Children and Families - Scripture Union NZ

We have created six key workshops that are foundational for anyone new to children's ministry. These are additional resources that go alongside these workshops. BEING OUR BEST Positive Discipline tools for teachers - a great general website with lots of practical advice.   'It's the hidden disabilities that keep kids out of church' - this article contains lots of links to resources, and focuses specifically on the church environment. Discipling Neurodiverse Children: Supporting Who God Made Them to Be - this online course is well worth looking at. PRAYER ZONE Activity cards: One Word Prayer Card Hamburger Prayers Card Prayer Dice Card Wikki Prayers Labyrinths ( Finger and Floor ) Fishscale prayers Thank you - catch and toss Pray for Schools Card   ‘It is Night’ Anglican Prayer Book Card Websites: Praying in Colour Methodist Church (UK) free digital prayer cards FAITH FORMATION Resources: It's just a Phase Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus   Faith forma...

As you are reading this, no doubt certain shops are advertising ‘Back to School’ sales for stationery, shoes and various other school-related supplies. As the beginning of the school year looms, I wonder what range of emotions are in your household? Ordinarily, perhaps you, as a parent, have looked forward to your children returning to school and your household to its usual routine. Your children, on the other hand, may be enjoying the sun, the sand and the surf too much to be wanting school as much as you. How do we help our children head back to school in a healthy way, and how do we let them go in a way that is healthy for us? These are big questions. I firmly believe in the need for and the importance of prayer. Not only can you be praying for your children, but they can too, for themselves and their friends. Here are some great prayer ideas for your church and your home to help you and your children in their return to school. Prayer Stations: This resource gives you instructions a...

Every year on the first weekend of June, Viva hosts a weekend of prayer for children around the world. This campaign unites hundreds of thousands of adults and children across more than 40 countries.  The next event takes place on 4-5 June 2022.  This year, the weekend falls on the same weekend as Pentecost. The theme is 'Stronger Together'. The Viva website has a range of resources in different languages, which are free to download.  Here's this year's resource in English.  

As children flood through your doors, may you feel the love of God flooding in with them.  As your children bring with them their experiences of last year, carrying with them various shades of anxiety,  may you have courage to bring healing and comfort to their worries,  while finding peace for your own.  As you see dirty faces behind masks and empty lunchboxes  may you know that God's heart breaks too. As you hear stories of golden summer fun  Cousins, friends, sleeping out under the stars  May you be filled for gratitude for moments of untarnished joy  and find your own joy reflected in theirs.  Today may you know afresh how important  you are  in the life of just one of these children  who will walk through your door and may you be blessed. Amen

These are strange and overwhelming times. We are under stress, collectively as a nation. We are also under stress in our little bubbles. I t is easy to be pulled apart by the pressure of home-school a class of ungrateful students, or working in a church role where you are expected to collate all manner of online resources in a short space of time. Or the anxiety producing loneliness of isolation. Let me offer into this space one practice I have used for a year or so now and have found very helpful. It will work on your kids too! You could use this on a walk outside or around your house.  Notice 5...4...3...2...1 5. Notice five things that you can see. *Describe them out loud if you like (e.g. green spiky leaf, black hairy spider)  4. Notice five things that you can hear. * (e.g. the screech of a seagull, my heartbeat) 3. Notice five things you can feel. (e.g. the carpet under my feet, the breeze on my face) 2. Notice five things you can smell. (e.g. th...

Kia tau te rangimārie Peace be with you  We live in anxious times. The spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus is causing the whole world to become an unsettled and unpredictable place. This has an effect on our children. I recently heard of a school that has had to ban the children from playing 'Coronavirus Tag', which is as it sounds. If you get tagged, you have the virus and you will die. Needless to say, this was rather anxiety inducing for all concerned.  We can be proactive in addressing this anxiety, especially as some children will carry their concerns close to their heart without verbalising it.  Here are a couple of tips and resources that you might find helpful: 1. Slow down: This link will lead you to a series of colouring pages produced by Strandz for Advent this year. Download the ' rangimārie ' or 'peace' page and photocopy off enough for one each. During your Sunday morning programme or after-school club give the children time in silence ...

We live in very busy times, with lots of things on the go. It is no different for our children. Where do we find God? God of course is present with us in all our busyness, but we also need to stop and give God our undivided attention. Let's explore how to press STOP at the end of the day. How do we help children to stop and spend time with God? It’s certainly not easy! We asked some children for their ideas, our team contributed their favourite tips, and we have included a couple of simple suggestions. Because no one has time for complicated! Feeling inadequate? Stonehouse and May in their book, Listening to Children on the Spiritual Journey , interviewed parents about their night-time rituals. What did they do at the end of the day to help their children meet with God?  They discovered that for some parents this time was precious, and they spoke of being humbled and amazed at the depth and sincerity of their children’s prayers. But other parents spoke...

Mother's Day Mother's Day has become an established date in our calendars. It is often celebrated in churches. This blog post contains some ideas you can use with your children. It also includes some thoughtful blog posts and suggestions that are helpful in thinking through how to acknowledge the pain and loss often associated with this day. How do we support and encourage mothers, while acknowledging those for whom the grief of losing a mum, or not being able to bear children is a very present hurt? Ridiculously beautiful things to make out of egg cartoons!  Here's a lovely prayer for all caregivers. It is a good one to read out as part of your church service: A child is a precious gift, given into the hands of birth parents, adopted parents, caregivers, relatives, and a church community. Together we undertake the raising of children and together we ask for help, Lord! Read more here...    Here's a very thoughtful post from the Sacraparental blog:  ...

It's a new year, and with that comes this feeling that we must somehow make this year count. For me this can seem overwhelming. So, this year I am focusing on three simple steps. You might find them helpful too!  Step One: Be Grateful Someone told me recently this quote: 'Comparison is the thief of joy'. Apparently it's something Theodore Roosevelt once said. How true is that! When we compare, we take our eyes off all the things we have and place them on all that we don't have. More leaders, a bigger budget, a supportive leadership team, creative projects starting up... the list just goes on and on. Someone else will ALWAYS have something we can compare ourselves against, and it WILL rob our joy. Gratitude is about taking our eyes off what others are doing, and focusing on where we stand right now. This does not mean that we don't learn from others. But it means that we learn to embrace the ministry we have been given, to live our God given potential. We l...

  What makes you cry? by Adrian Plass I wept in Winchester Cathedral once It was a winter afternoon After speaking at a lunch in town There was an hour to fill before my train was due to leave Yet again, the beauty of that ancient building Drew me like a child into its echoing embrace I knew it would, I have such scant resistance to cathedrals Particularly this one This time I did two things First of all the lighting of a candle for my father Just because I wanted to Theology is very thin sometimes A candle’s flame is fat and rich with mystery The second thing was climbing to the balcony (they let you do that now) And, as I stood there, leaning on the rail Feeling warm at last and looking down My heart went out to this old, slumberous house of worship Built for God Its stonework soaked with centuries of prayer Tears and passions of belief and doubt Flowing from a million souls “How can you tolerate these days,” I softly ...