The Sunday School Zone Blog
The Sunday School Zone Blog contains insights on children’s spiritual formation as well as tips, ideas, and suggestions to help Christian parents and leaders as they work with kids of all abilities (and even adults with special needs) at home, church, and school. If you would like to contribute to the blog, please visit our Writer Inquiries page and then send us an explanatory email at [email protected] describing the kind of writing you’d like to do. We welcome those who have something of substance to say to Christian parents and teachers of children. You already know that Sunday School Zone offers tons of free, printable Bible activities for kids. If you think you’d like to contribute, please read more…
Control Classroom Chaos… Get Organized!
Dreaming of the ideal Sunday school classroom where Kool-aid is never spilled, hands never get glued together and children quote the 10 Commandments on cue? Yeah, that isn’t going to happen! But you can achieve some of your dreams simply by getting your space better organized so that precious teaching time isn’t wasted looking for…
Read More ⇨
Staying ‘Plugged-In’ to the Influence of Media on Your Kids
Music, magazines, TV shows, movies, video games… And then there’s social media: Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, etc. The list never ends with the types of media that our kids are bombarded with on a daily basis. According to a recent CNN.com report, kids spend an average of 9 hours a day with some kind…
Read More ⇨
Avoiding the “Back To School Blues”
It’s back. That dreaded time of year when our kids hang their heads and have to accept the harsh reality that summer break is officially over. It’s easy for us to dismiss this unwelcome transition, reasoning that the kids need to get over their state of shock because hey, let’s face it, they don’t know…
Read More ⇨
Bringing the Old Testament To Life
When I prepare for an upcoming quarter of children’s Bible lessons, I am a little ashamed to admit that my hope is that we will be teaching from the New Testament. Maybe you are not that shallow. You may even be that person who enjoys studies in the Book of Leviticus. It is not that I don’t enjoy…
Read More ⇨
When Is Food Not Fun?
Sunday School and other children’s Bible classes at church often give out snacks for the kids. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this and sometimes the lesson plan actually calls for some special treat. However, some kids in your Sunday School class may have food allergies or special dietary restrictions that impact what the child can eat…
Read More ⇨
When Children Doubt
One of the most attractive aspects of children’s ministry is the simple faith that children often exhibit when it comes to spiritual things. Christ even used children as an example to adults of what real faith looks like. Children rarely question or doubt spiritual things, and many people believe that children are actually able to…
Read More ⇨
Love Your Enemies – Even Those Bullies
“Bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance…” This definition was taken directly from the web-site www.stopbullying.gov. As a children’s ministry leader who is in the trenches every week with older elementary kids, and who has had her own two boys bullied in school, I…
Read More ⇨
Helping the Hurting Child
If children’s ministry could all be craft time, Kool-Aid, and cookies, then any one could handle the job. The reality of children’s ministry, however, is that children, just like adults, often face painful circumstances in which they are searching for answers and comfort. The child’s teacher or leader is often in a position to provide…
Read More ⇨
Dealing Gracefully With Conflict
We don’t like to talk about it. In our ministries we avoid it like a plague, assuming that the issue might simply disappear from lack of attention. If we’d be honest, however, we’d admit to ourselves that avoidance is not the solution to this very natural part of our service. The resolution of conflict, that nasty…
Read More ⇨