It’s been more than a year in the making, so it is with great excitement that today we officially launch our new Kairos Quest children’s curriculum that begins teaching kids many of the tools we use in helping to a build a discipling culture. You can download a month of the curriculum for free by clicking here, or you can purchase the whole curriculum by clicking here.

AND NOW ONTO THE BLOG POST…….

There are precious things that we all have in our houses. Things we care about and are irreplaceable. MOVE THEM! Don’t be embarrassed about that. Just move it up high and then everyone can relax. Particularly for people that are new to the MC. You’re really doing them a service so they aren’t jumping every time the kids walk by the family antique or priceless vase.

What are the off-limit rooms? Explain where you are OK with the kids going and not going BEFORE you begin. You don’t want to have to jump up in the middle of MC to keep kids from going in there. Make the people who are in your house at ease. People like boundaries, particularly with kids.

Don’t have breakable cups for children. But don’t have the solo plastic red cups that tip over easily. Just invest a few dollars in some good plastic cups for kids.

Make sure the house is child-proof. You really do have to think of this. These guys are coming into your house and you may not have to think about it, but parents want to know that it’s safe for their kids to be there.

Freedom and framework. Here’s what we are trying to say in the way that we raise children: Freedom comes within a framework. We want the kids to be free. We want them to enjoy the time in the MC. But they are only going to enjoy it if the parents are relaxed and there is freedom they can enjoy within a framework.

Get stuff ready ahead of time. You don’t want to be getting the chairs sorted when 20+ children show up. Have age appropriate toys ready or that people are bringing. Familiarity gives them a rhythm which helps them relax and calm down. (And as a word to the wise…probably not any noisy toys except for the noise makers in the worship box). Having people come ahead of time who are new to help set up…that’s a GREAT way to get to know new people. They want to help and it’s an easy way for them to help and you to get to know them.

Everybody’s parenting style is different. You aren’t trying to incorporate all the styles in one go. You just say, “Hey, this is how we’re doing it tonight.” Some people are OK with kids going to bed at midnight. Some people put their kids to bed at 5pm. You don’t want to judge them. Particularly with single parents or in urban areas, you see parents that are under a bit more stress.

Often people who are running MC’s in their homes have kids of their own. If you do, prep your own kids before the other kids come. Are their special toys they don’t want to share? Do they need to be given instructions on sharing the other toys? What the night will be like with more kids? Why you are opening your house? Maybe talk to them about it afterwards. What did they like? Not like? What did they sense was happening in the night? Maybe help them reach out to their friends by encouraging them to bring a friend a week. It helps give them an understanding of a long-term view of mission even if they can’t understand it yet. They get to build relationships, make friends and they are community together.

Bring the kids for the OUT experiences. Whether you’re cleaning up a park, visiting a nursing home, throwing a party, the kids should be in on it. Allow them into the planning as well!

Learn the kids’ names. It’ll bless the child, but it’ll also bless the parents. And not just their name. Remember things that are happening in their life. They had a ballet recital…how’d it go? It means so much to them.