Kids' light thrives between twin pillars of trust and faith in God.
Finding Christian kid activities challenges parents and youth leaders confronted daily with conflicting societal values. Defending kids' minds against the onslaught of negativity streaming from various media creates a constant state of battle readiness. Quality faith-based activities that teach Christian values relieve the stress of this daunting task. When choosing kid activities, you should consider the kids' ages, abilities, personalities and mutual interests, schedules, available space and weather.
Music
Don't say it, sing it. Music sparks memory and helps kids remember the message more easily. DLTK's treasury of Bible activities offers enjoyable songs for young kids. Alternatively, choose from the praise, worship and Sunday School songs at Calvary Kids.
Games and Sports
Games and sports engage the boundless energy of youth and peak interest by teaching through play. Youth leader Tim Ferguson, author of "Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting" provides some game choices to jazz up youth group meetings. The game databases at Kids Sunday School Place and YouthPastor deliver a wealth of ideas to entertain kids of any age.
Reading
Read aloud, read alone--just READ. Books are an excellent way to expose kids to the values you want them to internalize. Visit your local library or Christian bookstore for a broad selection of titles that teach Christian values.
Arts and Crafts
Hand-made crafts, no matter how messy, serve as conversation starters to encourage kids to share Bible lessons as well as being a tangible take-home reminder of what they learned. DLTK Bible is a treasury of printable crafts and much more. For additional ideas, try Applesauce Kids.
Kitchen Fun
Cooking with kids opens the door to talking about health, nutrition and the care of the temple of our body. Some of the recipes work well as object lessons as well. Try some of the Bible recipes at DLTK Bible.
Family Outings
Doing things together promotes family health and togetherness. Family outings include community service projects that teach caring, compassion and civic responsibility. Check with local churches and missions groups, environmental organizations, food banks, park services or ranger districts for volunteer opportunities. Camping, hiking and star parties teach kids about God's creation and man's role as caretaker. Visits to art, science and children's museums, attending theater productions, musical concerts and movies, birthday and holiday parties, and eating out at a restaurant allow kids to develop attention skills, respect, courtesy and good manners. Picnics and playtime in the park, going to a fair or farmer's market, bowling, laser tag, paintball, roller or ice-skating, amusement parks and swimming provide additional entertainment.
Bible Study and Prayer
Patrick J. Peyton popularized the slogan, "The family that prays together stays together." Taking time to pray and study the Word with kids effectively hides God's word in their hearts and obeys the biblical command in Proverbs 2:6 to "train up a child in the way he should go." Calvary Kids and Heaven's Inspirations have dozens of kids' devotionals from which to choose. Your local Christian bookstore can recommend other quality books for Bible study with kids.
Tags: that teach, with kids, Calvary Kids, Christian bookstore, Christian values, DLTK Bible
