PODCAST

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast

KidsMinistry.Blog

Hello 👋, we share ideas, tips, and resources to help your Children"s Ministry thrive!

religion & spirituality christianity

All Episodes

6:20

Beyond Story Time: Engaging Kids with Interactive...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/27

So Emma asks if we can act out David and Goliath instead of me just standing there talking again.I'm like why haven't I been doing this already? Standing there for three years telling stories while kids sit there looking bored out of their minds.Started letting kids actually be the characters instead of just hearing about them. Game changer. Noah's ark story suddenly kids are making animal noises and moving around instead of just sitting there glazed over.David and Goliath one kid gets be

8:03

From Chaos to Compassion Organizing Impactful Service...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/25

Pastor says kids need learn about serving others. Let's plan service project.I'm nodding thinking sure sounds good until he looks at me like I'm supposed to figure out how to make this happen without everyone getting hurt or traumatized.Kids who can't sit still for story time now supposed to do meaningful community service? This seems like recipe for disaster but also know they need actually do something instead of just talking about being nice.Thought kids could help at soup kitchen like

6:17

Beyond Barking: Orders How to Ignite Volunteer...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/23

Looking at our volunteer group text and it's literally just me barking orders at people."VBS meeting Tuesday." "Someone grab construction paper." "Who's covering for Jessica?"Like I'm their boss or something. No wonder nobody responds anymore. Sarah hasn't said anything in weeks. Tom just does thumbs up when absolutely has to. Mike left the chat entirely which made me feel like garbage but also wake up.We only talk to these people when we want something. That's messed up when I think about

6:29

Beyond Pinterest Perfection Embracing Messy Learning...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/21

Marcus threw his rainbow at my face yesterday told me God sucks.Standing there with paint dripping off my glasses thinking what am I even doing with my life. Kid's seven his rainbow looks like someone barfed crayons but honestly most second grader art looks like that anyway.We're learning about Noah's covenant through rainbow crafts cause apparently that makes sense to someone. Instead got kid having existential crisis over tempera paint while I question every choice that led here.Pinterest

5:58

Revolutionizing Kids' Prayer Engaging Hearts Through...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/19

Watching kids during prayer time Sunday and half are fidgeting quarter staring at ceiling rest planning escape routes.Traditional "bow your heads close your eyes" isn't working. They're not being disrespectful they're just kids. They learn differently move differently connect with God differently than adults.Started experimenting with prayer that actually engages them instead of making them sit still be quiet. Some ideas amazing others complete disasters but learned kids love praying when

8:04

From Chaos to Community Mastering the Art of a...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/17

So September's here and I'm already getting that stomach twist about Halloween planning. Why do I keep agreeing to this?Writing this down cause maybe if I admit how badly last year went I won't repeat same mistakes. Rain turned everything into mud wrestling match. Half my volunteers just didn't show up. Like where do people go? Do they fall into alternate dimension on event day?Ran out of candy by six-thirty which apparently makes me worst person alive according to parents whose kids didn't

6:09

Frankenstein Spreadsheets to Flexible Solutions:...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/15

So apparently I'm the kind of person who creates seventeen-tab spreadsheets for church volunteers then can't figure out how to use them.Janet texted asking why she's in nursery and leading children's church simultaneously. Um because my system thinks she has superpowers I guess?Remember when this was just names on paper? Good times.Tried that signup website thing. Spent forever setting it up. Five people used it. Everyone else acted like I sent them instructions in ancient Greek.Group text

5:34

Beyond the Banana Costume: Finding True Connection...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/13

Kitchen floor. 4:23 AM. Cereal and curriculum emails. Found another one promising to "Transform Your Ministry in 30 Days!" Opened it like an idiot. Countdown timer and everything.Marcus asked today if we could just tell more stories like last week when I forgot to prep. Sat in circle told David and Goliath with sound effects. Kids more engaged than anything I've done all month.But my brain goes "what if I had CURRICULUM with actual slingshots and elaborate Philistine costumes?" Insane

5:59

Chaos Control Taming Large Groups and Making Fun Scale

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/11

Wednesday night still recovering from whatever that was. Sixty-seven kids. Thought I could handle it. Wrong.Sardines worked last month with smaller group so figured why not try with everyone. Kids disappeared into building. Found three hiding in supply closet twenty minutes later. Two forgot we were playing game. One was crying.Human bingo became screaming match. Everyone yelling about pets and birthdays at same time. My ears are still ringing. Had to give up cause couldn't think

6:21

Innovative Christmas Pageant Ideas for Kids' Ministry

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/09

Staring at November calendar having panic attack. Christmas pageant six weeks away and got nothing except same Mary Joseph donkey thing we been doing forever.Sarah mentions kids asking why we always do exact same boring show every year. Great question. Because I'm terrified of changing anything and having someone's grandmother stroke out over messing with tradition.But watching kids zone out during most important story we tell all year is getting old. There's gotta be something better that

6:25

Beyond Boredom: Unlocking Teen Potential Through...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/07

Emma's mom basically cornered me after church. Emma wants to volunteer with kids.Emma. Who can barely make eye contact with adults. Who treats church like forced labor.But I keep thinking about last week seeing her on the floor with those little kids totally absorbed in whatever they were doing. Not the same person who acts miserable in youth group.Maybe I've been wrong about teenagers this whole time. Never asked any of them to help cause figured they'd rather sleep in or do literally

6:03

Good Enough Is Better: Unpacking Simple, Engaging...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/05

Target checkout line. Mom behind me sees craft supplies goes "Oh you must be a teacher that must be so fun planning creative activities every week!"Fun. Right.Wanted to tell her most weeks I'm googling "easy kids activities" at 11 PM Saturday cause forgot to plan anything till husband asks what I'm teaching tomorrow.This idea that kids ministry people naturally overflow with creative ideas is complete myth. Most of us just trying to survive Sunday morning with something keeps kids engaged

6:06

Summer Outreach: Serving Community and Building...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/04

Pastor wants community outreach. Walks away. Budget's dead. How do you help people without being weird church recruiters?Panicked for weeks. Then learned popsicles solve basically everything.Set up stand at park. Marcus who never talks became popsicle distributor extraordinaire. Kids nicknamed him popsicle man. Parents started asking about church times cause we helped without strings.Movie night bombed when forgot parks don't have outlets. Tom saved us with garage generator. Projected on

5:13

Rethinking Missions - From Charity to Global Family

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/03

Can't sleep. Keep thinking about Sunday disaster and whether should quit before damaging more kids.Sarah texted asking about missions month. Almost threw phone cause how do I explain accidentally taught her daughter missionaries save poor brown people who don't know better.Set up continent stations like Risk board game. Africa with playdoh huts cause apparently I'm that clueless. Asia with chopsticks cause why not hit every stereotype. South America where butchered Spanish song from

6:41

Engaging Scripture Memory Games for Kids

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/02

Emma's staring at ceiling during memory time. "This is so boring. Why can't we just read it off poster?"Ouch. But she was right. Standing there making kids repeat "Be kind to one another" twenty times IS boring.That night thinking about how I learned verses as kid. Can't remember formal memory work at all. But still sing ones from games that were actually fun.Started looking for ways that don't involve mind-numbing repetition. Found cool stuff. Tried it. Kids went from dreading memory time

7:02

Addressing Volunteer Burnout: Lessons from Sarah's Story

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/08/31

Sarah's been weird lately. Not dramatic weird just... off.Used to text back immediately. Now takes hours. Used to hang around after service. Now disappears before I can catch her.Finally cornered her in parking lot yesterday. Asked if she's okay.She completely lost it. Started sobbing between the cars. "I can't do this anymore but don't know how to stop."Turns out Sarah wasn't avoiding me. She was drowning and I was too oblivious to notice.Tonight we're talking about burnout warning signs I

5:50

Handling Tough Questions in the Classroom

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/08/30

It's 2:47 AM. Eating dry Lucky Charms on kitchen floor because I completely self-destructed in front of kids who trust me to know God stuff.Teaching Cain and Abel. Simple story. Done it thirty times. Can't mess this up right?Aiden's hand shoots up. "If Adam and Eve only had two boys and Cain killed Abel where did Cain find wife? Did he marry his sister?"My brain blue-screened. Fifteen little faces staring. I panic."Well actually God made lots of other people but kept them hidden as surprise

6:52

Crafts for Lasting Lesson Reminders

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/08/29

Cleaning supply closet. Found fifteen foam crosses from some craft months ago. Just sitting there collecting dust.Made me think about all the crafts kids took home and probably trashed within two days. Maybe hit the fridge for week before disappearing.Such waste. Time money effort for stuff that doesn't stick around long enough to remind kids of anything.Started making crafts they'll actually use instead of just cute stuff that keeps them busy twenty minutes.Tonight we're talking about

6:22

The Peril and Promise of Parent-Child Retreats

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/08/28

Bob says we should do parent-child retreat. I'm like what are you smoking?You want me babysit entire families in woods where they can't escape when kids lose their minds at midnight? I barely survive Sunday mornings when parents dump kids and run.Pastor gets sad eyes. Committee starts planning. Great. No sleep for six months.Tonight we're talking about retreat disasters. How fancy places cost mortgage payments. Why weather hates church events. What happens when you trap families together

6:25

The Accidental Meeting: Pizza, People, and Purpose

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/08/27

Called volunteer meeting Thursday night. Had grand plans for team building and vision casting.Seven people showed up. Seven. Out of twenty-three.Linda fell asleep during my third slide about quarterly objectives. Tom left for soccer pickup. Everyone else stared at phones while I droned on about strategic initiatives.Then pizza arrived. Everything changed.We're talking about why formal agendas kill enthusiasm. How PowerPoint presentations make volunteers want to escape. What happens when you

92 results

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Jeff Haygood, Pastor

PodPoint

PASTOR ALVARO VALENCIA

Pastor Alvaro Valencia

Grace Life Church CT.

PodPoint

Pleasant View Church

Ted Nance

Christian Heritage Church"s Podcast

PodPoint