The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast

"Let's go around and share your name and favorite color!" I said to twenty third-graders who immediately went silent and started examining the carpet like it held the secrets of the universe.That was my first Sunday teaching. I'd googled "icebreaker games" and printed the most generic list ever. Tyler literally crawled under a table. Madison pretended to be invisible. I learned what soul-crushing silence sounds like.Today we're talking about fifteen games that actually get kids talking, laughing, and participating - from shoe pile races to human rock paper scissors to wrapping each other in toilet paper like tiny mummies. Plus the one truth about shy kids that changed everything.If you're tired of awkward silence and ready to try games that work even with the kid hiding under the table, this one's for you. Fair warning: you'll need backup toilet paper. Lots of it.For Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, and anyone who's discovered that "sharing circles" are basically torture for eight-year-olds.Check out KidsMinistry.Blog for more ideas, tips, and resources to help your Children's Ministry thrive!

Ethan called me out in front of everyone. "Didn't we do pirates when I was little?" Yes, Ethan. We did pirates when you were in kindergarten. And first grade. And apparently now in fourth grade because I panic-ordered the same theme again.Never ordering VBS curriculum in March again. Ever.Today we're talking about five fresh VBS themes that won't make you want to fake sick during registration week - from medieval knights with real armor pieces to a completely free circus theme that actually doesn't suck. Plus the one that tackles those impossible questions kids ask during craft time.If you're tired of recycling the same themes and ready to give your kids something they'll actually remember (for good reasons), this one's for you. Fair warning: there will still be glitter everywhere.For VBS coordinators, children's ministry leaders, and anyone who's realized "because we have the decorations in storage" isn't a good enough reason to repeat a theme.Check out KidsMinistry.Blog for more ideas, tips, and resources to help your Children's Ministry thrive!

I almost lost my best volunteer because I forgot to say thank you. She'd been showing up for three years straight, dealing with glue explosions and second-grade chaos, and I was too busy recruiting new people to notice she was burning out.Turns out "World's Best Volunteer" mugs don't actually make people feel appreciated. Who knew?Today we're talking about six ways to show volunteers you actually see them - from recording random thank-you videos in your car to throwing real parties (not meetings in disguise). Plus the one thing that made my almost-quitting volunteer stick around and eventually take over our whole preschool department.If you've got amazing volunteers who deserve better than generic appreciation dinners, this one's for you. Fair warning: you might need to buy actual stamps.For children's ministry leaders, volunteer coordinators, and anyone who's realized their volunteers are basically superheroes in disguise.Check out KidsMinistry.Blog for more ideas, tips, and resources to help your Children's Ministry thrive!

I used to read Bible stories to kids who stared at me like I was reciting the phone book. Then I started getting weird with it. Bedsheets became roads. Legos became vineyards. My car keys became a lesson about the kingdom of God (don't ask).Today we're talking about ten ways to teach Jesus's parables that actually work - the messy, chaotic, sometimes ridiculous stuff that gets kids remembering these stories weeks later. From mystery boxes to sock puppet theater to letting kids draw while you talk.If you're tired of blank stares and ready to try something different in your classroom, this one's for you. Fair warning: you might need more paper towels.For Sunday school teachers, children's ministry volunteers, and anyone who's ever wondered if they're completely making it up as they go.Check out KidsMinistry.Blog for more ideas, tips, and resources to help your Children's Ministry thrive!