Best KidsMinistry.Blog Podcasts (2025)

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Beyond Be Nice Practical Strategies for True Inclusion and Belonging 5:56

Play Pause

2d ago5:56

5:56

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 try…

1
Event Planning Elevated Digital Tools to Transform Chaos into Clarity 7:28

4d ago7:28

7:28

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 ne…

1
Feedback That Transforms: Turning Tricky Conversations into Growth (and Keeping Volunteers) 5:43

6d ago5:43

5:43

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…

1
The Perils of "Relatable": When Modernizing Ancient Stories Goes Wrong 5:14

8d ago5:14

5:14

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 hi…

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Gamify Your Learning: How to Make Dry Subjects Engaging (Even for Adults!) 7:02

10d ago7:02

7:02

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 sto…

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Beyond the Screen: Mastering Church Family Movie Nights for Community & Connection 6:25

12d ago6:25

6:25

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 li…

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Beyond Thank You Cards: Rethinking Volunteer Appreciation That Actually Works 6:19

14d ago6:19

6:19

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 …

1
Christmas Lessons for Kids: Joy, Chaos, and Wonder 8:29

16d ago8:29

8:29

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 Wonder That 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…

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Beyond Kids' Ministry: Finding Your Go-To Online Resources Under Pressure 6:47

17d ago6:47

6:47

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 tha…

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Beyond Story Time: Engaging Kids with Interactive Narratives and Experiential Learning 6:20

19d ago6:20

6:20

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…

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From Chaos to Compassion Organizing Impactful Service Projects for Kids 8:03

21d ago8:03

8:03

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…

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Beyond Barking: Orders How to Ignite Volunteer Engagement and Build Authentic Community 6:17

23d ago6:17

6:17

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 …

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Beyond Pinterest Perfection Embracing Messy Learning and Art That Accidentally Works 6:29

25d ago6:29

6:29

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 apparen…

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Revolutionizing Kids' Prayer Engaging Hearts Through Creative Activities 5:58

27d ago5:58

5:58

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…

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From Chaos to Community Mastering the Art of a Stress-Free Trunk-or-Treat 8:04

29d ago8:04

8:04

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 a…

1
Frankenstein Spreadsheets to Flexible Solutions: Navigating Volunteer Management Nightmares 6:09

1M ago6:09

6:09

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 si…

1
Beyond the Banana Costume: Finding True Connection Over "Magic Bullet" Solutions 5:34

1M ago5:34

5:34

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 tha…

1
Chaos Control Taming Large Groups and Making Fun Scale 5:59

1M ago5:59

5:59

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…

1
Innovative Christmas Pageant Ideas for Kids' Ministry 6:21

1M ago6:21

6:21

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 mess…

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Beyond Boredom: Unlocking Teen Potential Through Personal Invitation and Real Roles 6:25

1M ago6:25

6:25

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 gro…

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Good Enough Is Better: Unpacking Simple, Engaging Activities for Kids (and Beyond) 6:03

1M ago6:03

6:03

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 …

1
Summer Outreach: Serving Community and Building Connections 6:06

1M ago6:06

6:06

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…

1
Rethinking Missions - From Charity to Global Family 5:13

1M ago5:13

5:13

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 c…

1
Engaging Scripture Memory Games for Kids 6:41

1M ago6:41

6:41

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…

1
Addressing Volunteer Burnout: Lessons from Sarah's Story 7:02

2M ago7:02

7:02

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…

1
Handling Tough Questions in the Classroom 5:50

2M ago5:50

5:50

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 …

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Crafts for Lasting Lesson Reminders 6:52

2M ago6:52

6:52

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 …

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The Peril and Promise of Parent-Child Retreats 6:22

2M ago6:22

6:22

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 talkin…

1
The Accidental Meeting: Pizza, People, and Purpose 6:25

2M ago6:25

6:25

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. Everythin…

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Choreographed Scripture and Other Sunday School Disasters 5:50

2M ago5:50

5:50

Bathtub. 4 AM. Gas station donuts. Because Caleb did interpretive dance to Romans 8:28 during offering and I wanted to disappear. Two hundred adults watching this kid spin and jazz hand his way through "all things work together for good" while I'm dying inside. My brilliant idea to choreograph scripture memory. Now kids think bible verses need back…

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The Unofficial Guide to Kids Ministry Conferences 8:19

2M ago8:19

8:19

Board meeting. They want us to host kids ministry conference. I'm sitting there like what? Our ministry barely functions on good days and you want me to invite people watch this mess? Plus feed everyone coordinate speakers without giving anyone food poisoning? Pastor does puppy dog eyes. Course he does. Goodbye sleep. Learned more about conference …

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Motivating Volunteers: Beyond Pep Talks and Pizza 5:59

2M ago5:59

5:59

Linda quit today. Walked in sat down said I'm done. Linda who saves my butt every week. Shows up early organizes everything. Gets kids to listen when they should be bouncing off walls. Asked why. "Feel like furniture. Nobody really sees me." Been staring at computer for hour trying to figure out how I screwed this up so bad. Tonight we're talking a…

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How My Bible Games Completely Backfired 5:37

2M ago5:37

5:37

It's 4 AM and I'm sitting in my bathtub fully clothed eating animal crackers because I accidentally taught kids that God runs elimination tournaments. Made Noah's flood into dodgeball yesterday. Now Marcus is asking his mom if God gets bored and starts target practice on neighborhoods with tornadoes. Thought I was revolutionizing Sunday school with…

1
Picnic Games: Chaos, Laughter, and Life Lessons 6:42

2M ago6:42

6:42

Still pulling burrs out my socks from Saturday's church picnic. That perfect field I picked? Basically a weed preserve with hidden holes waiting to destroy ankles. But kids loved it. Even when half my planned activities turned into something totally different because of wind and that one kid who breaks everything no matter what. Planned three-legge…

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Planning the Perfect Easter Egg Hunt 6:43

2M ago6:43

6:43

Easter egg hunt last year was like watching world end. Kids stampeding everywhere. Big ones stepping on babies. Parents losing their minds at me because their precious child only found three eggs. Standing there thinking Jesus didn't come back from dead for this nonsense. Had no plan at all. Just threw eggs on grass and figured it would work out so…

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Crafting Clear Volunteer Roles: Beyond "Help with Kids" 8:06

2M ago8:06

8:06

Nice lady walks up after service. Wants to help with kids ministry. Great right? "What would I be doing exactly?" she asks. I'm standing there making weird hand gestures going "You know just... helping. With the kids. During the thing." The thing. I called our entire ministry "the thing." She smiled and said she'd think about it. Week later still t…

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My Easter Lesson Ideas That Completely Backfired 7:15

2M ago7:15

7:15

I'm eating discount Easter chocolate in my car at 5 AM because yesterday I accidentally turned the crucifixion into a Playmobil drama and now Tyler's asking his grandma if Jesus knew he was gonna become a toy. Security guard already checked on my mental state. Started explaining how eight-year-olds directed a stop-motion resurrection with superhero…

1
Games That Teach Cooperation 6:47

2M ago6:47

6:47

Tyler and Mason fighting over shepherd staff again. Course they are. These two compete over who breathes more oxygen probably. I grab the thing away from both of them. Nobody gets to be shepherd until you figure out how to work together for five minutes. They look at me like I asked them to solve calculus. Work together? What's that mean? Hit me ri…

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Frugal Fun: Creative Kids Ministry Events 6:41

2M ago6:41

6:41

Pastor cuts our events budget seventy percent. Just like that. I'm sitting there thinking great now we're the church with stale goldfish crackers while everyone else has actual entertainment. But then Sarah mentions that dumb movie night we did with bedsheets and kids are still obsessing about it months later. Fifteen bucks total and they act like …

1
Qualities of Great Volunteers in Kids Ministry 7:47

2M ago7:47

7:47

So Sarah walks in Sunday morning and kids basically tackle her. Like actual squealing and running. Tom's been helping just as long and kids barely look up from their coloring. What's that about? I started watching these two because it was driving me nuts. Same training. Same time commitment supposedly. But Sarah's like kid whisperer and Tom's just.…

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Core Bible Stories for Kids Ministry 4:58

2M ago4:58

4:58

I'm sitting in my car after church frantically googling "Bible stories for kids" because Sarah's mom just ambushed me in the hallway. She wants to know which stories her seven-year-old should really know and I'm standing there like an idiot going "Uh... Noah?" Eight years I've been doing this. You'd think I'd have a better answer than that. But it …

1
Fun and Easy Science Experiments for Kids' Ministry 5:50

2M ago5:50

5:50

I'm trying to teach creation and the kids look like I'm reading tax forms in Swahili. Marcus is examining his shoelaces like they hold secrets of universe. Emma's doing advanced hair styling. Tyler's making faces at the ceiling fan. So I stop mid-sentence and go you know what let's just make a volcano. Boom. Every head snaps up. Can we really blow …

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Running Events Smoothly: A Guide to Managing Chaos 6:40

2M ago6:40

6:40

VBS last summer. Total disaster. No craft supplies. Sound system screaming like dying cat. Half my volunteers have plague. Two kids lost their parents. Some kid barfed on the snacks. I'm standing there like this is fine everything's totally fine while my brain's melting down. Then Sarah walks over and says you look like you're about to lose it. Wha…

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Empowering Volunteer Leaders: A Practical Guide 8:01

2M ago8:01

8:01

Sarah asks me if she can move a chair. A chair. Like I'm gonna fire her for unauthorized furniture relocation. She's been with us two years. Kids love her. Parents love her. I love her. But she won't do anything without checking with me first. And I'm standing there thinking what did I do to this poor woman? Oh right. I never let her actually decid…

1
Puppets: Engaging Children in Ministry Lessons 7:42

2M ago7:42

7:42

So this hideous orange puppet's been gathering dust in our supply closet forever. I mean ugly. Like someone's craft project went horribly wrong. Always figured puppets were for people who couldn't teach properly. Last week I'm dying up there trying to get kids to care about honesty. Complete silence. One kid's literally asleep. Out of sheer panic I…

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Teamwork Games: Cooperation's Unexpected Challenges and Triumphs 6:01

2M ago6:01

6:01

So there I was, watching two kids have a complete meltdown over who gets to hold the balloon. Like, actual tears over balloon custody rights. And I'm thinking great, this teamwork thing is going super well. But then something clicked and they figured it out. Started working together like they'd been best friends forever. One minute they're enemies,…

1
Hosting a Kids Ministry Game Night 5:07

2M ago5:07

5:07

So I'm sitting in this planning meeting and someone goes "We should do game night for families!" Everyone's nodding like it's brilliant, and I'm thinking oh great, another event nobody will show up to. Then I realized families actually want to hang out together - they just need someone to make it happen. Today we're talking about how to plan a kids…

1
Optimizing Volunteer Training: A Practical Guide 6:30

2M ago6:30

6:30

Mark starts helping with our 5th graders last month. Really nice guy, wants to help. So I hand him this fifteen-page packet - volunteer handbook, safety policies, behavior management, curriculum overview, emergency procedures, everything. Next week he shows up looking like I hit him with a truck. Admits he didn't read most of it because it was too …

1
Interactive Teaching Strategies for Engaging Children 5:40

2M ago5:40

5:40

Had this lesson last month I thought was gonna be amazing. Spent forever planning it - good story, clear points, everything organized perfectly. Kids just sat there staring at me like I was speaking ancient Greek. One kid asked if we were done yet after maybe three minutes. Today we're talking about getting kids actually involved instead of making …

1
My Go-To Quiet Time Activities for Kids 5:47

2M ago5:47

5:47

Need kids to be quiet sometimes. After games, before parents pick up, when someone's having a meltdown and needs space, rainy days when we're all stuck inside going slowly insane. Problem is telling kids "sit quietly" doesn't actually work. They don't know what to do with themselves, start poking each other, and drive everyone crazy including me. T…