Celebrating a Middle Schooler’s Decision to Walk With Jesus
Middle schoolers know how to celebrate. They’ll hand out high fives for the best dance move, body slam one another at the end of a game, and post a soliloquy on the Gram (or TikTok) in honor of a best friend’s birthday. … Read More
2 Questions Every Small Group Leader Should Ask 6th Graders this Fall
It’s August, which means Back to School season is upon us! Although going “back to school” does look different this year for some, that doesn’t change the fact that school is starting and a brand-new grade, a brand-new school, and a brand-new… Read More
What Middle Schoolers and Engineers Have in Common
Highly emotional middle schoolers can't have anything in common with engineers, right? That's so seemingly random. But, actually, it's true. Think about it this way. At its foundation, an engineer's job is to connect together concepts to solve problems. Whether you're an… Read More
Talking to Your Students About Social Media
”Twitter ruined my life.” You may think this sounds a little dramatic, but the sad truth is that one momentary lapse in judgment on Twitter drastically altered a young PR Exec’s life. Before a long international flight, she posted an off-color tweet… Read More
Middle Schoolers Challenge Everything: How to Navigate Questions and Doubts About the Easter Story
Editor’s Note—Because of the coronavirus, Easter will look a little different in 2020. So we’re helping churches and families adjust to this new reality with a newly reimagined Easter Jam resource. You can download this at-home Easter experience for the whole family… Read More
The Volunteer Middle Schoolers Need
So…if no volunteer can ever know what a parent knows, then why recruit anyone to help with kids? It would definitely make things easier if you could just tell parents, “Since you know more than we can ever know, and you have… Read More
You Get 40 Hours a Year: Here’s What You Need to Teach Them
So, here’s the question: If you have less than 20 times to connect to a sixth grader this year, what are you going to teach them? Are you going to take them chronologically through the entire Bible? Are you going to cover… Read More
How to Read a Middle Schooler’s Mind
“Read their mind” is just another way of saying: Every leader needs to understand what’s changing mentally and physically. When you know what can be expected of a phase, you are able to give kids the right amount of success. In Deuteronomy… Read More
If They Aren’t Asking Questions, They Aren’t Listening
There are three drives that are hardwired in every kid: Wonder Discovery Passion If you think about those drives as dials you turn to help a kid connect with God, then what if you turn those dials to different volumes for different… Read More