FIRST OF ALL….Can you believe it!??!?!? This is the 199th idea! That means next week we will have the release of the 200th episode! Woah! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we have a special offer from November 28-December 2, 2016 on Deeply Rooted Curriculum. Check it out at deeplyrootedcurriculum.com.

Today’s podcast is an idea lifted from the Deeply Rooted Curriculum. It’s a way of getting parents and community who might never step foot into your preteen service to see what’s going on in your services. Today, Sean discusses using Social Media moments DURING service, including how to overcome some of the obstacles to making this succeed.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Do you have leaders standing in the back of the room while all of your preteens are sitting up front? Do you want your leaders to sit among your students instead of sitting back?

Today on the podcast, Sean explores several ways to get your leaders to be physically present within the midst of the preteens in your ministry space.

Do you have a great way to get leaders sitting with the students that wasn’t mentioned on today’s podcast? Share it in the comment section below.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Today, Sean shares about a series he’s done twice with his preteens called “Pictures of Jesus”. He gives an overview of this series, and explains a really important element of the series that you can use with many lessons…giving the preteens a chance to DRAW what they are learning.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Looking to add a little excitement to your preservice time? Today’s podcast introduces a simple idea that you can use from time to time during preservice to add an element of excitement and fun.

Check out all of our podcasts and blogs about preservice; one of the most overlooked opportunities of each preteen ministry service!

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Sometimes, an upfront game at the beginning of service can be just the ticket to help preteens transition from the excitement of pre-service to focusing on the teacher.

However, a typical upfront games only involve a few students. If everybody is playing, it typically lacks the same transition power as when you have a few students up front who everybody else is focused on watching.

What to do? How do we take full advantage of the transition power of an upfront game, but at the same time involve everybody? Also, it would be nice to avoid having to pick students?

Today’s podcast presents an idea to resolve all this: it’s “Big to Small” Upfront Games. Listen to the podcast to see how this idea works.

This is an idea that we’ve included in some of the Deeply Rooted curriculum. You can see an example of this when you get your free copy of the Slime Event.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

If you like what you’re hearing, subscribe to the FourFiveSix podcast by clicking here and you’ll get great ideas for your preteen ministry four, five, or six times a week.

Here’s a fun game idea, that can be easily adjusted to match your group’s dynamics.

During pre-service, dress up and play the part of an investigative reporter. In Elevate (our preteen ministry), he was named Phillip Horchata.

Philip walks around asking randomly selected leaders and preteens to fill in the blanks on ONE prewritten sentence. These are the WITNESSES.

Here are some example sentences:

When I eat a PB&J sandwich, it makes me ____________.

If Peanut Butter and Jelly got into a fight, it would be ____________.

Every Christmas, I dream of peanut butter and jelly __________.

If peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were a song, it would be ___________.

Peanuts are Brown, Jelly is Red, Sandwiches are _______________.

Phillip records the name of the person filling in the blank for each sentence as well as their answer. He then writes down an alternate answer of his own creation next to the answer being given.

When service starts, and it’s time to play the game, Phillip Horchata comes to the stage and announces that he has been on the case of the missing peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He has narrowed it down to two suspects. He calls the two unsuspecting suspects to the stage, and says he has devised a test to see which of the two is GUILTY of the crime.

Then, Phillip calls forward one witness at a time, reads their sentence and gives both his/her real answer as well as the alternate answer. The suspects have to guess which answer they think was given by the witness, and which answer is the fake. If the suspect is correct, they earn a point.

The first suspect to 3 points has proven their innocence. He or she receives a prize. The guilty suspect is given some kind of consequence. In Elevate, our “guilty” suspect had to wear PB&J bagel handcuffs.

Listen to today’s podcast for more details about playing this fun game!

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Today, Makenna and Sean share an idea they picked up from this year’s SuperStart! tour.

Often in ministry, we are telling Biblical stories and looking for creative, fresh ways to tell these stories. This year’s SuperStart! demonstration a new technique for story-telling: Improv Story Telling.

Listen to today’s podcast for an example, which was created (like all true improv) in the moment and unedited.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Preteens are at a stage of development where they are moving from concrete, black-and-white thinking; to an age of considering a wide range of possible outcomes and choices.

As highlighted in this research summary, preteens are moving away from a blanket acceptance of morality to a place where they are defining, FOR THEMSELVES, what they believe.

Today on the podcast, Sean discusses this and considers what this means for us, as leaders of preteens. One thing it means is that open-ended and higher level questions is crucial to an effective ministry to preteens.

Mentioned on today’s podcast was this: The Power of Question small and large group training.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Listen to today’s podcast as Sean creates a Post-It Note snowflake while explaining the benefits of teaching and working on something at the same time. (Do you see what’s happening there? The method is the message.)

This teaching technique, which adds difficulty to the teacher’s job, makes you more present, because you having to think, talk, and do all at the same time. This makes you more vulnerable and thoughtful, which makes you more interesting to watch and listen to.

This teaching technique holds preteens interest, because they are curious about what you’re creating in front of their eyes as you are sharing truth with them.

As an example, check out this project, which you could do in front of your preteens while teaching about Ephesians 3:20: “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (NLT)

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Crazy Chris has been on a journey of refining his technique for teaching preteens. Today, he shares ONE thing that has helped him tremendously.

This ONE thing has helped him to create more focused, meaningful services for the preteens and for him. It has helped him to be more “present” and purposeful when he’s teaching.

What is the ONE thing? It’s to only teach ONE thing. To have ONE point in mind for each lesson, and then to teach that ONE point in a variety of ways.

Today on the Podcast, Chris and Sean will talk about some of the things that keep us from having more focused and powerful services, and how to overcome those things in order to make ONE point.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Video journaling is a great way to let preteens express and share their thoughts and feelings. There are many ways to incorporate this “great idea” into our preteen ministry.

Today on the podcast, Sean talks with Gina Brinkman about the Bullying Project that her preteens did together. They met together throughout a schoolyear, talking about bullying. Throughout the year, they did video journaling, and at the end, it turned into THIS VIDEO. Listen as Gina explains some of the details about how her group created this project.

If you have more questions about Gina’s bullying project, you can connect with her at gina_brinkman@coswired.org