Talking to Kids about Halloween

     It's that time of year again. And no matter how you feel about Halloween, the reality is that Halloween has become a cultural institution and most families think it's no big deal. To the contrary, many families build it into an opportunity to spend some family time and have some inexpensive fun. Most or all of the kids in your ministry will likely participate in some sort Halloween related activity no matter what the church may have to say about it. That's what I'm facing in my 3rd-4th midweek small group.

     Now don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that the battle is lost or that the church should completely embrace Halloween as a means to an end. I do not believe that at all. But when my 3rd graders are excitedly planning their costumes and their parents and schools are encouraging safe, clean Halloween fun at every turn, what do I tell them? How do I turn this into an opportunity to teach them about God?

     The folks at What's in the Bible? have posted some great resources for Kidmins who find themselves in positions like mine or are looking for a better way to deal with Halloween culture issues this year.

Halloween: the Meaning, History and Christian Response  More seasoned Kidmins, I'm sure, have done their homework on this already; but for those of us who still don't know how Halloween got started in the first place, here is the article to help. This blog post gives an in-depth history of Halloween and an overview of how Christians respond to Halloween, as well as pointing out some great teaching opportunities you can make use of during this holiday.

How to Talk to Your Kids About Halloween This article was really helpful to me in thinking about how to talk to my class about making Halloween a chance to glorify God and not the world. Brief History of All Saint's Day included.

Costume and Candy Pack And finally, this is a free PDF download from WITB?. All you do is type in your email and you'll receive the simple download in your inbox. The pack is perfect for Halloween alternatives and for equipping both church and parents for family outreach. 

The pack includes:

• Ideas and printables for dressing up like your favorite WITB? characters 
• Labels you can put on candy or giveaways that have a web link to a WITB? Gospel message
• An activity page about All Saints Day.

Hopefully these resources can help us all improve our Halloween game plan this year. 

Thank you What's in the Bible? from a humble, small group teacher. 

Talking as if God is in the Room

When you teach, do you talk as if God is in the room?

     Our brains can multitask but they truly excel when their focus is directed to one thing at a time. When we teach, we capitalize on this fact by trying to organize our material into sections and present it one piece at a time with obvious transitions in between. We want that main point to stick so we zero in on that topic and follow it up with reinforcing activities.
     That's often how I approach my 3rd/4th grade Bible study: read scriptures on topic; talk about the meaning; do something fun to help us remember.

While that may be affective, Christianity is not about topics like faith, temptation, or how to deal with anger or peer pressure - it's about Christ. It easy to get too focused on the main point of our lesson and forget to recognize its true Author teaching it with us. When we talk about God, do we talk about what he did or what He does? Do we talk about Him as if He's is out there waiting for us or here presently with us?

Kids need to know that God is real and present with us at all times. How can we make them aware of God's presence while we teach?

Be aware of God's presence yourself -  Recognize God's spirit with you as you teach. Look for the ways God is moving here and now.

Emphasize prayer - Talk to God not just about God.

Encourage kids to look for God themselves - Help them identify ways God is working during class time and also how He will be with them when they leave.