Bible Games For Kids - Playing With Purpose
Author: Brad Miller
Let's not play games here or maybe we should! Let me clear this up. The games I like to play are Bible games with a purpose. If someone looks into my classroom during a kids Bible lesson they might think we are just playing around. This is only partly true. We are playing... but this playing has a definite purpose. Kids Bible games are part of the learning process. This process uses Bible games and activities that hit the Bible lesson from different angles and perspectives. Games and activities hit various learning styles too. The cool thing is that kids learn while having fun!
Games Teach That Church Is Fun
Do we really need to teach that? I mean, the church is a place to be quiet. You need to at all times be reverent and look pious. Uh, no... you don't, and especially not in the kids ministry area. I like noisy churches with lots of laughter and learning going on. It needs to be alive and on fire with the living, breathing, powerful word of God. I've seen a lot of churches over the years and this is one thing I don't compromise on. Kids Bible lessons should be exciting, captivating, encouraging and here is that word again...fun! They need to be full of Bible games, joy and laughter! Kids learn through play with a purpose. Bible games teach that even though you are in church, you can have fun too.
Lesson Review
I use Bible games for kids to reinforce what was taught in the Bible story. Here are some ideas that have been kid tested and found fun and effective:
* Play a card matching game similar to concentration using images from your Bible lesson. Make two cards of each image and turn the cards so the image can't be seen. Kids try to make matches from the cards. For instance a Bible lesson on creation would have images of trees, animals, fruit, etc. Yeah this isn't new but kids really like it. A simple game like this works even for the youngest kids so it is perfect for multiage groups.
* Turn over the letter card. Kids take turns guessing and turning over the letters to reveal the name of a character in the Bible story, a main point or the Bible memory verse. The idea is to guess the proper letters to reveal the word. This is an example of another tried and true Bible game that works great.
* Use a deck of cards with questions to quiz the kids on the Bible lesson. Take it up a notch and display the questions using PowerPoint. Play as teams or as a large group. My experience is that kids pay attention for a longer period of time when they know the information will be used in a Bible game for review.
Kids Apply the Lesson
Application is one of the most important benefits of Bible games for kids. Take some creativity liberty, explore the kids Bible lesson and choose an important aspect of it to apply. Let's say your Bible story is about being filled with God's love, compassion or the fruit of the Spirit. Make a masking tape heart on the floor. Kids roll marbles or pitch paper wads into the heart to fill it up.
I did a lesson on water baptism. I put toy figures on a plastic plate and floated the plate in a pan of water. The kids pitched coins into the plate to immerse or baptize the figures. They still talk about this one and ask to play it again. I found out later that some kids had anxieties about being immersed in baptism. This simple, fun Bible game eased their anxiety about baptism. Bible games for kids are playing with purpose. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you create games that apply the kids Bible lesson.
Fun for the Fun of It
Kids are being forced to grow up fast, sometimes too fast. 4th and 5th graders are like 7th and 8th graders a few years ago. Often kids are pressured to act older and be cool. Kids need a time to relax, have fun and act like kids! Yeah, I believe in Bible games for kids and playing with purpose. But, I also believe that just allowing kids to be kids serves an important purpose too!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/childhood-education-articles/bible-games-for-kids-playing-with-purpose-2119952.html
About the Author
Hi - My name is Brad Miller. My passion is to create fun and effective resources for anyone who ministers to kids. I create, write and publish kids Bible lessons under the title of Kickrickulum Fun Bible Lessons for Kids. For more creative tips, teacher resources and free sample Bible lessons, visit our site and sign up for our newsletter!
Your Story Hour is is now on the radio in South Africa. Building great kids - one story at a time.
Friday, 16 March 2012
Monday, 12 March 2012
Coloring and listening to Your Story Hour stories
Christian Coloring Pages For Kids
Author: Jonathan Hostetler
Looking for a way to keep your child occupied while teaching them the Word of God at the same time? Christian coloring pages for kids are a great tool you can use to do just that. As your children color pictures of Bible stories or characters, it will help reinforce their knowledge of the Bible and of God.
Probably the easiest way to get ahold of pages for your kids to color is to print them out from websites online. There are plenty of sites that offer free downloadable coloring pages. Just search for "Christian coloring pages" or "Biblical coloring pages" in your favorite search engine, and you'll find a bunch of results.
There are so many different pictures available that you may have better success using specific terms like "Jesus healing the blind man coloring page" or "Tower of Babel coloring page," as examples. This is a great idea if you're looking for a coloring page to compliment your evening devotions or a Sunday School lesson at church. In those situations, you can let your children color in a picture that represents the Bible story you are teaching them. After they are done coloring, they can tape their picture in their bedroom, which will help them remember that particular Bible story.
Alternatively, you could use coloring pages as a reward that you give to your child when he or she does something good, like says thank you, gives a compliment, or helps out before being asked. Not only does it reward them by giving them an activity they will enjoy doing, but it also demonstrates to them that it's good to do things that please the Lord.
Websites aren't the only place you can get coloring pages. You can also find Biblical coloring pages and activity books at your local Christian bookstore or at some arts and crafts stores. Giving your child a coloring book of Bible stories is great, because it allows them to see the sequence of events.
Local Christian bookstores usually also have individual pages or reproducible coloring books from which you can make copies so that more than one child can color in the same story picture. This is particularly useful if you want to give your Sunday School students something to color while you are teaching the lesson.
Give it a try! Print out a few Christian coloring pages for your kids and see how they respond. It's a great way to keep them thinking about the things of the Lord.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/christian-coloring-pages-for-kids-5340539.html
About the Author
To discover fun and exciting ways you can experience the Bible, visit How-to-Experience-the-Bible.com, where you will also find out how Biblical coloring pages can help your children enjoy learning God's Word.
Author: Jonathan Hostetler
Looking for a way to keep your child occupied while teaching them the Word of God at the same time? Christian coloring pages for kids are a great tool you can use to do just that. As your children color pictures of Bible stories or characters, it will help reinforce their knowledge of the Bible and of God.
Probably the easiest way to get ahold of pages for your kids to color is to print them out from websites online. There are plenty of sites that offer free downloadable coloring pages. Just search for "Christian coloring pages" or "Biblical coloring pages" in your favorite search engine, and you'll find a bunch of results.
There are so many different pictures available that you may have better success using specific terms like "Jesus healing the blind man coloring page" or "Tower of Babel coloring page," as examples. This is a great idea if you're looking for a coloring page to compliment your evening devotions or a Sunday School lesson at church. In those situations, you can let your children color in a picture that represents the Bible story you are teaching them. After they are done coloring, they can tape their picture in their bedroom, which will help them remember that particular Bible story.
Alternatively, you could use coloring pages as a reward that you give to your child when he or she does something good, like says thank you, gives a compliment, or helps out before being asked. Not only does it reward them by giving them an activity they will enjoy doing, but it also demonstrates to them that it's good to do things that please the Lord.
Websites aren't the only place you can get coloring pages. You can also find Biblical coloring pages and activity books at your local Christian bookstore or at some arts and crafts stores. Giving your child a coloring book of Bible stories is great, because it allows them to see the sequence of events.
Local Christian bookstores usually also have individual pages or reproducible coloring books from which you can make copies so that more than one child can color in the same story picture. This is particularly useful if you want to give your Sunday School students something to color while you are teaching the lesson.
Give it a try! Print out a few Christian coloring pages for your kids and see how they respond. It's a great way to keep them thinking about the things of the Lord.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/christian-coloring-pages-for-kids-5340539.html
About the Author
To discover fun and exciting ways you can experience the Bible, visit How-to-Experience-the-Bible.com, where you will also find out how Biblical coloring pages can help your children enjoy learning God's Word.
Monday, 5 March 2012
Your Story Hour Bedtime Story makes for easy bedtime routine
Can a bedtime routine anchor the entire day?
Author: Lorin Young
For me, this is the part of the bedtime routine that is tempting to blow off some days in the interest of time. It is also the most important: spending time with you. In our family, this is the part of the day where I like to go over the kids\' reward charts (true confessions: I usually don\'t get to this every night) and we talk about how the day went. This generally helps with sibling relations and reduces sibling fighting, because my kids talk to each other about problems or disagreements after the emotion is behind them. We occasionally do love games and write in our day book.
Author: Lorin Young
The components of a bedtime routine will vary, of course, from family to family, but being consistent is important for everyone in the family. I strive to balance four important things:
cleaning up and getting ready for the next day getting ready for bed reviewing the day transition time with a parent
1. Cleaning up and getting ready for the next day:
Personally I prefer having the kids clean up before dinner because it\'s an easier cleaning up after dinner and toys, with a 'family fifteen' or other clean up game . Whenever you clean up, I do believe that tidying up one\'s personal and common space is an important habit to have (and I'm not just talking about the kids, people!)
Getting ready for the next day could mean setting out clothes for the next day, or at least just deciding what to wear. It also might involve knowing your child\'s school schedule. If it\'s a school night, you might want to make sure kids have what they need for the next day (is it library day? Does he need gym clothes? Does she have all her homework? Where is the backpack anyway?)Personally I prefer having the kids clean up before dinner because it\'s an easier cleaning up after dinner and toys, with a 'family fifteen' or other clean up game . Whenever you clean up, I do believe that tidying up one\'s personal and common space is an important habit to have (and I'm not just talking about the kids, people!)
2. Actually getting ready for bed:
This is the part of the bedtime routine that is probably pretty similar from household to household. This would include at a minimum getting into jammies, brushing teeth, and putting dirty clothes in their hamper or dirty clothes basket/crate.
3. Reviewing the day together:This is the part of the bedtime routine that is probably pretty similar from household to household. This would include at a minimum getting into jammies, brushing teeth, and putting dirty clothes in their hamper or dirty clothes basket/crate.
For me, this is the part of the bedtime routine that is tempting to blow off some days in the interest of time. It is also the most important: spending time with you. In our family, this is the part of the day where I like to go over the kids\' reward charts (true confessions: I usually don\'t get to this every night) and we talk about how the day went. This generally helps with sibling relations and reduces sibling fighting, because my kids talk to each other about problems or disagreements after the emotion is behind them. We occasionally do love games and write in our day book.
4. Time with YOU
If you\'re still awake at this point, it\'s a nice time to have some private time with each child, even if it\'s just a few minutes. This could be reading or just cuddling together and talking. Anything that gives them your undivided attention even for a short time. This is especially crucial with multiple kids.
Give these ideas a try for creating a successful bedtime routine. Like anything else, implementing a routine consistently is the key, but I bet you\'ll start to look forward to this special time with your kids.If you\'re still awake at this point, it\'s a nice time to have some private time with each child, even if it\'s just a few minutes. This could be reading or just cuddling together and talking. Anything that gives them your undivided attention even for a short time. This is especially crucial with multiple kids.
Furthermore, the more efficient your routine is, the sooner you get time for YOURSELF to recharge!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/can-a-bedtime-routine-anchor-the-entire-day-3959210.html
About the Author
Lorin Spangler Young is a Colorado mom with three boys. She and her husband, Rich, share homeschooling and each works outside of the home part time. Convinced that a perfectly clean and tidy house at all times is a myth, they\'ve dedicated their energy to their website, http://www.choresandchecklists.com, which details many strategies to involve kids in household.
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