Get connected to others serving Christ through Children's Ministry.
Karyn Henley Resources
Information
A connecting place for users of Karyn Henley's curriculum, videos, children's Bibles, seminars and podcasts.
Website: http://karynhenley.com
Location: Nashville, TN
Members: 12
Latest Activity: Mar 3
Karyn Henley
Dear friend,
Ahh! Summer is (unofficially) here. Our family plans to take our annual trip from Tennessee to Texas to be with my three younger sisters and their families. Over the years, our children have grown up to have families of their own, so it’s rare to be able to get everyone together at one time. But we try. I hope you, too, will have time this summer to relax and visit with family and friends.
Life really is all about relationships, and our primary responsibility with children is to give them the skills they need to establish and maintain healthy relationships with God and people, growing “in favor with God and man.” But in order to give those skills, we must live those skills. Which means that those of us in the classroom must place a high priority on building relationships with the children we serve. I often ask teachers, “Do you go into the classroom to teach the material or to teach the children?” There’s a big difference. Sometimes in our efforts to cover the material, we neglect the children.
My hope is that the curricula I write will encourage teachers to build a positive relationship with children. To help teachers do this, I try to write material that is age-appropriate. For example, I know that preschoolers don’t understand the flow of time, so I don’t present the Bible stories in order. Preschoolers are very interested in preschool concepts – mommy and daddy, pets, colors, nature, food, houses and rooms, transportation. So I take preschoolers through Bible stories by using themes to drive the train.
When children start into first and second grade, they better understand “first this happened, then that.” Sequence. Time order. Chronology. So I go through the Bible stories in order. There are still themes that relate to daily life, but the story or scripture drives the train. With older children, I do a mixture of both. I’m convinced that they need an in-depth study of Jesus’ life, the most important chronological coomponent for upper elementary grades. But they also need thematic studies – on prayer, worship, other religions, and apologetics (why believe in Jesus).
But other factors make a curriculum age-appropriate, and those factors bring us back to relationship: 1) age-appropriate activities, 2) the conversation or discussion that goes along with the activities. I wrote in my last letter that I hope after teaching each quarter of my curriculum, a teacher will be better trained to teach again. That’s because as a teacher does the activities with the children and engages in the discussion included in the activities, she or he learns how to relate to children at that age level, how to talk with children, how to listen to children, and how to enjoy the company of children.
We’ll discuss talking with children in the next newsletter. ‘Til then: Have a happy June!
Karyn
Discussion Forum
Start a Discussion
Nobody has added any discussions yet! Add a discussion to get started.
Comment Wall (5 comments)
Add a Comment
5 Comments
-
Comment by Tammy Adams on November 25, 2008 at 9:50am -
I have been using the Day by Day Kid's Bible for a couple of years now. I assist with Parent/Child Dedication services and I give parents one of these Bibles to read to their child at each service. The parents have really enjoyed them.
We have also taken the Foundations curriculum and adapted it for 6th graders. We are taking our 6th graders through the Bible during their last year in Children's Ministry. The leader of this group loves the material! Thank you for developing such wonderful tools for us to use as we lead our children.
I heard you speak at the International Children's Pastor's Conference last year and really got a sense of your calling in regards to helping children learn about and love Jesus. Your heart shows through in your work, thank you for being God-led.
-
Comment by Trisha Joy on November 21, 2008 at 12:38pm - One of the classes I teach is called Kingdom Kids. It consists of second through sixth graders who meet Sunday evenings for their own type of "youth group". I have been alternating quarters using both Karyn Henley's Foundations curriculum and Susan Lingo's Power Builders curriculum. The kids love it, and so do I! Thank you so much for such a valuable resource! God Bless!
-
Comment by Kristi West on November 17, 2008 at 4:47pm - Greetings! I am Karyn Henley's office manager. I've worked for Karyn and Ralph over 12 years. This is my trust sidekick, Bandit. Just thought I'd say hello to everyone and give a big thank you to all of our loyal customers (and new ones too)!
-
Comment by Mary Lynn Wooters on November 12, 2008 at 8:41am - Welcome to cmconnect!! Your resources and experience in children's ministy has been a blessing to my family and to the children I have had the privelege of ministering to over the past 15+ years. I am excited that other CMs have the opportunity to learn more about your print and media resources and your seminars. You guys do a great work and touch lots of little hearts. God bless!
-
Comment by Ralph Henley on November 11, 2008 at 5:22pm - Welcome! Karyn and I invite you to tell us what your experience has been with our Christan ed products. Tell us what you like and what you don't like. We'll pretend we can handle it!
Members (12)
© 2009 Created by Michael Chanley
You need to be a member of Karyn Henley Resources to add comments!