with your kids. There are 5 aspects to this relational CHAIN.

    CONNECT    Honor    Ask    Invest    Notice

Today, I want to share some thoughts on connecting. Here are 3 ways you and your volunteers can Connect with your kids this week.

1) Kneel Down - It's easy for us as adults to stand up and tower over kids. When you kneel down and get on their level it makes you more approachable.

2) Look them In the Eye - Making eye contact with a child conveys value and improves communication. Eye contact tells the child, "I'm ready to listen." 

3) Practice Focused Attention - Even though there may be a lot going on around you, take a few minutes to dedicate your attention to that one child. Focusing your attention allows that child to feel that he or she is the most important person in the room. Focusing your attention in the midst of busyness takes practice, but it can yield a huge harvest in the heart of a child.

Kneeling down, looking a child in the eye and focusing on each one takes intentional effort. If you think about it, this is what Jesus did for us. The God of the universe became small, He got down on our level, so that He could look us in the eye. He intentionally pursued a personal relationship with each of us and He did it because of His love for us. 

Be encouraged today and know that you ARE making a difference! 

Johnny Rogers

Check out Johnny's personal blog here.