Quotable Quotes About Kids

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. ~Harold Hulbert

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ~Franklin P. Jones

Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. ~John W. Whitehead, The Stealing of America, 1983

Children are one third of our population and all of our future. ~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky. ~Fran Lebowitz

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it. ~Not Your Average Dictionary

Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said. ~Author Unknown

While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about. ~Angela Schwindt

Women gather together to wear silly hats, eat dainty food, and forget how unresponsive their husbands are. Men gather to talk sports, eat heavy food, and forget how demanding their wives are. Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

There's nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child. ~Frank A. Clark

Getting The Point is the Most Important Part of a Lesson

You’ve likely heard people say, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” What they mean is you can say all kinds of not-so-nice things to people as long as you say them in a nice way. While this sounds like solid advice, it puts a lot of importance on the means & tone of delivery, and very little on the content of the message.

In Christian circles we may tend to tip the scales a bit too far the other way. Some of us are so focused on the content of our message that we overlook the importance of presenting it in a way that it is understood & received by our listeners. This is particularly true for grownups attempting to communicate God’s truth to kids.

Personally, I would alter the statement slightly to make it more accurate. I think it would be better said that, “It’s not only what you say, it’s also how you say it.”

One of the key rules of being a good communicator is to know who you’re talking to. Understanding your audience lets you hone & deliver your message using language & terminology that your listeners understand. Imagine if you were asked to communicate the simple fire safety message, “Stop, Drop and Roll” to two different audiences: 1st graders and senior citizens. While the message is exactly the same, I hope you would deliver that message differently to those two groups.

In order to deliver a message that connects with your kids, you need to know more than merely WHAT you want to say… you need to think about HOW to say it. BTW, how you “say” something stretches far beyond the words you choose to use… it includes everything from the way you position the chairs in the room, to your lighting and wall decorations. It includes your physical posture, the shirt you wear and the pace and energy with which you speak.

Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:22
, ”To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”

This week, as you teach and interact with your kids, remember that they aren’t adults! Meet them on their turf. Use their terms. Look them in the eyes. Get down on the floor if you have to. After all, getting the point is the most important part of any lesson.

What's up for 09?

Hi gang~ Here's a peek at the new KIDMO promo video we'll be showing at San Diego CPC this Friday. It will be on our homepage soon, but I thought I'd offer our blog friends a sneak peek at the video... and what we are working on for 2009...

CPC Nashville Pictures

We had a great time meeting and greeting all the great people at CPC Nashville. Thanks to everyone that attended our workshops or dropped by the booth to say hello!


If you missed us in Nashville... (Hello, all you West-coasters!), make sure to put CPC San Diego on your calendar! The event is coming up fast: Feb 4-7, 2009 at Town & Country Hotel in San Diego, CA. You can find out more about the event HERE. Hope to see you there!

~cp

CPC Update

Thanks to everyone who came out for Milk & Cookies with KIDMO at CPC last night! We met lots of fun people and everyone seemed to enjoy hobnobbing with Johnny Rogers & Kai Vilhelmsen, hosts of KIDMO's Johnny Rogers & Lil'K series.

If you're at the show today, be sure to check out Johnny Roger's breakout session, and swing by the KIDMO booth to meet Mark Campbell and the rest of the KIDMO Q&A team.

Wednesday will be another big KIDMO day at the show, with 3 exciting KIDMO-lead breakout sessions and a KIDMO-sponsored lunch! Don't miss the fun!!! Hope to see you at the show!

Hope 2CU@CPC!

CPC Nashville 2009 is here, and we're looking forward to seeing you there! If you are planning to attend, make sure to check out the KIDMO booth, breakout sessions, KIDMO sponsored lunch on Wednesday, and our evening event on Monday night!

The Monday event will be at 10pm in the Washington B room at the Opryland Hotel. Come join Johny, Kai and KIDMO staffers for milk & cookies (and coffee) before turning in for the night. It will be a great time to network with other KIDMO users, take part in some Q&A, hear the latest in the KIDMO world and maybe win some cool prizes.

You'll also hear about the six KIDMO breakouts that will be happening in that same room throughout the CPC week.

We hope 2CU@CPC!
Click here for more information.

Happy 1st Friday!

Hey, it's the first Friday in 2009, and in my book, that calls for some comic relief! Here's a fun little segment from the Johnny Roger's I Am series. There's just something funny about a moose with an itch.



Hope you have a great weekend with your kids!!!
~cp

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

AhhhhhCHOOO!!!

Well, it’s that time of the year again… the season of sneezes, sniffles and outright sickness is upon us again! Here are a few tips to help you and your co-leaders stay healthy and hearty this winter so you can concentrate on your kids, not your colds.

 1. Wash Your Hands! - One of the best ways to avoid getting sick (especially when you’re working closely with kids) is to wash your hands… a lot! Be sure to do a thorough job; use soap and warm water, scrub for at least 15 seconds, and wash your hands several times throughout the day (like in between church services). Expert hand washers recommend using liquid soap (not the bar kind), and drying hands on paper towels that you then throw away. Hand sanitizers (like Purell) are are another good idea. These products use an antiseptic alcohol to destroy 99% of germs and you can use them anytime and anywhere because they don't require soap, water or towels to be effective.

 2. Clean Your Surfaces - They say that germs and bacteria can live for hours on the surfaces that sickies have touched (or sneezed on). Use germ-killing cleaning products to disinfect your classroom’s desks, doorknobs, game controllers and toys… and don’t forget to wipe down your laminated KIDMO scorecards and the balls that you use as points.

 3. Cover Up! - If everyone covered their face when they coughed or sneezed, germs wouldn't stand a chance! Unfortunately, many people just can't make this habit stick, and the germs fly free. Encourage kids to turn their head and cough or sneeze into the crook of their elbow -- rather than the palm of their hand -- to avoid passing germs by touch.

 4. Eat, Exercise & Sleep - Get plenty of sleep. Exercise, especially aerobic, increases the body's virus-killing cells. Even better, exercise outside in the fresh air, away from dehydrating indoor heating systems and recirculated, germy air. Eat healthy foods with lots of vitamins, like colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains and yogurt. Drink fluids; it flushes out your system. 

Take care of yourself! Your kids need you!

~cp

 For more tips on staying healthy, check out the article that inspired this post at: http://multiples.about.com/od/familyissues/tp/healthytips.htm

 

Note from a KIDMO Kid

Hi KIDMO! 

I'm a student from KIDMO, and I LOVE it! It really seems to work magic on my church. All the kids who are usually loud, and "unteachable", are becoming really nice! Especcially the Christamas episodes, my church was amazing. I saw the very loud 5th graders standing next to the 1st graders, that they usually dont even talk to, swaying to the music, singing all the christams song, it was wonderful! 

When i was little, i didn't really like going to church. But now that there's KIDMO, im exited to go, and i look foward to it during the week. I also LOVE the songs. I mean, who could have thought of a better way to make Christ through music? I sure don't know anyone. I mean, even the older kids, we all come up and do motions for the younger kids. But I do have one suggestion. Could you make a song JUST about the rapture. Not like all the freaky, scary parts. I mean, i dont think you really want to scare the little 1st graders. Just saying He will come. I think it would make a good song. 

Well, you guys are amazing! Now I feel better about bringing friends to church, cuz they would be lass tempted to go, if you're listening to a long sermon in a very low monotone. But GO JOHNNY ROGERS!

Rebecca N.

Ministry is More Than Words

Take a second or two to think back on the school teachers and church leaders that you had when you were young. You might be able to remember some of their names, maybe what they looked like, maybe some of the big picture principles that they taught you...  I only remember a few of them very well. When I was in 5th grade I had a Sunday School teacher named Mrs Myers who was the coolest little old lady teacher ever. I remember her teaching Bible stories on the flannel graph (umm... yeah...). I remember one week when she shared the plan of salvation that ultimately led to me giving my life to Jesus,  but, to tell the truth, I really can't remember anything much about all of the other Sundays that she taught my class. Only that one lesson. ~ What I can tell you is that Mrs. Myers was my Sunday morning buddy at church. She knew my name... she told me that she missed me when I wasn't there... and she seemed really interested in hearing about my baseball games. She made me feel important. She made me want to go to church. While I don't remember a lot of what she said, I remember wanting to be around her.  

The truth is, most kids (including a lot of us "former kids") don't remember a whole lot of what their teachers say word-for-word week-to-week. As adult leaders we need to be mindful of this reality! While we may wrestle with the words we'll use to communicate God's truth to our kids, we need to be aware that the lessons we teach are only a small part of our ministry. As your kids grow up and think back on the teachers who influenced them, it's likely that they will remember your actions and attitudes -- that you were there, and that you care -- more than the lessons you taught.