Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

If you're looking for a simple retelling of the Nativity Story, especially one that's suitable for under 5s, here is a short video for you using a widely available Nativity set.  Have a lovely Christmas everyone!

Celebrate the new life of resurrection with this butterfly craft. You will need: two squares of coloured paper (one smaller than the other), string. Easter Egg Prayers Easter Day colouring sheet Easter Day Play Dough Mats

For anyone who is looking for something to do at home this coming week, here is a playdough mat that ties in with our Mothering Sunday readings. Just click here , print out and laminate for further use in the future!  Think about: What does being safe feel like? Who keeps me safe? Who do I help to feel safe? Have you ever asked God to help you feel safe? Pray: Use the play dough mat to think about people who keep you safe and say thank you to God for them.

This prayer activity would work really well if you are looking at the Armour of God or any story involving God's protection. You will need: oranges or tangerines/ clementines (one for each child plus a couple of spare ones), permanent marker pens, a tall, clear jug or vase. Peel an orange or tangerine and put it into the water. It will sink to the bottom of the jug.  Then put an orange with the peel left on into the water. It will float. The peel is actually like armour, keeping the orange safe from sinking.  Ask children to write or draw on their oranges things that they would like protection from in life- maybe things that scare them. Float the decorated oranges in the water as a celebration of the protection and strength God can give.

I try to buy or make a new nativity scene every year and this year I decided to have go at making some story spoons. These can either be displayed or used to retell the story and are a good size to be held by little hands! You will need: 10 wooden spoons (you can buy some quite cheaply for crafts) , a copy of the print out, colouring pens and pencils, scissors, glue or sellotape. Print out the story spoons sheet and get children to colour in the character pictures. Cut the pictures out and glue or tape each of them to the back of a wooden spoon. I used sellotape so that I can remove the pictures easily and make a different story. Tell the story using the spoons as props!

Last week was a busy but amazing week! I spent most of it in our local primary school in the prayer space we had created with some inspiration from Prayer Spaces in Schools . We were given a classroom for a week and turned it from this... To this... Each class spent at least one session in the room and lunchtimes, when children could make their own way there, were very busy! We had some amazing conversations about life, death, families, worries and everything in between. Here are some of the things we got up to... Unfolding Hopes and Dreams Water Prayers Play dough thank you prayers Whiteboard worry prayers Bringing light: How can I help to make the world a better place? Saying sorry sand prayers- drawing things to say sorry for in the sand and then smoothing it over as a sign of God's forgiveness Cardboard box prayers for people who have no homes Pipe cleaner people thank you prayers ...

We have a beach in the parish which is always full of dog walkers, so this Sunday we did 'Blessings on the Beach,' giving out printed blessings to humans but also dog blessing bags for the dogs! The blessing bag consisted of a dog treat and a prayer to bless the relationship between the dog and the human.  We blessed about 30 dogs and numerous humans. People really seemed to love it and animals were a great way into faith conversations!  The prayer could easily be used for any pet, though, and it struck me that it might be a really meaningful activity for children to get involved in- either for their own pets or pets that they know in other homes.  After all, if God made all creatures and saw that they were good, then God must want good things for them! Thank you God for everything you have created. Bless this pet and the relationship it shares with those who love it. May that love continue to grow. Amen. You will need: Print outs of the prayer, small bags, dog tre...

This is fun way of praying and symbolically giving prayers to God. Plus it produces a piece of artwork as a byproduct!  You will need: a roasting tin or large tray, elastic bands, paint, water, paintbrushes, paper Stretch the elastic bands around the width of the roasting tin (5 or 6 elastic bands is a good number) and spread them out evenly. Put a piece of paper into the base of the tin. Water down some paint and use a brush to dab some on to one of the elastic bands.  Pray:  Think about the things you want to say to God. It might be something you want to ask for, something you want to say thank you for or something you want to say sorry for.  Tell God about them out loud or in your head. For each prayer, flick the elastic band with your fingers and the paint will fly off and splatter on the paper.  Use the flicking as a symbol of giving your prayers to God. Repeat with different colours for different pra...