Click Image to download story

This is an adapted version of the story of the mustard seed, told to help children hear how precious and special they are. Story Massage is a lovely way for parents to tell faith-filled stories and speak blessings over their children and help them to absorb the meanings into their lives. Using the directions given in the pdf to draw the story on your child’s back if they are comfortable with touch.

Download by clicking the relevant image below (full colour or black and white).

We recommend printing on thicker paper or card to ensure durability.

This is a simple paper craft to help tell the Easter story. We have two versions, one is full colour and the other is black and white so that children can colour in the scenery and characters as you chat about the story.

You can take one section of the story at a time if using it as part of a wider lesson for example on Palm Sunday. Or you might choose to do all 5 together to tell the story from the triumphal entry to the resurrection – we would recommend using the full-colour pack if doing all 5 in one session.

Pages should be printed back to back to ensure the Bible verse lines up with the back of the scene.  Assembly instructions are included in the pack.

Click either of the images below to download the pack:

Full Colour: 

Colour In: 

Our Easter wheel resource tells the story of Easter one segment at a time with a final segment explaining in simple terms why Jesus died. We have one with full text taken from the Big Bible Story book, and the other is an Easy Reader with just a few lines of simple text each section.

The wheels can be used in a multitude of ways. You can choose to print and pre-assemble them as gifts for families at Easter, or you can choose the black and white versions which children can colour in and assemble themselves.

Click the relevant image below to download the version/s you wish to use.

Full colour version

Easy reader full colour

Colour in full version

Colour in Easy Reader

Click the image above to download the pack

This is a new resource you can give to your families or school, offering a fun alternative to the pesky Elf!  

Hide and Speak is an advent challenge that tells the whole Christmas story day by day. Every day from December 1st adults hide the relevant card along with a treat of choice – chocolate, fruit or whatever the child loves. The child seeks out the card, reads the verse and enjoys the treat. You could even involve the Elf in the hiding if you wanted!

The cards can then by stuck or hung up on a wall or the fridge so that by December 24th the whole story can be read together.

(Click either image to download the reading pack and if you wish to download the Church pack click the blue poster)

The Bible Buddies are fired up and excited about heroes of faith!

A Bible Buddy is a small toy which a child adopts and promises to look after. The main difference to any other toy is that this buddy needs feeding – not with pet food but with the word of God!

You will see we have two reading packs. The red pack has passages from the International Children’s Bible for those who are reasonably confident in their reading, or if an adult is reading with them. This pack includes pages for the children to write and draw their thoughts following the reading – this is their space, it is not a test to see if they remember what’s been said but a space to express what thoughts they had, things they felt and or draw those things too. The Orange Easy Reader pack has shorter passages taken from the Big Story Bible Book – these packs are for those who find reading more of a struggle. There’s no writing / drawing pages in this pack but you could print them from the red pack if you wish.

If you don’t want to print loads of paper why not give out the link for our Bible Buddies App? This can be downloaded onto mobile devices and tablets and includes all the Bible Buddy packs. Click on the QR code image above to download and print or click here: https://bit.ly/3Q8AVDO

If you are running an adoption day in your parish or diocese you can download the Church pack. You can run this as a stand-alone event, maybe have a teddy bear’s picnic if you wish or incorporate it into an all-age service, or at the end/start of a holiday camp. The Church purchases however many toys you think you will need. We recommend using the small TY teeny or beanie boo toys for affordable options that come in a variety of colours and animals, but work with your budget and shop around to find what is best. The key however is to ensure that one child is not getting a larger toy than any other.

The Church pack includes:

• A poster which you can put your details into or use on social media.
• A care guide for the children to learn how to look after their pets.
• A certificate of adoption for each child to choose the name of their new buddy.

You can ask the children to send in photo’s of their buddy on adventures as – at the park, the beach etc which you can display on social media (ensuring you have parental permission and adhere to your GDPR policy if children are in the photo’s)

Click the images to download the respective Easter pack or the blue poster to download the Church Adoption day pack and the QR code will open the Bible Buddies App.  

The Bible Buddies are reclaiming Easter from the Easter bunny!

A Bible Buddy is a small toy which a child adopts and promises to look after. The main difference to any other toy is that this buddy needs feeding – not with pet food but with the word of God!

You will see we have two reading packs. The red pack has passages from the International Children’s Bible for those who are reasonably confident in their reading, or if an adult is reading with them. This pack includes pages for the children to write and draw their thoughts following the reading – this is their space, it is not a test to see if they remember what’s been said but a space to express what thoughts they had, things they felt and or draw those things too. The Orange Easy Reader pack has shorter passages taken from the Big Story Bible Book – these packs are for those who find reading more of a struggle. There’s no writing / drawing pages in this pack but you could print them from the red pack if you wish.

These packs tell the story of Easter and enables families to explore, chat and wonder about all that happened to Jesus.

Unlike our other Bible Buddy reading packs, this pack deals with some challenging themes. The Easter story is not fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs, but it is central to our children’s growing faith. We do not want to hide away from the truth of the gospel, however we do need to consider our child’s stage of development and how, in particular, we talk through the topic of death.

We have not edited anything from the bible passage that tells of the crucifixion (“A very dark day” page). In our notes that follow this reading you will see we have placed the emphasis on the miracle that was to come next, and that when there seems to be no hope – God brings new life and renewed hope. God’s love is stronger than death.

When chatting with your child allow them to ask questions and in response use the same age appropriate words that you would use generally when talking about death. Ask them what they think, give reassurance and hope – this is not the end. You might even choose to do “A very dark day” & “Alleluia He is risen” together on the same day. This is all covered again in the “Adult’s pre-amble” page of the pack. 

If you are running an adoption day in your parish or diocese you can download the Church pack. You can run this as a stand-alone event, maybe have a teddy bear’s picnic if you wish or incorporate it into an all-age service, or at the end/start of a holiday camp. The Church purchases however many toys you think you will need. We recommend using the small TY teeny or beanie boo toys for affordable options that come in a variety of colours and animals, but work with your budget and shop around to find what is best. The key however is to ensure that one child is not getting a larger toy than any other.

The Church pack includes:

• A poster which you can put your details into or use on social media.
• A care guide for the children to learn how to look after their pets.
• A certificate of adoption for each child to choose the name of their new buddy.

You can ask the children to send in photo’s of their buddy on adventures as – at the park, the beach etc which you can display on social media (ensuring you have parental permission and adhere to your GDPR policy if children are in the photo’s)

Another added Eggstra(!) is the recorded version of “The Garden, The Curtain & The Cross” which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/5t73P_1a-JU

Welcome to the Church of Ireland Children & Families Ministry interactive video trail.

Our trail invites families to experience the Christmas story from a fresh perspective. Each stop features a QR code that links to a video that can be played on mobile devices. These videos showcase characters such as Mary, Joseph, and Elizabeth, acted out in short monologues that help us imagine what the first Christmas was like.

The videos delve into the emotions and questions each character may have faced—the joys, the doubts, and even the fears. This approach brings the entire narrative to life and encourages families and friends to engage in meaningful conversations together.

The trail includes posters that can be printed in either A2 landscape, or A4 pages if you prefer. We recommend laminating them or having them professionally printed on Corriboard to display around the churchyard. We encourage the entire congregation to wander through the churchyard and interact with each stop, or consider opening the gates to the local community and offering warm drinks along with opportunities for conversation at the end of the trail.

Participants can easily access the videos by scanning the QR codes on each poster. For those who prefer not to use devices, each stop also features practical activities suitable for all ages, ensuring that the experience is not purely digital.

Download the A2 size landscape trail by clicking the Donkey image below.

Download the A4 size trail by clicking the Sheep image below.

Or Scan the QR code to watch an example of one of the videos.

Click any of the images to download the pack or click the video image below to go to the video download page.

If your families are fed up with Elf on the Shelf and all that it brings, why not encourage them to take up an advent reading plan as a whole family using the Bible Buddy reading plan.

The aim is to encourage families to read the Bible together, or older children to read it for themselves. In this pack, the sections of the Bible telling the story of Jesus’ birth are printed out along with a page where the children (and adults) can draw or write their thoughts as they listen.

It is not a comprehension test, it is a way for Children to express their reactions questions and feelings when reading the Bible. It is to encourage families to “wonder” and journey together, to learn from each other.

If they already have a Bible reading buddy they can use the plan throughout Advent, each week reading and chatting about the passages that tell us about Zachariah & Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, The Shepherds and the Wise men.

If you haven’t had a Bible Buddy adoption day in your church then this is a great time to do it. You could use it as part of an All Age Service, as part of your Christmas Party or any other Advent / Christmas event you are having.

To organise an adoption drive:

Firstly buy your buddies! You can pick up a range of small teddies such as the small TY beanieboos or similar, even dinosaurs or action figures – whatever you think the children would like as their buddy.

Then using the posters below you can invite the families to an adoption drive. Each child gets to choose their Bible Buddy and receives a certificate of adoption, a care instruction pack and the Bible reading plan. You can hold an event where all the families are mixing and chatting together encourage that sense of community, or hold the adoption event at the end of a family service.

There is also a wonderful short free video made by Go Chatter called “Wrapping Paper” which could be played during the all age service or event which focuses on a teddy who is chosen despite his flaws and the video relates this to how God chooses, loves and restores us.

This is a unique back-to-school activity for your family that will encourage you to capture moments of prayer, learning and growth. Based on the idea of the school locker and how it starts the year empty with everything shiny and new. Then through the course of the year, we fill it full of the things we have learnt and the “stuff of growth” By the end of the year when we come to empty our lockers we discover memories that show how much we’ve grown and changed through the year. We get to look back at important lessons and moments of challenge. In the same way, we encourage you to create a family faith locker where you make a box and use some of the resources in the pack to help capture how you have all started the school year, the things you have concerns about, prayer requests and answers to prayer. By the end of the school year as the summer holidays start you can sit together and look back at all that God has done in your lives this year  – chat it through and laugh about the things you’ve made and memories made.

Starting with the locker itself, you could use pizza boxes which can be bought easily from food supply businesses, or encourage the children to decorate an old cereal box or something similar that will fit A4 size paper – alternatively, you could simply buy a box   Each child then fills in the form for their class details and all the things they like or are concerned about going back to school. Through the year you can complete the family devotions each term with the specific activity for that season. All of the forms and crafts can be kept in the locker and any answers to prayer are written and kept in the box. At the end of the school year, you can empty the locker, just as you would at school, and see together just how God has moved in your family and how you have each grown and changed.

For those of you leading Churches / Children’s clubs, we have developed a complete All Age Back to Education Service which works in tandem with the Faith Locker and includes the complete service which you can edit and adapt as required, as well as cards for a prayer activity and postcards which you can laminate / Shrinkydink and attached to the children’s bags.

Click HERE to get your Family Faith Locker

Click HERE to find out about the All Age Back to Education Service

Click on any image above to download the full generic pack including certificates, posters etc.

Scroll down for the Christmas, Easter & Heroes of Faith reading packs.

This is a fun way to help families engage in reading the Bible together and can be adapted to suit your situation, age group and even the time of year!

Bible Buddies are small toys which a child adopts and promises to look after. The main difference to any other toy is that this buddy needs feeding – not with pet food but with the word of God!

You can incorporate this into an all-age service, at the end/start of a camp or just as a stand-alone event to draw the families to church. We recommend using the small TY teeny or beanie boo / squishaboo toys for affordable options that come in a variety of colours and animals, but work with your budget and shop around to find what is best. The key however is to ensure that one child is not getting a larger toy than any other.

The pack above includes:

• A poster which you can put your details into or use on social media.
• A care guide for the children to learn how to look after their buddies.
• A bible reading guide – the first week has the verses already written out, and then there are suggestions for the following weeks.
• Drawing/writing pages are for the children to express in their own ways the things that the Bible verse makes them think/feel. Remember there is no right or wrong with this it is not a comprehension test but a way of encouraging Children to chat about the Bible and how it relates to their life today.

You can also download the Christmas, Easter & Heroes of faith packs & our Bible Buddy App. Click on the image to download the pack you want: