Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

Here is a reflective colouring sheet for Easter day.  I'm posting it a few days early so I apologise to those who are still burying the Alleluias!  Click here to print off the sheet. Happy Easter when it arrives!

This is a really exciting way to talk about the power of the Holy Spirit! You will need: wax crayons (wrappers off works best) strong glue (eg. from a glue gun or superglue), a canvas (this really doesn't work on paper!), a protective sheet, a hairdryer. We did this outside with an extension cable for the hairdryer because there is a certain amount of splatter! Glue the crayons to the top of the canvas and let the glue set firm. Set the hairdryer to the highest level and start blowing it across the bottom ends of the crayons.  It takes a while but they eventually start to melt.  Set the dryer down a heat notch and continue to melt the crayons.  Watch as the colour is released!  We did this with children aged 5-9 and, as long as there was adult supervision they were brilliant at taking turns with the hairdryer and had loads of suggestions about where to aim it to make certain colours run in different directions. When you have finished, th...

Playing a game is a great way to help children to familiarise themselves with the different parts of the Easter Story.  Here are some cards to print out to help you with that very purpose! There are 8 cards, all showing a different part of the story: Entry into Jerusalem, The Last Supper and washing of feet, Gethsemane, Pilate, crucifixion, tomb and resurrection.  Use all or some of them depending on the elements you are exploring.  Tell the story and speak about the pictures, then play a game to help reinforce the key happenings.  Click here to print out the sheet. There are loads of ways you could use the cards...  Pass the parcel with a different card in each layer Hidden around the room Print out a set of cards per child.  Use 6 of the cards (perhaps leave out foot-washing and Pilate) and number them 1-6 in order of happening.  Children throw a die until they get a 1 and can collect the first picture.  After they have the first ...

This prayer activity is suitable for groups of children or even a whole congregation as long as you have enough bricks!  Have an adult or child to lead the prayers for each group, however big... You will need: One Lego or Duplo brick per person Hold your brick. Pray for yourself.  Thank God for the things he has given you.  Ask Him to bless you and to help you to bless others. Count the bumps on your brick. For each bump on your brick, pray for a different person- freinds or family members.  Ask God to bless them this week. Find someone who has a different colour brick to you. Thank God for making each person special.  Thank him for the thingsthat are different but special about other people.  Pray that we will learn how to celebrate and understand people who are different to us. Find someone with the same number of bumps on thier brick as you. Thank God for families and friends and all who care for us.  Pray that He will help us to b...

I'm doing a storytelling workshop at the weekend and will be using the story of Daniel in the Lions' den.  I wanted to produce a set of cards that would tell the story in an easy way, without too many words and this is what I came up with.  Please feel free to print off, cut out and use!  Click here to download the sheet. I think I'm going to use them in a pass-the-parcel. The story will be revealed layer by layer until the final card is found in the centre of the parcel with some sweets so that everyone can celebrate how great God is! Click to see pass-the-parcel versions of the Easter and Nativity stories.