Month: April 2018

Missions Music for Kids

Want a great album of music for your kids to listen to?  Check out Psalty the Singing Songbook‘s webpage which features fun songs and stories for kids (of all ages) 🙂

This one is very mission-minded and teaches kids about how to learn and care about people in need all around the world.  It also introduces them to the concept of different kinds of missionaries – all with a fun story and great music.  Check it out by clicking here or on the image below!

You can even use a song or two from these albums in your children’s Sunday School or VBS!  Purchase the CD’s, DVD’s, or download the music from the Psalty website.

Do you know of another great mission album for kids? I’d love to hear about it!

 

 

Vacation Bible School Ideas About Missions

Do you wish that your church had a Vacation Bible School about missions? It may be easier than you think! In this post you’ll find some ideas that you can use to plan a VBS or to use in missions classes for kids.

First, you’ll need to decide the format of your VBS or classes. One format that has worked at our church is to have different rooms or stations set up that children rotate through. This helps the flow of children to keep moving, but also allows a teacher to prepare for just one thing each day or Sunday.  I would recommend focusing on one country each day, discussing missionaries that have served there.

Ideas for stations or classrooms could include:

  1. Craft room – Try to find a craft from the country you are discussing. Look online to find ideas or look at Wycliffe.org where you can download a free VBS program! 
  2. Story room – Have an adult read a short story about a missionary. There are many options (these are affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase through these links, familiesformissions will make a small commission at no additional cost to you!).  While there are other missions books out there, these all have short stories that can be read in a short session.
  3. Activity room – having something where the kids move around is a good idea. This breaks up the monotony of the morning sitting. Try things like:
    • a scavenger hunt
    • a trip around the world with different children leading around the room
    • a game from another country
    • a puzzle of the world, jungle animals, the desert (age appropriate)
  4. Time Machine room – pretend that you are suddenly transported to the country or area where the missionary serves. This one could involve some extra work in decorating, but it can be very fun for children. You can use ideas like:
    • a medical clinic
    • a school room
    • a jungle
    • a hut
    • the desert
    • an airplane cabin
  5. Missionary sharing room – Have a “real live” missionary share with the children. If you do not have a full-time missionary in your area, you can have people from your church that have gone on a short-term missions trip share. Using a map and a few pictures, as well as a prop or two can really make this a special time.

Don’t forget to present the good news about Jesus dying for our sin and tell the kids how they can pray to accept Jesus as their personal Savior!  (Otherwise, missions is pointless!)

If you are really looking for some great ideas without having to do a ton of work and planning, check out Wycliffe.org and their VBS plans.

These ideas would be great additions to a children’s program at a missions conference at your church! Or use them to supplement your homeschool curriculum!

What ideas have you tried?

 

 

Questions to Ask a Missionary Kid

As a Missionary Kid I was asked many questions…and many of them were strange or uninformed. Missionary Kids, when they are back in their passport country, are asked many things, and most of them are not easy for them to answer.  Questions like, “How do you like being back home?” or “Do you have TV?” or “Do you ride on a donkey?” are awkward.

When missionary kids are in their parent’s home country, they are visiting.  They are either there on home assignment or a short vacation, but this is NOT their home.  Home is where they live with their family for most of the time.  They are missing friends and experiencing culture shock.

When you are talking with visiting missionary kids, here are some questions to  ask that might help them feel more comfortable, but also provide you with some insight into their lives. (By the way, many of these are great for any kid!)

Questions

  1. What is your favorite thing about __(insert country where they live)__?
  2. Tell me about your school.
  3. What is your favorite subject?
  4. Tell me about your friends.
  5. Tell me about your family.
  6. What is your favorite food?
  7. What hobbies do you enjoy?
  8. What are you good at?
  9. What books do you enjoy reading?
  10. Do you have a favorite movie or TV show ?
  11. What do you miss most about being gone from __(insert country)___?
  12. What is your favorite holiday?
  13. How do you celebrate ___(insert holiday)___ in ___(insert country)___?

 

For some great ideas on how to do something special for visiting missionary kids, check out This link!