{Kids Under 2} Parent Cue:: October 2012

Do you have a child under 2yrs old? Here is a Parent Cue for you called "Parent Time". Short thought provoking cards to help you parent with intentionality. We want to help you get a head start on Parenting with the End in mind. Take a look :

Parent Time

(Click to download PDF)

A Letter from A New Life Parent

Recently a parent from New Life wrote us this letter about the Parent Cue's that we give out monthly.  I wanted to share it with our parents and volunteers because it's both encouraging and inspiring. Enjoy!

Dear Rosie,

Just wanted to reach out and say thanks to you and your kids ministry team.  Let me explain why I'm particularly thankful.

A few weeks ago one of your team members gave me a Parent Cue.  I've seen these sheets of paper in the past but this time I wanted to read every single word on the page.  I was particularly motivated because I had been thinking about what I can do with my kids as we observe our Sabbath.

The Parent Cue gave me great ideas!  My favorite one was how it suggested taking Isaiah 1:17 and singing it to the tune of "farmer in the dell" and then singing it with your child.

So first I looked up the verse and I started singing it to myself and in seconds had it memorized because of the tune.  I then sang it to my kids as we played and sang it to them as I gave them a shower and soon enough they were singing it as well!

We were also given immediate opportunity to apply the verse since my two kids started to fight over some toys.  Learning to do what's right came in handy.

So that's it.  Thanks again to you and your team!  But that one little act of giving out resources you made a deposit into the spiritual atmosphere in the Sevilla home.

Redd Sevilla
Parent of a Toddler & a Preschooler

Why Orange?

Some of you may be wondering. . . What's up with the Kids Ministry always talking about oranges? Why Orange? What's the deal?

Great question! Here's the quick version:

{Preschool} Jesus is my good Friend!

Jesus wants to be my friend forever. Isn’t that AMAZING? He wants to be MY friend. He wants to be YOUR friend. Jesus wants to be my friend, forever. What a life-changing truth. What a foundational truth. What an awesome thing to put in the hearts of our preschoolers.

{Elementary} April: "Puzzled"- Hope

Our theme this month is Puzzled: Believing There’s a Bigger Picture. In all of our lives, there are times when we can only see one piece of what’s going on, and it can be hard to picture something good coming out of it.

As we get ready to celebrate Easter, we’ll define HOPE as believing that something good can come out of something bad. We’ll look at five different Bible stories focusing on Jesus and some of the people who knew Him best.

Watch this video as a tool to get you ready to talk to your kids about what they are learning about this month at New Life Kids!

We Believe!

Kids ask a lot of questions!

Some are easy like... Are we there yet? and Why do I have to take a bath?

Some are harder like... Do frogs go to heaven? and How does God hear me when I pray?

If your child is asking questions about faith, we'd like to help!
If you want to engage your kids in conversations about faith and aren't sure how, we'd like to help!

January @ New Life Kids {Parent Cue}

Hi Parents!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's a new year and a new month.  And that means we have NEW THEMES in our Preschool (Nursery, Toddler & Preschoolers) and Elementary (K-5th grade) environments.

At New Life Kids we want to give you tools, tips and Cues for different ways you can have conversations about the things of God in your home with your kids. You can piggy back off of what the kids are learning at church and do your own family time devotions, and even take advantage of some of the games and converstion starters we provide for you every month (via Parent Cue sheets).

In the mean time a good place to start is here on this blog. Take a few moments to watch these videos and see what kids will be learning this month with their Small Group Leaders and Storytellers:

Parents of Preschoolers and Toddlers watch this!

Parents of Elementary kids watch this!

{Elementary} "Wrapped Up" Top Secret Site

Our Top Secret Site for Christmas!

Since we will not have Elementary Programing for kids in Elementary school we've created this website where they will be able to hear the bible story online!

The only thing is... they will need a TOP SECRET Code to view it.  So, on December 18th we'll be giving them a TOP SECRET envelope with the code and other fun activities they can do at home and/or at church on Christmas morning!

Visit the site at www.nlkidstopsecret.blogspot.com

Our Holiday E-Newsletter is Here!

Find out what is happening and what's coming up at New Life Kids!

Here's what's in this Issue:

• December & January themes for Preschool & Elementary ministry
• The latest on snacks @ New Life Kids Elementary Ministry
• What to do if your child has questions about Jesus, salvation and getting baptized
• December giveaways
• Parent, Kid and Family Resources
• And much more!

I Wish Every Parent Knew...

 I Wish Every Parent Knew… that we have an awesome curriculum for your child!  New Life Kids for your preschooler NOT babysitting.  We have a plan to help your preschooler learn three basic truths while they are in our environments.  These three truths will help your child build a strong foundation that will stick with them for their entire lives. We want your child to have a friendship with God that will last forever. And it begins now in their preschool years.  We want your child to know these three truths:

Effective Family Time

 

The goal for effective family time is to focus on at least a few ways to connect with your kids.  It can feel a bit overwhelming when trying to establish family time in your home. So, what things can help you cultivate meaningful, yet simple family times?

{Elementary} What's My Kid Learning!?

Ever wonder what curriculum we are using for kids K-5th grade?  Well, wonder no more. We use a curriculum called 252 Basics. We consider it more of a strategy than a curriculum. It's all a part of this think we call THINKING ORANGE. But I digress.

What is it?

Elementary-age kids are in a constant state of discovery. Think about all the different things they are trying for the first time and what they’re learning every day, even how to make (and keep) friends.

How can we tap into the way kids are naturally wired to discover‚ so they can begin to experience for themselves who God is, how He sees them and how much He loves them?

How can we show them God’s big story and help them discover the active part they can play in this life-long adventure, to be more like Him?

252 BASICS curriculum and resources PROVOKE DISCOVERY, inviting kids to live out their new understanding of how to grow in relationship with God and with others.

Thinking Orange PROVOKES DISCOVERY in the heart of a child.

Here is an overview or the Big Picture of what we are teaching your kids using 252 Basics:

 or Download the PDF here.

{Preschool} October- Fantastically Made! (Video)

We want our preschoolers to know without a doubt that their heavenly Father made them and adores them. We want our preschoolers to know that God made them wonderfully. He made them with a plan and a purpose. He made them to praise Him. God made them, each and every

{Elementary} October- Imagine That! (Video)

In this preview, Reggie Joiner (curriculum writer/director) explains how CREATIVITY is a reflection of God’s character working in us to change the world around us. He then explores how

{Preschool} God Can help me do ANYTHING! (Video)

Anything!

Fall is a time of change, and with that change often comes uncertainty. "What if my teacher doesn't like me? What if my friends won't play with me? What if mom forgets my snack?" Well, that's the uncertainty in the lives of our preschoolers. What about the uncertainty in our adult lives? "What if I don't have enough volunteers for promotion Sunday? What if the parents don't like the new curriculum? What if nobody shows up?" Do those what-if's sound familiar?

{Elementary} September- Grow Up! (Video added)

 Knowledge

Have you ever noticed that when you ask a kid a question in church, their default answer, if they don’t really know the answer, will be “God?” Or coming in a close second—hand frantically waving in the air—“Jesus!”

And really, most questions can be answered in some way with God or Jesus. That’s because God is the ultimate source of knowledge—and that’s the characteristic of God we’re learning about this month as we kick off a new school year. It’s in the story of God that we find the character of God, so we’re headed to the Gospel of Luke to learn from His Son, Jesus, as He grew up.

Did you know that the Bible only gives us one story and one comment on the life of Jesus from the time He was a preteen until He’s a thirty-something starting His ministry? It’s our memory verse for the month (Luke 2:52) and it tells us that Jesus spent time studying God’s Word, and that He grew in His relationship with God, in His ability to make wise choices and in His ability to love others.

{Preschool} God Knows What's Best for Me!

Hello Preschool Parents!
(That's any parent with a Toddler-Preschooler)

God knows what's best for me. He does. That's easy to say, isn't it? He knows best. The Bible says so. We see example after example of it in both stories of old and our friends' lives. However, when we're in the middle of a trial, when we have to make the hard choice rather than the easy one, that's when it's hard to see. Even then, God knows what's best.

{Preschool} Car Time Activity- June 2011

This Sunday our Toddler's Preschoolers and Kindergarteners learned that the Bible teaches me about God!

{Elementary} The Faith Flyers

Last Sunday (6/5/11), we gave out "Faith Flyers" (pictured above) to kids in our 1-3rd grade environment.  They were such a big hit that we ran out!  Kids from other environments were trying to get them as well! Kindergarteners as well as 4th & 5th Graders. It was crazy!
If you are a parent with a kid in 1-5th Grade and your child didn't get one, maybe they didn't come this past Sunday, you're probably wondering "Where can I get one for my kid(s)?"

{Preschool} Play Time Activity for June- Week 1

This past Sunday Toddlers, Preschoolers and Kindergarteners learned that because God loves them, He will teach them what they need to do.  They even hear the story of the 10 Commandments!