ONLINE HACKS
GROW KIDS | August 2020
HOW DO I ADAPT GROW KIDS CURRICULUM TO AN ONLINE-ONLY PROGRAM?
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: BUILD A WEEKLY STRATEGY
You’re going to need a weekly strategy that’s unique to your church. But don’t worry! We have some resources to help you decide what you’ll do and when. Check this out if you need some help building your new weekly plan for online children’s ministry:
- FACEBOOK LIVE | 10 Tips for Building a Weekly Strategy for Online Kids Ministry (with Elle Campbell): Join our kids ministry Facebook group to watch this 1-hour workshop with Elle, where you’ll learn to build a weekly strategy and learn what other kids pastors are already doing well. WATCH
- PODCAST | 10 Tips for Building a Weekly Strategy for Online Kids Ministry (from Kids Ministry Answers): Join our hosts TJ and Kellee for a conversation unpacking Elle’s tips and sharing ideas of their own. LISTEN
- TRELLO BOARD | A Template for Online Kids Ministry: Grab our free Trello template to give you a structure you can customize and repeat each week for your ministry. VIEW
STEP 2: PLAN YOUR ONLINE KIDS SERVICE
By now, you’ve figured out that what works in person doesn’t exactly work online. Here’s a basic outline for an online service that you can use each week, using the curriculum you already have:
- MUSIC: Sing two worship songs.
- THE BIG IDEA: Share the Big Idea of the week.
- SCRIPTURE: Tell the Bible story (or show the teaching video) and repeat the Big Idea.
- DISCUSSION:Â Give families at least one question to discuss.
You can always add more elements if you’d like, but this is the basic formula you need for an effective online service — and with Grow Kids, you already have all of the elements you need to make it happen!
STEP 3: BUILD A LESSON GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Instead of talking to parents as if they’re only observers of what’s going on in your ministry, invite parents to participate as teachers and discussion-leaders for their kids! While families are watching church at home, equip parents with a weekly lesson guide that contains bite-sized versions of your curriculum that parents can teach with ease.
To create a simple lesson that parents can teach, edit the Word documents provided in your downloads to create a simple lesson for parents each week that follows this format:
- THE BIG IDEA
- SCRIPTURE
- ACTIVITY
- DISCUSSION
- PRAYER
- MEMORY VERSE
To make things extra easy for you, at the end of this post, we’ve identified the specific modules each week of the curriculum that we suggest including.
STEP 4: REPURPOSE (OR SKIP) THE REST OF THE LESSON
With Grow Kids, you get tons of activities, object lessons, videos, and more in each lesson! It might be sad to think you won’t get to use all of them during an online service, but there are ways you can still make use of those ideas! You can still make videos of object lessons and post them online! You can send parents the instructions for activities and games so they can play them at home!
At the end of this post, we’ve identified a few specific modules for each week of the curriculum that we suggest repurposing.
HACKS FOR EACH WEEK
WEEK 1: God knows who I am.
ONLINE KIDS SERVICE
Use these modules from your lesson to create your online service:
- MUSIC | “He Knows My Name”
- THE BIG IDEA | God knows who I am.
- SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 16
- VIDEO | Brave, Episode 1
LESSON GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Use these modules from your lesson to create a lesson guide for parents:
- THE BIG IDEA | God knows who I am.
- SCRIPTURE | Samuel 16
- ACTIVITY | I Am (Elementary) or ACTIVITY | Crown Decorating (Preschool)
- DISCUSSION |Â Give families at least one question to discuss together.
- PRAYER
- MEMORY VERSE | Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
EXTRA IDEAS
Skip or repurpose the remaining modules in your curriculum however you’d like! But here are a few ideas…
- SCRIPTURE | 1 Corinthians 8:3 Using the graphics we’ve provided in your downloads, create an image of this Bible verse and post it on social media during the week, along with a suggestion for families to read and discuss it together.
- ACTIVITY | Coloring Page Send a copy of the coloring page to families and host a weekly coloring page competition! You can create an album of completed ones and even get people to vote on their favorites.
- POLL | This or That Create a poll on social media and ask people to choose between a thumbs up (this) or heart (that) for each option.
WEEK 2: God can use your gifts.
ONLINE KIDS SERVICE
Use these modules from your lesson to create your online service:
- MUSIC | “Brave”
- THE BIG IDEA | God can use your gifts.
- SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 17
- VIDEO | Brave, Episode 2
LESSON GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Use these modules from your lesson to create a lesson guide for parents:
- THE BIG IDEA | God can use your gifts.
- SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 17
- ACTIVITY | Slaying My Giants Part 1 (Elementary) or ACTIVITY | Marble Painting (Preschool)
- DISCUSSION | Give families at least one question to discuss together.
- PRAYER
- MEMORY VERSE | Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
EXTRA IDEAS
Skip or repurpose the remaining modules in your curriculum however you’d like! But here are a few ideas…
- SCRIPTURE | 1 Peter 4:10 Using the graphics we’ve provided in your downloads, create an image of this Bible verse and post it on social media during the week, along with a suggestion for families to read and discuss it together.
- ACTIVITY | Coloring Page Send a copy of the coloring page to families and host a weekly coloring page competition! You can create an album of completed ones and even get people to vote on their favorites.
- QUESTION | Your Favorite Gift Ask your volunteers to participate by filming themselves answering these questions. Create a video for families to watch.
WEEK 3: We can show others mercy.
ONLINE KIDS SERVICE
Use these modules from your lesson to create your online service:
- MUSIC | “Who You Say I Am”
- THE BIG IDEA | We can show others mercy.
- SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 24:1-18
- VIDEO | Brave, Episode 3
LESSON GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Use these modules from your lesson to create a lesson guide for parents:
- THE BIG IDEA | We can show others mercy.
- SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 24:1-18
- ACTIVITY | Mercy Mosaic (Elementary) or ACTIVITY | Hide and Seek (Preschool)
- DISCUSSION |Â Give families at least one question to discuss together.
- PRAYER
- MEMORY VERSE | Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
EXTRA IDEAS
Skip or repurpose the remaining modules in your curriculum however you’d like! But here are a few ideas…
- SCRIPTURE | Luke 6:36 Using the graphics we’ve provided in your downloads, create an image of this Bible verse and post it on social media during the week, along with a suggestion for families to read and discuss it together.
- ACTIVITY | Coloring Page Send a copy of the coloring page to families and host a weekly coloring page competition! You can create an album of completed ones and even get people to vote on their favorites.
- ACTIVITY | Group Cheer Have families (or volunteers) create their own cheer about mercy. Bonus points if they incorporate the Big Idea!
WEEK 4: God can help me overcome difficulty.
ONLINE KIDS SERVICE
Use these modules from your lesson to create your online service:
- MUSIC | “Esther Song”
- THE BIG IDEA | God can help me overcome difficulty.
- SCRIPTURE | Esther 2, 4
- VIDEO | Brave, Episode 4
LESSON GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Use these modules from your lesson to create a lesson guide for parents:
- THE BIG IDEA | God can help me overcome difficulty.
- SCRIPTURE | Esther 2, 4
- ACTIVITY | Domino Challenge (Elementary) or ACTIVITY | Difficult Path (Preschool)
- DISCUSSION |Â Give families at least one question to discuss together.
- PRAYER
- MEMORY VERSE | Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
EXTRA IDEAS
Skip or repurpose the remaining modules in your curriculum however you’d like! But here are a few ideas…
- SCRIPTURE | Philippians 4:13 Using the graphics we’ve provided in your downloads, create an image of this Bible verse and post it on social media during the week, along with a suggestion for families to read and discuss it together.
- ACTIVITY | Coloring Page Send a copy of the coloring page to families and host a weekly coloring page competition! You can create an album of completed ones and even get people to vote on their favorites.
- STORY | A Difficult Decision Have parents share a story with their kids.
WEEK 5: God has a plan for my life.
ONLINE KIDS SERVICE
Use these modules from your lesson to create your online service:
- MUSIC | “Made for This”
- THE BIG IDEA | God has a plan for my life.
- SCRIPTURE |Â Esther 8:5-17
- VIDEO | Brave, Episode 5
LESSON GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Use these modules from your lesson to create a lesson guide for parents:
- THE BIG IDEA |Â God has a plan for my life.
- SCRIPTURE | Esther 8:5-17
- ACTIVITY | Under Construction (Elementary) or ACTIVITY | Make a Scepter (Preschool)
- DISCUSSION |Â Give families at least one question to discuss together.
- PRAYER
- MEMORY VERSE | Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
EXTRA IDEAS
Skip or repurpose the remaining modules in your curriculum however you’d like! But here are a few ideas…
- SCRIPTURE | Ephesians 2:10 Using the graphics we’ve provided in your downloads, create an image of this Bible verse and post it on social media during the week, along with a suggestion for families to read and discuss it together.
- ACTIVITY | Coloring Page Send a copy of the coloring page to families and host a weekly coloring page competition! You can create an album of completed ones and even get people to vote on their favorites.
- ACTIVITY | Blank Canvas Create a blank Google doc, allow kids to access the doc and create a design together.
In this post, here’s what we’ll cover: