The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast

About The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast

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

Publisher

KidsMinistry.Blog

Category

education · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Jun 2025

Latest episode

23 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

104 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Mar 2026

   Teaching Sin and Forgiveness to Children

   Tried explaining sin to five year old once. Used word "transgression." They stared at me like was speaking different language. Because was. Sin. Transgression. Iniquity. Repentance. Redemption. Kids don't know what those mean. Using them doesn't make sound smart. Makes sound confusing. Say "wrong choices" instead sin. Say "saying sorry and changing" instead repentance. Say "being forgiven" instead redemption. Same concepts. Language they actually understand. Had kid ask what sin means. Told him when we do things that hurt others or make God sad. He got it immediately. Different kid asked what iniquity means. Had no idea how explain that one. Stuck with "sin" after that. Don't talk about abstract sin concepts. Talk about hitting siblings. Taking toys that aren't theirs. Lying to parents. Being mean to friends. Those are things kids actually do and feel bad about. "Ever take something that wasn't yours? That's sin. It hurts person you took from. Makes God sad." Kid nodded. He'd definitely taken things before. Connection made immediately. Abstract theological concepts? Lost them. Their own behavior? Get it. Spill something on purpose. Juice water glitter if feeling brave. Make mess then try clean up. Show how hard it is get everything completely clean. Some stain left behind. Some glitter never coming out. That's sin. Makes mess. We can try clean up ourselves but can't get it perfect. Need Jesus help make us completely clean. Kids watch you spill juice watch you try cleaning see stain left. Makes it visual. Concrete. Something can see and understand. Had kid volunteer make mess. Dumped entire bottle juice on floor. That was more mess than needed but proved point. Show broken toy. Ask if ever broke something on purpose or accident. Talk about how when break something need fix it. Say sorry make it right if can. Some things can't be fixed completely. That's where Jesus comes in. He fixes what we can't fix ourselves. Kids get broken things. They've broken stuff. Makes sense to them. Give kids red paper hearts. Represent hearts with sin. Talk about wrong choices make. Then talk about Jesus forgiveness. Trade red hearts for white hearts. White represents being clean and forgiven. Visual representation. Kids can hold in hands. See the change. Had kid ask why can't just wash red heart to make white. Good question. Explained can't clean our own hearts. Need Jesus do it. Some people teach about sin by making God sound angry scary. Waiting punish you for messing up. That's not gospel. That's fear. God is sad when we sin. Not because He's mean. Because loves us and sin hurts us and others. Frame as love not anger. Kids respond better. Also more accurate. Role play apologizing. One kid pretends do something wrong. Other kid responds. Practice what real apology sounds like. "I'm sorry I hit you. That was wrong. Will you forgive me?" Not "Sorry you got upset" or "Sorry but you made me do it." Kids need practice this. Doesn't come naturally. Had two kids role play. One kid apologized. Other kid said "I don't forgive you." Had explain forgiveness doesn't mean other person has forgive us. But we still need apologize and mean it. Complicated but important. Forgiveness doesn't always mean no consequences. Break someone's toy? Forgiven. Still might need replace it. Jesus forgives us. Doesn't mean everything goes back how was before. Sometimes have live with consequences of choices. Had kid ask if God forgives does mom still ground you. Yes. Forgiveness from God different than consequences from parents. Both can exist. Tell story Zacchaeus. Cheated people. Felt bad. Paid them back. Jesus forgave him. Kids get that. Did something wrong. Made it right. Was forgiven. That's how works. Teaching about sin isn't about making kids feel terrible about themselves. It's about helping understand everyone messes up. Everyone needs forgiveness. That's why Jesus came. Big difference between "you're bad" and "you did something bad." One attacks identity. Other addresses behavior. Let them ask hard questions. "Why Jesus have die? Couldn't God just forgive without that?" "If God forgives everything does mean can do whatever want?" Good questions. Hard questions. Let them ask without shutting down. Had kid ask if Hitler could be forgiven. Whoa. Deep for seven year old. Talked about how Jesus' forgiveness available everyone who asks. Even people did terrible things. That's how big God's love is. Kid seemed satisfied. Was exhausted. Some kids too young understand fully. That's okay. Plant seeds. They'll make more sense later. Kid might not grasp why Jesus had die at age five. But can understand Jesus loves them and wants help make good choices. That's enough for now. Kids need know mess up. Everyone does. That's not the end. Need know there's forgiveness. There's hope. There's fresh start. That's gospel. That's good news. If kids learn this young carry forever. Know they're loved despite mistakes. Know forgiveness available. Know how make things right. Simple message. Life changing impact. For teachers discovering big theological words confuse kids, leaders learning spilled juice teaches better than lectures, anyone trying explain forgiveness to kids who think washing red heart makes it white.

2. 

   19 Mar 2026

   Creating Inclusive Lessons for Kids with Special Needs

   Had kid with autism join our class last month. Completely changed how I teach. In good way actually. Realized most my lessons only worked for kids who could sit still listen follow verbal instructions. That's like maybe half the kids on good day. Standing up front talking while kids sat in circle. Some kids can't do that. Just can't. Had boy with ADHD lasted maybe two minutes sitting before had to move. Kept getting in trouble for interrupting. For fidgeting. For not paying attention. Wasn't his fault. Was mine for expecting all kids learn same way. Girl with sensory issues couldn't handle loud music during worship. Would cover ears rock back and forth. Other kids stared. She felt different. Was excluding kids without meaning to. Just didn't know better. Mom pulled me aside after class. Said her son loved coming but struggled keeping up. Asked if could make some adjustments. Felt terrible. Hadn't even noticed he was struggling because never complained. Just quietly didn't participate in half the activities. Started researching. Talking to parents. Asking special ed teachers for advice. Realized inclusive teaching isn't about special accommodations for some kids. It's about teaching ways that work for all kids. Put up simple picture schedule showing what doing each week. Opening game. Story time. Craft. Snack. Closing. Kid with autism relaxed immediately. Knew what expect. Knew what coming next. But also helped other kids. Everyone likes knowing what's happening. Takes two minutes make schedule. Changes whole atmosphere. Used to just tell Bible story while kids sat listened. Now do story multiple ways same lesson. Tell it. Act it out. Show pictures. Let kids draw while listening. Have props they can touch. Kid with auditory processing issues couldn't follow story just from hearing. But give him pictures and props? Totally got it. Turns out lots of kids learn better with multiple approaches. Not just special needs kids. Every ten minutes or so we move. Stretch. Dance. Do actions. Something physical. Kid with ADHD doesn't get in trouble anymore because movement built into lesson. Expected and planned for. Bible story about David dancing? We all dance. Walls of Jericho falling? We march around room. Makes stories more memorable for everyone. Not just accommodation. Better teaching. Dimmed overhead lights. Too bright for some kids. Gave me headache too honestly. Keep volume reasonable during music. Offer noise canceling headphones for kids who need them. Have fidgets available. Squishy balls. Textured toys. Things kids can hold while listening. Thought fidgets would distract kids. Opposite happened. Kids who need them can focus better. Used to give long complicated explanations for activities. Lost half the class immediately. Now keep instructions simple. Three steps maximum. Show example. Repeat if needed. Kid with intellectual disability can follow three steps. Can't follow seven steps. But honestly most six year olds can't follow seven steps either. Simpler better for everyone. Got rid of everyone sitting in circle on floor rule. Some kids sit in chairs. Some stand. Some lie on stomachs. Some pace in back. Kid with autism stands in back every week. Can focus better when standing. Fine by me. Boy with ADHD paces along back wall during story. Listening whole time. Just needs move while listening. Some kids need more time complete activities. That's okay. Used to rush everyone finish at same time. Meant some kids never finished anything. Felt like failures. Now give time ranges. "We have about ten minutes for this. Some will finish faster. Some will need whole time. Both fine." Nobody stressed. Everyone completes work at own pace. I'm better teacher now. For all kids not just special needs kids. Lessons more engaging. More active. More varied. Less boring sitting and listening. Kids with special needs taught me be flexible. Creative. Patient. Those skills help with every kid. It's more work. Have to think through lessons differently. Prepare multiple options. Stay flexible when plans change. Some weeks nail it. Other weeks still figuring it out. Had kid with severe autism join recently. Completely nonverbal. Honestly don't know if reaching him. He sits in quiet corner most of time. But he keeps coming. Mom says he asks come to church. That's something. Maybe learning in ways can't see. Maybe just being in community is lesson right now. Don't have all answers. Still learning. Still making mistakes. But kids with special needs deserve be included. Deserve learn about Jesus too. Deserve feel like they belong. Worth extra effort figure out how make that happen. For teachers discovering inclusive teaching helps all kids not just some, leaders learning movement isn't disruption it's necessity, anyone realizing rigid lessons exclude more kids than thought.

3. 

   16 Mar 2026

   Teaching kids the Old Testament through emotion

   Kid asked last week why learning about Jonah. "He's dead and that story's fake anyway." Cool. Great way start Sunday morning. Kids don't care about ancient Israel. They care if Maddie still their friend. If allowed on trampoline after church. If mom making good mac and cheese for lunch. Moses parting Red Sea three thousand years ago? Means nothing. Tried Abraham once. Kid asked if he had cell phone. Another asked how charged his car in desert. Can't picture life without WiFi. Old Testament might as well be about aliens. Reading straight from Bible doesn't work. Did Exodus. Read whole thing out loud. Three kids fell asleep. One asked if almost done. We were chapter two. Can't throw ancient language at second graders. Making it history lesson kills it. "In 1446 BC Israelites left Egypt..." Eyes glazed before finished sentence. They're six. Don't know what 1446 BC means. Half can't remember what year is now. Connected David Goliath to being smallest kid in class. "Ever have do something scary and you're only one who has do it?" Every hand shot up. Didn't plan that. Just said it. Suddenly listening. Because they've all been small kid facing something big scary. Different thing. Same feeling. Moses scared talk to Pharaoh. Kids get that. Scared talking principal. Answering questions front of everyone. Joseph's brothers jealous. Kids know jealous. Feel it when sibling gets better toy. Start with their feelings. Show them Bible people felt it too. "Why God tell Abraham kill Isaac?" No idea. Mean know Sunday school answer but honestly really hard story. Told them that. Said it's complicated. We don't understand everything about these stories. Kid seemed okay with that. "Why God kill everyone in flood?" Teaching Noah last month. Kid asked that. Everyone stared. Told them God sad about how mean violent people became. Hard story. Don't fully understand it. But know God loves people. Not great answer. Better than making something up. Let them ask hard questions. Don't pretend have all answers when don't. Acting it out works way better than talking about it. Did David Goliath. Kid playing David kept missing with pretend rock. Threw maybe ten times. Everyone cracking up. Finally "hit" Goliath who fell lay there like dead for full minute. They remembered that. Still bring up weeks later. Built Tower Babel with blocks once. Let them make really tall. Knocked it over. Understood without me explaining anything. Had them make sound effects during plagues. Frog croaking. Flies buzzing. Hail sounds. Was chaos. Also remember all ten plagues now so whatever. Teaching Elijah and fire from heaven. Kid raises hand. "Why doesn't God do that now? Like when we pray for stuff?" Told him don't know. Sometimes God does obvious miracles. Sometimes works quieter ways. But God's still God whether see fire or not. Teaching Joseph. Kid asked why brothers so terrible to him. She has brother annoys her but would never sell her. Told her jealousy makes people do awful things. Joseph's brothers let jealousy grow into hate. Why deal with jealous feelings when small. Their questions better than my lesson plans. Stories where they felt something. Fear. Excitement. Anger at unfairness. Something. When moved around did something active with bodies. When didn't act like their questions bad or wrong. When connected to actual life not just history facts. Forget dates. Names. Specific details. That's okay. Point isn't memorizing facts. Point knowing these people were real. Knew same God we know. Were scared brave made mistakes trusted God anyway. Old Testament feels irrelevant because teach it like it's irrelevant. Treat like old boring stories about people don't matter. Obviously kids tune out. Teach it like about real people with real feelings. People who knew God. Didn't always trust Him. Messed up tried again. Then not just about them. About us. Make it about knowing God not passing Bible quiz. That's how becomes relevant. To kids eating goldfish crackers Sunday morning who'd rather be literally anywhere else. For teachers discovering ancient stories need modern feelings, leaders learning acting out beats reading every time, anyone trying make three thousand year old events matter to kids who can't picture life without WiFi.

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