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

6:52

Beyond Filling Slots Prioritizing People for...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/11/02

Sarah comes up after service looking stressed goes "I can't do VBS this year. I know you're counting on me but my mom's having surgery and I just can't commit to anything else right now."My first thought? Oh no. Sarah's one of my best volunteers. She knows all the kids. She's reliable. How am I gonna replace her for VBS?My second thought? Sarah looks like she's about to cry and here I am thinking about my volunteer schedule instead of caring about what she's going through.That's when hit

6:13

How to Measure Event Success: Beyond Counting Heads...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/31

Used to think event success was simple. Count how many people showed up subtract number of major disasters and if more good things happened than bad things call it a win.Turns out measuring success is way more complicated than that.Last spring had family movie night that looked like complete failure on paper. Projector died fifteen minutes in half the popcorn got burned and it started raining so hard we couldn't hear backup audio we switched to.But three months later kids were still talking

6:29

My Favorite Volunteer Appreciation Events

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/30

Sitting in planning meeting and somebody goes "Let's do fancy dinner at that nice Italian place for volunteer appreciation!"Everyone nodding like this is genius idea but I'm thinking about my actual volunteers. Jessica's got three kids under ten and works full time. Tom hates dressing up for anything. Sarah's been so overwhelmed lately she can barely remember eat lunch.Fancy dinner sounds great in theory but honestly? Most my volunteers would probably see it as one more thing they gotta

5:29

5 Bible Story Dramas Kids Will Love

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/28

Emma raises her hand middle of my Daniel lion's den story goes "Can we BE the lions instead of just sitting here?"About to say no like always because dramas are chaos and take forever and someone ends up crying.But then look around and these kids literally falling asleep. Marcus making airplane noises with his pencil. Tyler staring at ceiling like there's movie playing up there.You know what? Fine. Let's try it."Okay Emma you can be lion. Who else wants to be lions?"Every single hand shoots

7:32

Effective Promotion Strategies for Events: Or How I...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/26

Sitting here looking at pile of leftover flyers from Halloween event. Spent probably two hours making them perfect. Nice colors cute fonts all the details lined up just right.Used maybe ten of them.Rest are going in recycling bin with all my other beautiful unused promotional materials from past three years. Whole graveyard of perfectly designed flyers in my desk drawer.But our Halloween party was packed. Go figure.Last month I'm rushing through weekly email Sunday morning not really paying

6:53

Mastering the "No": How to Gracefully Redirect...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/24

Tom corners me after service bouncing on his feet like kid on Christmas morning. "Got amazing idea for VBS! Full theatrical production costumes sets choreography the whole thing! Been planning for weeks!"Heart sinking through floor because his idea is actually creative and look at his face he's so excited and I have to somehow explain we have three hundred dollars twelve burnt out volunteers and two weeks.Standing there frozen trying figure out how to not destroy this man's soul.Used to

6:01

Activities That Teach About Missions

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/22

Missions week comes around and I'm scrambling trying figure out how teach kids about missions without just lecturing them about far away places they've never heard of.Last year was disaster. Found worksheets online about different countries. Kids colored flags learned couple facts. Emma asked why people in Africa don't just buy food at grocery store like we do. Tommy wanted know if missionaries have WiFi.Realized they had zero clue what missions actually means or why anyone would leave home

6:08

From Chaos to "Frozen Finale": What a Kids' Ministry...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/20

Sitting in church parking lot 11 PM Thursday picking dried glue stick residue off my jeans wondering what possessed me to think organizing kids ministry talent show was good idea.Three months ago seemed so simple. Kids love performing right? Parents love watching their kids perform. How hard could it be?Really hard turns out. Like "questioning life choices while scraping glitter off sanctuary pews" hard.Started when Marcus stood up during prayer time and started belting "This Little Light

7:15

From Chaos to Confidence: The Power of Proactive...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/18

Jessica texts me 10:30 PM night before VBS "umm what am I supposed to do tomorrow exactly? I know crafts but how many kids? What supplies? WHERE IS EVERYTHING???"Staring at phone in dark thinking oh crap.Spent three weeks planning every detail but somehow never told anyone what they're actually supposed to DO with my brilliant plans.Monday morning hits like slow motion disaster. Sarah asking where craft supplies are. Tom has no clue which kids belong to him. Mike wandering around trying to

5:43

From Magic Words to Real Talk Simplifying...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/16

Sitting in church parking lot at 4 AM because apparently needed to return to scene of crime to process how badly I screwed up teaching prayer today.Was supposed to be simple lesson. Prayer equals talking to God. Basic stuff seven-year-olds should understand without needing theology degree.Somehow turned it into complicated formula with magic phrases and special rules God apparently requires or He ignores you completely.Started okay explaining prayer like talking to best friend. Then

5:56

Beyond Be Nice Practical Strategies for True...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/14

New kid showed up last week stood by door looking terrified while my regular kids completely ignored him. Felt horrible watching him stand there invisible while everyone played like he didn't exist.Tried saying "everyone include Jake" but made it worse. Kids hate being told to be nice.Name games are torture for new kids. Standing in spotlight trying remember fifteen names while everyone stares sounds like hell. Do thing now where everyone says name plus something they like. "I'm Sarah I

7:28

Event Planning Elevated Digital Tools to Transform...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/12

Sitting in office after another VBS disaster trying figure out where everything went wrong and Tom walks in goes "You know there's actual tools that help with this stuff right?"I'm like what tools? Got my notebook covered in coffee stains and post-it notes that fall off when I need them."Digital stuff. Apps. Software. Things that don't require nervous breakdown every time you plan event."Turns out I've been planning like it's 1995 while rest of world moved on to things that work and don't

5:43

Feedback That Transforms: Turning Tricky...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/10

Feedback That Transforms: Turning Tricky Conversations into Growth (and Keeping Volunteers)Tom's yelling at kids during craft time and I'm sitting here pretending it's not happening.Emma spills glue he goes "Emma come on be more careful!" in sharp voice and she starts crying. Other kids freeze up like oh crap Tom's mad. Parents looking at me like are you gonna do something?I'm standing there thinking I should say something but what if Tom gets offended? What if he quits? What if he thinks

5:14

The Perils of "Relatable": When Modernizing Ancient...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/08

Basement storage room 2:43 AM eating stale birthday cake with plastic spoon cause apparently when you teach kids Jesus was basically doing content creation your brain demands carbs and dark spaces.Thought I'd be brilliant making Bible lessons "relatable" explaining Jesus was ultimate influencer who went viral with His message. Now Connor asking his mom if Jesus had YouTube channel and why we can't subscribe for daily blessing notifications.How do you explain to parent you accidentally

7:02

Gamify Your Learning: How to Make Dry Subjects...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/06

My kids hate Bible time. Really hate it. Emma asked if we could skip it do math homework instead. When kid prefers math over Bible stories you know you're doing something wrong.Started trying games. Some work most don't.Acting out stories kids love even when terrible at it. Jacob being Noah spent ten minutes making animal noises forgot actual story. Emma's David and Goliath involved lying on floor five minutes pretending dead. "That's what happens when you get hit with rock." Fair point

6:25

Beyond the Screen: Mastering Church Family Movie...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/04

Committee meeting someone suggests family movie night. "Families love watching movies together!" I'm thinking sure sounds simple. Show movie people watch. How hard could it be?Way harder than pressing play and hoping for best. Choosing movie that doesn't offend anyone while still entertaining basically impossible. Plus equipment and making sure little kids don't have nightmares teenagers don't die of boredom.First attempt complete disaster. Picked movie thought was safe. Parents said too

6:19

Beyond Thank You Cards: Rethinking Volunteer...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/10/02

Hallmark aisle yesterday. Twenty minutes picking thank you cards. Twenty minutes for cards cause I've been avoiding this for weeks.Janet mentioned she hit ten years in nursery last month. Just casually while cleaning up. "Ten years this month." Like nothing.Ten years and I'm just finding out cause she happened to mention it. Someone gives decade to your ministry and you miss it completely. That's messed up right?Tried certificates last year. Made them stand up during announcements while I

8:29

Christmas Lessons for Kids: Joy, Chaos, and Wonder

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/30

Let me try a completely different angle - maybe focusing on the desperation and confusion rather than the activities themselves:Christmas Lessons for Kids: Joy, Chaos, and WonderThat mom at Target asking how to make her kid care about Jesus instead of Christmas presents and I'm standing there with overpriced fake snow thinking I have no clue lady.December hits and I panic every year. Kids lose their minds over presents. Parents expect meaningful lessons about incarnation. I'm supposed to

6:47

Beyond Kids' Ministry: Finding Your Go-To Online...

The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast ·

2025/09/29

Saturday night 11:47 PM frantically googling "Bible lesson plans for kindergarteners" cause completely forgot to prep anything for tomorrow morning.This is my life apparently. Professional children's ministry leader who can't remember to plan lessons until last possible minute.Been scrolling random websites for two hours trying find something that doesn't require craft supplies I don't have or activities ending in chaos. Half these sites look like designed in 1997 other half want monthly

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

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