“Houston…we have a problem!” If you’ve been a KidMin leader for any length of time, you’ve probably wanted to say something like this. Unfortunately, most of us are flying solo and don’t have a ground control to call into. Kids are great and well behaved most of the time, but problems still occur. Here are some things you can do to help prevent or address problems: Establish rules. If you haven’t already, work with your leaders to come up with a short list of rules for the

"Uhg! This doesn't look anything like the picture on the box!" I've said this more than a few times. And it's my own fault. That's because I'm more likely to use the instruction manual to figure out where things went wrong than I am to get it right in the first place. "Wow! That's a beautiful chaise lounge!" "Why thank you. It's supposed to be a computer desk." Of course, I could save myself a whole lot of time and trouble if I just paused for a moment and read the

Have you ever had a Sunday morning in KidMin where it felt like you were teaching to a room full of squirrels? Most of us probably have! Sometimes it might seem like every parent fed their kids Red Bull and Pixie Sticks before dropping them off. More often, though, you might have one or two kids who consistently struggle to stay still and pay attention. If that's the case for you, you're not alone! According to the CDC, 11% of American children have Attention Deficit Hyperac

Many years ago, when I was on the KidMin team at Willow Creek, I had the opportunity to teach a number of breakout sessions at the Promiseland Conference. After one of those sessions, an older man (maybe 70 years or so) approached me and through teary eyes, shared a story that I still think about often. He said that when he was kid, he had behavior problems--at school, at home, and especially at church. He hated going to church and made no secret of it. Almost every weeken