(Click any of the images to download the full pack)
The Bible Buddies are reclaiming Easter from the Easter bunny! 😉
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!
As a Church / Diocese you purchase the toys and hold an adoption day. 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 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 pet.
- A bible reading guide
- Drawing / writing pages which 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 about allowing the child to respond to the Bible in their own way.
This pack tells 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 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 in the pack 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.