Craft Time Tips & Hints

All kid’s like to make things.
A good craft activity can become part of your promotion to get children back for the next day (or next week). Also, a good craft will usually remain around the home of the child long after the club is over.

Always make crafts that have Bible verses on them.
It is usually a long time before a parent will throw away a child’s craft. The constant exposure to a Bible verse can plant seeds in a parent.

Try to coordinate the crafts with the Bible stories.
It is not always possible, but it can help reinforce the lesson.

Be prepared to have age appropriate crafts for different age levels.
It works best if you can group younger and older kids together. Some crafts can be done by all ages, but modify or change the crafts for younger kids if needed. Plan to have plenty of helpers for younger kids and for more difficult crafts.

Craft time is a great way to utilize non-mission team helpers - like moms and teens.
Look around to see who is available but not ingaged in another activity. Ask them to help with craft time. Even people who are just "on-lookers" are often willing to help... but you must ask them to help! Don't wait for them to volunteer. Actually, even if you don't need help in craft time, it is a great opportunity to make a good contact with parents and others!

Try not to do multiple-day crafts.
It is frustrating for both the child and the teacher if a kid shows up on the last day of a multiple day craft. It is also disappointing when a child can not attend everyday of the club to finish his project. There are exceptions to this rule of course, but not many. If you do plan a craft that will take more than one day, always make several extra samples for the child that misses the previous day(s).

Always have a completed example to show the kids.
Show the kids what their craft should (or could) look like when their finished. Even if all they are doing is coloring, have a finished example to show. It also helps your craft helpers to know what needs to be done. Also, it is a good idea to have a sample of tomorrows craft to show the kids. This helps them want to come back.

Don’t let craft time be used as a time killer.
Try to create crafts that the kids will really enjoy. A good craft should be used for promotion to bring back kids on the following day. (i.e.: hold up a craft and show the kids what they will be making and encourage them to come back.)

Begin building a library for your resources and crafts.
When you find a great craft somewhere, copy it and add it to your collection. There are many excellent books designed for Biblical crafts. Sunday school lessons, VBS, AWANA, magazines and even school projects are good places to get ideas.

Share the wealth!
If you found a great craft craft idea or project, let us know so we can add it to our collection of ideas. We also want great tips and hints for craft time. Make sure it isn"t copyrited before you submit it please. To submit an idea, click on the link on the left column.