I don't have to do it this week. And neither do I have to organise it for next week. But sooner or later, I'll have to prepare and present a family ministry or kidmin report. And... I would imagine that you will have to, too, some time or other.

It's something that I dread, not because I'm not excited about everything that's happening in our kidmin programs. Rather, it's the difficulty of presenting so much information in a way that will grab the attention and communicate our passion for children's ministry and the importance of the task to many who are not actively involved in ministry to children and families. And.. it usually takes me  f-o-r-e-v-e-r to prepare such a report, along with the realisation that some will not read it anyway. ( This post includes an affiliate link.)

How about planning and presenting with a mood board 
So..... rather than staring blankly at the computer screen (or your tablet or notebook) and wondering how to start, why not create a mood board?

What is it?  
A mood board is a collection of images, textures, colours and text that relate to a something in particular. It might be a project, a holiday, a room renovation.... or a children's ministry. It's a type of collage and it can be physical or digital. You may decide to create a mood board in your office or work area as a daily reminder of the tasks you wish to accomplish for the month. But, if you're planning to create a mood board as a report or review, you'll probably be looking at a digital version. 

A mood board helps you, and your audience, visually focus on the important events and highlights of the month/term.
 I've included a sample below:

Each of the images on the mood board corresponds to an aspect of your children's ministry that you may wish to highlight. It has real impact as an introduction and an overview and you can add more detail if you wish or simply finish by outlining your vision for the next few months along with some points for prayer that you would appreciate in relation to your ministry and your team.

So.... how do you go about creating a digital mood board?

PicMonkey    One of the easiest online programs to use is PicMonkey. The free version works well and gives you plenty of options. Just choose to create a collage and online helps will assist you to create a wonderful mood board illustration. You can choose how many images you want to include, the layout, background colour, rounded corners, text and much more. Check it out and give it a go. You'll probably find it's a lot of fun! 

Apps to try..
You can also create a mood board layout on your iPad or tablet. I've been using Moldiv.

FrameArtist is another really good app. Both images and text can be added to your collage. In fact, there are so many great apps that you may find it hard to choose. Let me know if you find one that's especially good.

Once you've created your mood board layout and image, add it to your working page, or to powerpoint, and add any text that you wish to include. (I create a huge amount of my designs and work pages using powerpoint. You can format your page size to suit your needs, it's easy to work with and you can save it as pdf.)

Another helpful option for your mood board, is to use it as your computer or iPad wallpaper. It's a great reminder of all you want to accomplish through the month or term. Use it, as well, as other means of communication with your team. Email them all a copy to highlight your plans and vision and as a note of inspiration.

June... almost halfway through the year and filled with amazing days with wonderful opportunities to connect with kids, families and the community. Now, the Sunday programs provide plenty of opportunity to focus on faith and family. But why not extend your reach during the week? Highlight special days throughout June that families will note with appreciation. There are all sorts of fun days mixed throughout this month, too. I missed, 'Go Barefoot Day' and 'Say Something Nice Day' on June 1s. That would have been a great focus for families for the start of June. And, 'Rocky road Day on the June 2. (I'm not sure how to tell my husband, a real chocoholic, about that one. Oops!) Take a look at the rest of the month and see how many ways you can connect throughout the week, and not just on Sundays.

JUNE 1-5      WILD ONESIE WEEK  
Temperatures are dropping  daily here in Australia so wearing Onesies sounds a wonderful idea. If you're holding kidmin programs this week, it would add a real interest value to encourage everyone to wear their onesie. Perhaps you could award a prize for the most 'out-there' onesie.

JUNE 4               FROZEN YOGHURT DAY
Yum! What a delicious day! Add a bit of fun to this day by popping a short yoghurt quiz on your kidmin social media. How about, ' What flavour yoghurt are you quiz'? This would be a wonderful opportunity to add some fun for others within your community. Why not package up a variety of frozen fruit yoghurts and drop them off at the local emergency services centre with a big 'thank you' card for their work in the community.

JUNE 5               WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
Highlight this day with some video clips and activities from Answers in Genesishere. Link to them on your kidmin social media and perhaps suggest some of the science and environment activities and crafts listed on the site.

JUNE 8               WORLD OCEANS DAY
World Oceans Day serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the health and beauty of the oceans of the world. We need no reminder of the wonder of God's creation, but you could highlight this by sharing some of the photos from last year's World Oceans Day photography competition. You can find these wonderful photoshere.. You can also find some fun activities and resources to download and use courtesy of the kids' program, Octonauts,here- activities plus social media resources.

JUNE 12            NATIONAL BUDDY DAY (AUS)
Buddy Day is an initiative to encourage kids and teams to band together and reduce instances of bullying within schools. Activities and a resource toolbox can be obtained from the Buddy Day website.

JUNE 15-21       INTERNATIONAL MEN'S HEALTH WEEK
This month has a strong focus on men and families. So.. what can you do to encourage and support men and their crucial role within families? How about presenting aWild Game Night with plenty of food, fun and friendly tournaments along with an inspirational speaker? Or for a more laid-back approach- show a relevant Christian movie for guys. There are plenty to choose from. See here...

JUNE 20            WORLD REFUGEE DAY
It's been reported that there are over 50 million refugees throughout the world and half of them are women and children. This is a huge issue. We've all watched in horror as overcrowded boats flounder in rough seas as they seek safe haven. As individuals, we may feel inadequate to help in this overwhelming situation. But we can pray. The Salvation Army has produceda prayer guide to assist with meaningful prayer for these people and you may wish to print it or highlight these prayer points particularly on this day as you and your kidmin and leaders pray for these displaced and suffering people.

JUNE 26            SIDS RED NOSE DAY 
Highlight Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by wearing a red nose. It has been estimated that this focus and the subsequent fund-raising has saved the lives of over 6,500 babies across Australia.  Wear a red nose and support families and this special awareness day.

JUNE 30            SOCIAL MEDIA DAY
If you're not using social media for your kidmin, this might be the day to look into it. Why not start with this article about why every children's ministry needs a social media presence. Dale Hudson writes on7 Social Media trends your children's ministry needs to know about. And, I've included some images for this month that you might like to post on your social media throughout this month. Just click on each image and save. ..or find the file on the online store.

Research is incredibly time-consuming. And yet research is an important part of children's ministry- checking out new or updated curriculum releases, finding exciting games that will reinforce a lesson point or concept, fun crafts or science experiments that will remind kids of the lesson and live with them beyond the hour or so at church, outreach events, training materials, admin forms, and so much more. I feel tired just thinking of it all.

So.. our New Chapter online store now lists all our free resources- or it will soon. I'm still in the process of uploading the materials and images. 

But the concept is simple- instead of searching the New Chapter website for something that you remember reading just recently, you can now go straight to the store and check under the appropriate category for the resource. 

And yes, there is a Freebie category. Currently, you find Free Resources, Books and Newsletters, Kidmin Fun, Training, Planning and Admin listed.  Events and Decorations, Crafts and Games, Outreach and Family categories will be added shortly. More ideas and resources are planned so link with our social media for updates about these resources. The New Chapter newsletter will be sent some free resources exclusively so it's a good idea to head over to sign up.

So... if you'd like an early look at the materials being added to the online store, use the link below.