It's 'Back to School' this week for Australian kids and we wanted to create a bit of excitement for them at church. But, if you're like me, the hardest part is creating an attention-grabbing display or focus. Do you struggle with this, too?

I've mentioned before that I spend a lot of time checking out shop window displays for ideas. And lately, I've noticed a number of companies are using boxes in creative ways in their windows. 

So... I decided to use boxes myself. I've used them before and they're very versatile. Check out the simple display I created for our Back2School Sunday.

The idea is simple. I'd collected a number of evenly sized boxes with sides that nicely fit an A3 size paper. Then, I printed pictures of children and school themes onto A3 paper and attached them to the boxes with double-sided tape. ( I prefer to use the tape rather than gluing but it's just a personal preference. I think the glue can buckle the paper a little while the tape always sits flat.)

Decide where you will place your display- church foyer, auditorium or kidmin areas. Then arrange your boxes. I used 5 boxes for the base and 3 more on top of these. That left me with some spaces for my cartoon kid cutouts.

I've mentioned these cutouts previously but in case you missed it, you can find more information about creating these types of display pieces here.

I used the same technique to create a free-standing pile of books to pop on the top of the boxes.
Lastly, I printed a large Scripture verse and attached it to heavy-weight card. The verse we used was Jeremiah 32:27 and we used this verse in our later discussions about handling Back2School nervousness or problems at school.
How do you create your kidmin displays?

Communication for children's ministry leaders is crucial whether it's sharing with kids, inspiring and encouraging volunteers and leaders or providing information to parents and the community. So we all appreciate anything that assists in the process.

With this in mind, I'd like to suggest that you take a look at Canva. This online design program provides templates a simple drag-and-drop interface to enable anyone to create quality graphic materials- flyers, invitations, posters, blog and social media images, presentations and more.

The program is free to use and you can upload your own images to include in your design. Alternately, access the Canva design elements and stock photography at a low $1/image.

Not sure you can handle it? Easy... video tutorials are provided at the startup with more ideas and hints online. See the clip at the end of this blog and you'll see just how easy, and quick, it is to create great looking communication materials. Check out some of the designs below I've created using Canva.

Although many parts of the worlds are experiencing freezing conditions here, in Australia, the temperatures are soaring and it looks like a hot start to the new school year. What better way to celebrate this milestone in the lives of children and families than an ice-cream soda party!

Our church has also planned to take this opportunity to highlight our ministries and dedicate the leaders with an added glimpse of the focus and direction to be presented later at our vision dinner. The service will include a segment for the kids and a slide presentation of some of the activities, programs and events of the previous year. 

What are your plans? How are you recommencing the new year? 

Since this event will be shared by the whole church family, we will be holding the ice-cream party following the service. There will be a lunch of gourmet sandwiches and cakes and an ice-cream soda bar for both the kids and the adults. We'll be including different toppings at each table: sprinkles, shaved chocolate, candy pops etc for the kids with a more sophisticated selection for the adults.

I prepared a couple of different ppt slides to promote this event and you can find them below. One slide relates more for children and the other for the church family. You can find both slides in the powerpoint file below. I also saved each powerpoint slide as an image and used them on flyers and printed promotional material for our kidmin and the whole church family.. just a suggestion. 

New uniforms, new shoes, new books, new backpacks... yes, the start of a new school year is a new beginning with new opportunities. But for many kids, it's filled with uncertainty and even dread. Will they find friends, will the teacher be nice, will they handle the new school work? 

It's the perfect opportunity to come alongside these apprehensive kids, or even the excited ones, and remind them that, no matter what happens at school, God is with them every step of the way. He won't leave them.. He won't forget them.

Do you present a special Back-to-School program at this time of year? Even if you continue with your normal program, highlight this important milestone in the lives of your church families. How about decorating an area of the church foyer or your children's ministry area with a Back-to-School theme? 

You could prepare some cutout cartoon kids like these ones. (Check out Google images.) They've been re-sized and printed as A2. (See here for instructions on how to enlarge posters and banners.) Then they were backed with heavy-weight card, cut out and given a cardboard stand. Add a small desk, some piles of books and bags but include a large print of a verse you want the kids to remember, like...Joshua 1:9

You might also consider handing out some stationery sets for the kids and include some bookmarks etc with the Bible verse you want them to remember. 

You can find more Back-to-School ideashere.

If you're looking for a powerpoint slide to highlight and promote your Back-to-School segment, then you an download the free, editable powerpoint slide file below.

Please raise your hand if you've ever struggled to adequately encourage and thank your volunteers. You want to begin the year on a positive note and maybe you've had helpers involved in a holiday program that you want to thank. But when you begin a new year, you're hit with so many organisational and planning tasks. It's daunting enough to deal with rosters, programs and newsletters- never mind putting time and effort into thanking and inspiring volunteers.

 Well, there's good news: creating a unique gift of appreciation that also inspires your volunteers doesn't have to be that daunting. With the right ideas at your disposal, you could easily and simply create that unique gift-all without blowing the budget or taking hours to complete.

 Download the free printable from DeliaCreates, and we'll walk you through how to use it right now. When you're done you'll know exactly how to create a gift that encourages your volunteers and focuses on the very real importance of volunteers. And, you can personalise the gift by adding the helper/volunteer's name to the printable.

1. First, you will need some bottles of sanitiser or handwash. You may have to remove the label but it's not crucial. You will also need some vellum paper. I found some with a small white hail-spot but plain vellum would be fine, too.

2. Open a page in Microsoft Publisher or similar program in landscape format. Next, measure the height of the bottle, not including the top dispenser pump. Also roughly measure the distance around the bottle.

3. Create a box in your Publisher page with these dimensions. Depending on the size of your bottles, you should fit a couple of these box shapes onto one A4 sheet.  Insert the downloaded image of Clean hands etc in the centre of your created box re-sizing as necessary. 

4. Place a text box at the top of the inserted image and add the name of your volunteer. Repeat for all your helpers/volunteers. Print the completed labels onto the vellum paper.

5. Cut out each printed label box and wrap around each bottle. Secure with a small piece of tape at the back.

I also downloaded the 'Hands Down- you are the Best Around' tags from eighteen25.  

Print off these tags, punch a hole in each and thread through a bright ribbon.
Tie around the neck of your sanitiser bottles and give to your volunteers, not just to thank them, but also to highlight the importance of their helping hands/their role in kidmin.

The start of a new year.. it's been a wonderful holiday break and I'm slowly easing back into things. I guess by now, you're doing the same thing. Why not start off the new year with a small gift for your kidmin families- a printed 2014 calendar? Print off multiple copies onto light-weight card. You could even add a magnet on the back so that it can go on the frig.

You can download the free calendar below. There are two file formats: one is a pdf and the other, jpg image file, so that you could insert it in a Publisher file and add some additional details if you wish- church logo, web address etc.

Not only is it a useful gift, it also keeps your contact information handy for your church or visiting families.