Australia holds Grandparents Day on different dates determined by the state: NSW will celebrate it this year (2012) on Sunday, October 28; QLD- November 3. But the sentiments are the same- an expression of recognition, love and thanks for their ongoing support, encouragement and nurture of our families.

So.. what do kids think about grandparents?

'Grandpas and Grandmas like to play games with grandchildren, listen to them tell what happened in the park and at school and answer questions. They especially like to read stories to grandchildren from big books with lots of pictures.'

'Grandmas and grandpas are older than mothers and fathers. They usually have grey hair or white hair. Sometimes grandpas have no hair at all, but that's alright because grandpas don't need to use a hairbrush and comb every morning.'

'Grandma lives at the airport and whenever we need her, we just go and pick her up.'

The Bible highlights the importance of age and wisdom,too. Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. (Prov16:31)  Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. (Job 12:12)

Celebrate this special event with your children's ministry and church family with some of these activities:
* Special diplomas for the kids to complete and hand to their grandparents... here
* Print off this special booklet of things to do with your grandchildren to give to the grandparents on Grandparents Day...here (Ensure your printer settings are on 'booklet' before printing.)
* Show one of these grandparents day clips... see below
* Print off the Grandparents Day table decorations and present a special morning-tea for everyone, especially the grandparents, following the service. See file below.

Do you ever have those moments when you've finished your lesson program, big church is still  going, and the kids are growing restless and unsettled? Don't panic!

Talk Starters from Group is an iPhone or iPad app that encourages kids to actively open up and discuss fun topics like 'What do you think heaven is like?' or 'Would you rather be Daniel facing hungry lions or David facing an angry Goliath?'

You can choose to display questions sequentially or randomly. Hand the iPad or iPhone to a child to shake for the discussion question. Once the question is read, everyone can be involved in answering and discussing the topic before progressing to the next question. 

If you have more space or require an activity with more energy, try Group's Throw and Tell Attention-Grabber Ball. This works in a similar fashion but questions are chosen by throwing the ball to each other until told to stop. Then read the question closest to the child's right or left thumb (or whatever you decide to use.) 

Empowering Kids Inc has produced Kids Table Topics to Go, a box of interesting questions for kids to generate discussions in groups, during lessons or at the table. Questions such as 'What would be a good flavour for toothpaste? and 'What's your favourite board game?' really starts kids talking. My grandchildren are still discussing the 'If you could be a superhero which special power would you choose?' question.

Check them out and keep these helpful talk starters handy for those unexpected moments when you need to extend your lesson or just for fun!



 

Just as an update on last week's post about games for children's ministry, Children's Ministry Deals is offering five free games that you can use with your Sunday morning or mid-week program with kids. And, it includes suggestions for a tie-in with your content. Check out the list below and then head on over to Children's Ministry Deals.

Check out these five fun games and what lesson they can lead to:
Eating Lemons- learn how repeating sin can hurt us
Mr. Potato Head Beauty Pageant- We were created in the image of our Creator
2-Liter Field Goal- Learn to be content with what you have
Ultimate Oreos- This Oreo stack is a great transition to the Tower of Babel or learning to build on a firm foundation
Win Lose Tie- What has you tied in knots? Sin? Fear? Worry? 

Minute to Win It series has been hugely popular, possibly because everyone likes a challenge but they are task challenges that everyone can attempt at home. Naturally, there are spin-off board games, dvds and card games and you can check out the NBC list and instructions of their Minute-to-Win-It games here.

But, Childrens-Ministry-Deals is offering a special downloadable collection of 110 'Minute-to-Win-It' games for children's ministry for $97. (See here..) The downloadable pdf includes Game title, Supply list, Instructions and possible discussion topics. They include a sample that you can download before you purchase and I've included one of these sample games below.

But if, like me, you can't afford the cost of this downloadable, there are other options. 
Parent Information Centre has a list of Minute to Win It party games for kids that you could use and adapt for your purposes.  See here..
Summer Camp Program Director lists their Top 10 'Minute-to-Win-It' games that are perfect for games at camp ... see here
Ministry-to-Children have their own list of top 'Minute-to-Win-It' games.. see here..
And.. here is another list of Minute-to-Win-It party games that you can use with kids... see here..
Have fun!