Ideas... Ideas... Ideas... from Barnabas

Barnabas is here to resource you in your work with children under eleven. One way we do this is to offer you ideas to use and adapt for your group, church or school. Each of the pages below outlines one ready-made idea or skill, and can be printed out for you amarnd your team.

New ideas posted this month
Art and drama
Assemblies
Basics
The Bible
Bible stories, themes and characters
Christian Year
Connecting Churches and Schools
Early Years
God in the Home
More ideas from A-Cross the World
Prayer
Worship with children present

New ideas posted for this month

Story time with Barnabas includes:

Thingamajig from heaven (mp3) from The Lord's Prayer Unplugged by Lucy Moore, pages 54-55 - the story of God's provision of manna and quails in the desert (Exodus 16: 1-21) read by Lucy Moore
Unstoppable great-granny Anna (mp3) from Footsteps to the Feast by Martyn Payne, pages 53-55 - the story of Jesus presented in the temple from Anna's perspective (Luke 2:22-38), read by Martyn Payne
The lost sheep (mp3) from The Gospels Unplugged by Lucy Moore, pages 91-92 - Matthew 18: 10-14, read by Graham Nunn
Adam and Eve (mp3) from The Lord's Prayer Unplugged by Lucy Moore, pages 44-45 - the story of disobedience in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3) read by the Barnabas Team
Naughty Nora cleans up (mp3) from The Adventures of Naughty Nora by Stephen Cottrell, pages 10-16, on the theme of 'washing isn't just about getting rid of dirt', read by Lynda Ward
Jonah and the big fish (mp3) from The Barnabas Book of Bible Stories by Su Box, pages 48-49 - the story of the book of Jonah, read by Jane Butcher
The Little Black Book (mp3), previously published in Living Stories - Good Neighbours by Chris Hudson (National Society, 2000), reproduced with permission - the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), read by Chris Hudson

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Art and Drama

Assemblies

See the wide range of Assembly ideas on our primary schools' website www.barnabasinschools.org.uk
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Basics

Drama groups
Once a term fun clubs
Organising a children's event
A special event or holiday club for children
Starting children's work
Starting Godly Play
Talking about a Bible story
Thinking about children
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The Bible

An Alphabet Gospel (1) Things Jesus Said
An Alphabet Gospel (2) Places Jesus Went
An Alphabet Gospel (3) People Jesus Met
Bible anagrams
Bible headlines to use in quiz
Bible Riddles
Bible Story Ice Breaker
Big story of the Bible in mime
Books in the Bible - a presentation
Books of the Bible as God's autobiography - an activity
Bring on a Barnabas!
Creative ways into any Bible story
Even More Bible Riddles
Exploring Bible Stories with Children
Games to exercise the mind
Games to start a session
Games on Themes
Funny facts about biblical characters
Further ideas for two people sketches about the Bible
How God speaks through the Bible stories - a presentation
Images to describe the Bible - an activity
More Bible Riddles
Passing on the Bible - a game
Pray through the Bible
Promises, Promises
Promises kept
Promises shared
Promises received
Talking about a Bible story
The Bible in Stones - a reflective story
Three Bible games
Walking on water
Warm-up exercise workout based on the books of the Bible
Ways to describe the Bible - a game
A Wondering Cube
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Bible stories, themes and characters

Peter's Story
Prayer based on the gifts of God
The prodigal - a reflective story
Psalm 1 - The Choice
Psalm 2 - God rules, OK
Psalm 3 - The Cry
Psalm 4 - God thoughts
Psalm 5 - Take it to the Lord
Psalm 6 - Tears in the night
Psalm 7 - It's not fair
Psalm 8 - You're a star!
Psalm 9 - Something to shout about
Psalm 10
Psalm 139 - our specialness to God
Psalms - a celebration psalm
Psalms - an easy-to-learn psalm
Psalms - a prayerful psalm
Psalms - a special psalm day
Psalms - drama from the psalms
Psalms - games with the psalms
Psalms - the pilgrim psalms
Psalms - sculpting the shepherd psalm
Psalms - ways into the psalms with children
The Pearl of Great Price: The Precious Gift - Jesus tells of the great pearl
The Prodigal Son - a big story with participation
The rainbow that nearly wasn't
Revelation - John's final work - a reflective story
The rich fool
Rich young ruler
Rich young ruler 2
Romans 8 - Salvation Unwrapped
Ruth 1
Ruth 2
Samson 1
Samson 2
Samson 3
Samuel the Boy Prophet - a reflective story
Samuel and Eli
Sin and forgiveness
Simeon and Anna - the light of the world
The sower
The Story of Peter
Suffering world
Talents and pounds
Temptations
Ten commandments
The Big Picnic: feeding of the 5000
Timothy - a reflective story
The True Vine (John15:1-11)
The Wedding at Cana (Water into wine)
The widow's offering - a nursery rhyme version
Through the roof - ideas for exploring Mark 2
What a load of difference!
Woman taken in adultery (forgiveness)
Zacchaeus the nasty man
Zacchaeus - a rhyming story
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Christian Year

Connecting Churches and Schools

Breaking the Ice
Mission-shaped Schools
Not Just Taking Assemblies

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Early Years

Art and Craft with young children
Christmas - Christmas 1: Mary meets an Angel
Christmas - Christmas 2: Mary and Joseph's journey
Christmas - Christmas 3: Jesus is born
Christmas - Christmas 4: The shepherd's journey
Epiphany - The Wise Men's Journey
Getting going with a children's area or a creche in your church
Getting going with pew bags, pew packs and liturgy boxes
God changes everything - a Bible story for Advent
Harvest - Some Harvest craft ideas for use with the under 5s
Jesus and the ten men with leprosy - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus and the widow's gift - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus calms a storm - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus changes Zacchaeus - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus heals Bartimaeus - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus feeds a huge crowd - for 4-7 year olds
Make an all year round garden
A Thank you Line
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God in the Home

Some of these ideas also work with small groups of children as is indicated by the introductory wording in a few of the following pieces

An Alphabet Gospel (1) Things Jesus Said
An Alphabet Gospel (2) People Jesus Met
An Alphabet Gospel (3) Places Jesus Went
Beatitudes
The burning bush - a reflective story
Candlemas - Great Grandma Anna (2 February)
Christmas - Christmas begins with an S...
Christmas - New version of 12 days of Christmas!
David and Samuel
Drawing prayer
Easter - Celebrating Easter at home
Easter - Palm Sunday - the horse and the donkey
Ephesians 1 - a reflective story
Imaginative prayer
Jesus' baptism
Jesus and the ten men with leprosy - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus and the widow's gift - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus calms a storm - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus changes Zacchaeus - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus heals Bartimaeus - for 4-7 year olds
Jesus feeds a huge crowd - for 4-7 year olds
Lent and Easter - Ideas to use at home
Lent - Seven sessions based on A-cross the World
Light and dark - a story
Pentecost - A story and a poem
Prayer based on the gifts of God
Prayer pots
Psalm 139 - our specialness to God
Psalms - a celebration psalm
Pilgrim Psalms - some simple activities to go with reading Psalms 120-134
Trinity Sunday - Talking about God the holy trinity using an Icon
Zacchaeus the nasty man
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More ideas based on A-Cross the World

Ash Cross
Belgian Cross
Cemetary Cross
Cornish Cross
Costa Rican Cross
Palestinian Cross
Resurrection Cross
Rosary Cross
Secret Cross
Spanish Cross
Tau Cross
Tree Cross
Ugandan Cross
Word Cross

Prayer

Acting out the Lord's Prayer
Candle prayers
Creative prayer activities
Dicey Prayer
Drawing prayer
Feelings prayer
Human Prayer Bubbles
Imaginative prayer
Joshua and the wall of Jericho
Just a drop of water
The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer Worldwide
Mirror, Mirror in the circle
Mothering Sunday Active Prayers
Noughts and crosses prayer
Pass round prayer
Pentecost Prayers
Pray through the Bible
Prayer based on the gifts of God
A Prayer for Fathers' day
Prayer idea on talking to God
Prayer notebooks
Prayer pots
Prayer stations
Prayer using the image of armour
Prayer using hand movements
Praying a special prayer for Lent
Praying the compass
Praying with Octons
Praying with ropes
Praying with hands
Praying with stones
Putting Prayer First
Saying sorry
Simple change prayer
Simple object prayer
Take your seats
Talking hands
The throw of the dice
Walkie-talkie
What colour are you?
Writing your own Lord's Prayer
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Worship with children present

All-age planning
All-age talk
Bringing a picture to life - a dramatic activity
Choice circus - a dramatic activity
A Church Year Line
Collective worship ideas
2 Corinthians 1:3-7 - an easy drama
Drawing to music
Ending well
Exploring Worship
Freeze-frames - a dramatic activity
Good Friday - all-age service
God is so good
Harvest Shelters
Hotseating - a dramatic activity
Improvised scenes - a dramatic activity
Introducing worship - ways to begin an all-age service
Mothering Sunday Active Prayers
Music basics
Music - ideas
Nine Object Lessons and Carols
Pentecost Prayers
Pray through the Bible
Reading scripture
Reading stories aloud
Ribbons in church
Saying sorry
Setting the scene
A Sketch on children in church
Step into the Picture of Good Friday
The Treasurre Chest
What a load of difference!
What is worship?
Worship is on the inside
Worship on the outside
Worship sculpture
Worship! what's a church building for?
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As you can see there’s a wealth of ideas and resources available here on our website – all completely free of charge! We want to continue to provide this resource free to users, but there are costs involved; if you've found our Ideas pages to be of value to your own ministry, please would you consider making a donation to help us cover these costs. Any financial support you can give would be much appreciated!
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