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Check out the list of top children’s ministry supplies for your closet Get organized with student supplies, teacher items, and games and activity supplies for games and last-minute time fillers.
What’s Lurking In That Closet?
Does your small church have one of ‘those’ storage closets tucked into the back of a children’s room?
You know the one I mean. The children’s ministry closet that is to the rafters with every leftover craft kit you’ve ever used for VBS or bottles of completely dried-up glue. How about that box of ancient broken crayons or all the ‘gifts’ that people have given you that they didn’t want in their own closet, yet somehow seemed to think that you could use it at church for sure?
If you answered yes, to any of those questions, chances are you work in the children’s ministry. (And, there are some big reasons why small church children’s ministry is such a blessing!) It’s okay to clean out that old closet and start fresh.
To help you out, we put together a list of essential children’s ministry supplies that we need to have in every small church, today! We’ve even included some non-essential items that are just great to have on hand for spur-of-the-moment projects, class time fillers, or even when you’re telling Bible stories.
Children’s Supply Boxes Keep Things Running Smoothly
Every church has its own approach or system for organizing their additional children’s ministry supplies and essentials. There are no absolute rules on how to do this, but we would like to provide you with standard recommendations on what to have in your student supply boxes for the classroom.
These boxes will be full of the perfect children’s ministry resources. You will always have a backup plan in case there are any last-minute changes or bumps in the road, and your small groups and Sunday services can continue to run smoothly while keeping the kids engaged!
Why Small Churches Use Individual Supply Boxes
A simple plastic tote or pencil box is big enough to hold all the classroom supplies that each child needs to use. Having individual boxes provides a strong emphasis on:
- Making children feel special
- Encouraging creativity as students design and decorate their own box
- Creating a sense of belonging in the class and church family
- Eliminating arguments about who is using what materials –– because they each have their own!
Place self-adhesive name labels on each box. We recommend always having a few extra boxes on hand with blank labels for visitors. (Order extras and use these name tags for your Biggest Birthday Party For Children’s Ministry.)
Top 10 Children’s Ministry Supplies For Your Classroom
- Crayons (choose ones that are appropriately sized for the child’s age group)
- Child safe scissors
- Pre-sharpened pencils-#2
- Colored Pencils
- A hand-held pencil sharpener
- Self-stick notes
- Water-based markers for elementary kids
- An eraser
- A glue stick (nontoxic)
- Some blank index cards (great for writing memory verses)
- Some stickers are just for fun or to use as one of the tips listed in 3 Ways To Stop Disruptive Behavior Before It Starts In Your Small Church Children’s Ministry.
These student supplies should cover most of the basic projects or craft ideas you do, and can be found at your local store!
General children’s ministry supplies are valuable for you as the teacher to have in your supply cabinet. We understand there will always be more items that you can add to this list, but this covers the basics. Have fun discovering new, creative ideas and adding the ‘outside of the box’ items that fit your specific ministry!
Cupboard Items For The Teacher To Have
- School glue bottles (when you need a stronger hold, not for all projects)
- Scotch tape and masking tape (good for marking the floor for a game)
- Adult-sized scissors for teachers and helpers
- Magnet tape
- Clothespins or binder clips to hang up artwork
- Extra Bibles for Visitors
- Stickers for prizes or rewards
- Colored construction paper for projects, scrap paper for doodling, paper lanterns in this Sunday School Week 2 Craft, and even the Human Burrito game (#5 on this list of 15 High Energy Games For Small Church Children’s Ministry
- Pack of permanent markers (for teacher signs)
- A bag or two of cotton balls
- Pkg. of child-sized paper cups (great for holding small art pieces, Bingo markers, or to hold snacks and drinks!)
- Plain white paper plates (work well for art projects and games)
- Yarn or a roll of string
- Hand wipes for sticky projects (clean hands are happy hands!)
- Balloons give decoration to January’s event in One Year Of Monthly Saturday Children’s Ministry Events or even this Whacky Water Olympics one-day event!
- Sponges not only clean up messes but are fantastic for water games.
Easy No Prep Children’s Ministry Supplies For Time Fillers
Let’s face it. We all find ourselves with emergency time filler needs when the pastor’s sermon has gone way over or you have some kids unexpectedly show up 15 minutes early to class!
The following items are great to have on hand to use for just such ‘emergencies’, and you’ll always have enough space for them! !
- Sidewalk chalk
- Bubbles (homemade or store-bought)
- Mini Jenga-type blocks are also perfect for the game night event in 7 Events For Children’s Or Youth Ministry
- Dominoes
- Play-Doh is also an Easy Way To Incorporate Sensory Activities In Your Children’s Ministry
- Roll of paper for creating murals or larger art projects. Just lay on the floor or table and let them create!
*Hint, if you have a newspaper in your town, check with them, many will let you purchase blank ends of the roll paper for very low prices!*
If you have costumes stored in your closet, check out #12 Drama & Imagination in these summer events or use them for after your lesson when the church service goes later. If there are other things, like church banners and new books in your closet, don’t worry, this doesn’t take up too much space!
Crafts & Games Increase Learning & Creativity
God gave our children the wonderful ability to be creative. We, as teachers, are privileged to encourage them to do just that in our small church ministries. It’s amazing what a good supply of crayons and a piece of paper can do to stimulate a mind! Remember, money does not equal ministry. It’s not necessarily a substitute for a specific lesson time, but an addition to it. This article about children’s ministry gives four Steps To Strengthen Your Children’s Ministry.
Did you know that the majority of us are visual learners? As a Sunday school teacher, we have the opportunity to provide students with hands-on projects. It is a great way to help kids retain the Bible lessons that you’re teaching them.
Now you have the essential list of children’s ministry supplies to turn that dark closet of useless items into a fully stocked closet that will help you prepare for all those projects and even more!
Looking for a step-by-step to starting or restarting your children’s ministry?
Check out the Children’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!
Read More:
Help For Youth & Children’s Sunday School In A Small Church
5 Easy Tips For Children’s Christmas Program Success In Your Small Church
This was BRILLIANT and was available to me JUST when I needed it! Thank you for all the effort you put into this article. As a pastor’s wife of a fast growing Church, I am currently faced with needs in the children’s ministry like never before. God bless you! This was everything I needed in one place. 🙏🏼
Awww thank you!! We have lots more goodness to share! Have you checked out the Children’s Ministry Bundle yet?