These links and resources come from a variety of sources with varying theological perspectives. Please use them thoughtfully, adapting them as necessary to fit your church’s theology.  

Blessing of Backpacks/Devices 

Backpack Blessing!
The Salt Project offers two options for Backpack Blessing Prayers. 

Backpack Blessings
Ministry Matters has blessings for students, teachers, and donated backpacks and supplies. 

Blessing Backpacks: Prayer and Resources
This post has a blessing prayer and suggestions for a token sacred item to keep in a backpack. 

Blessing of the Backpacks and Back-to-School Worship Liturgy
Illustrated Ministry offers a free downloadable worship liturgy which includes a Call to Worship, Opening Prayer, Blessing of the Backpacks Liturgy, Prayers of the People, Closing Prayer, and a Benediction. 

Blessing of the Backpacks: A Prayer for the Start of School
This blog post has a blessing of the backpacks and a prayer for the start of the new school year. 

A Blessing of the Backpacks and the School Year
This blessing comes from the Discipleship Ministries website of the UMC. 

Blessing of the Devices
There are suggestions for stickers to go along with this Blessing of the Devices litany. 

New Beginnings
This Building Faith article includes a Litany for a New School Year, which recognizes the excitement and anxiety of a new school year; it can be used as part of the Blessing of the Backpacks and/or Devices.

Children’s Christian Book Publishers 

• Baker Book House 
• Beaming Books 
• Church Publishing 
• Concordia Publishing House 
• Crossway 
• Flyaway Books
  Book List from Flyaway Books 
• Group Publishing 
• Paraclete Press 
• Woodlake Books 
• Zonderkidz

Christian Apps for Kids

The Bible App for Kids
YouVersion offers a free app with animated, interactive Bible stories as well as games and activities. 

Buddy Quest App
This free app from Group Publishing Buddy Quest helps kids learn and practice virtues in their everyday lives. 

Children’s Bible App for Android
The Children’s Bible contains 218 Bible stories for kids, taken from the Old and New Testaments. 

Christian Book Apps for Children
This article from the Centre for Apologetic Scholarship and Education provides links to ePicture books as well as Bibles and Bible resources, 

Guardians of Ancora 
This is a fun, epic adventure game for older children where players run, jump, roll and slide their way through stories of the Bible where they’ll meet Jesus and experience the miracles he performed. 

Classroom Supplies 

Carson Dellosa Education
They offer books, stickers, posters, and bulletin board decorations for the Christian classroom. 

ChristianBook
This site offers classroom decor and teacher supplies for Sunday school. 

Teachers Paradise
They sell a variety of products for the Sunday school classroom.

Crafts for Kids

• Artwork Quilt with Fabric Bias Tape Binding
• Danielle’s Place
• DLTK’s Sites for Kids
• Ministry to Children

Devotional Books for Children

Celebrate Wonder Bible Storybook
These 150 stories will engage children through simple storytelling and open-ended questions that encourage the children to wonder about the Bible story. 

Five-Minute Devotions for Children: Celebrating God’s World as a Family
Each devotion in this book includes a story about an animal illustrating its dominant trait as created by God; that trait is then related to a child with questions to answer.  

God’s Power in Me
This interactive 52-day devotional that encourages young readers to break free from negative thinking and focus on the positive truths of who God made them to be. 

Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible
This resource features 150 popular Bible stories that are organized by 13 themes. Three reflection questions–Hear, See, Act–are included at the end of each story. 

I Wonder: Exploring God’s Grand Story
Through innovative storytelling and open-ended questions, this book offers a remarkable approach to teaching young minds to wonder about the mysteries found in God’s Word. 

Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids
These devotions are written as if Jesus is speaking directly to a child’s heart. 

My Jesus Journal
This book includes activities for families to make a Mustard Tree and Jesus Journal as well as other activities. 

The One Year Book of Devotions for Preschoolers
Each reading in this book pairs a Little Blessings illustration with a short Bible verse and devotional thought. 

The One Year Devos for Animal Lovers
This one-year devotional uses animals to point to spiritual truths.  

Prayers for Faithful Families
This book equips busy parents with simple prayers, written in ordinary language, for a wide variety of occasions. 

Faith Formation

Building Faith 
This ministry of the Virginia Theological Seminary provides resources to equip and inspire churches and individuals for the ministry of Christian education and faith formation. 

Faith Practices Toolkit 
The Toolkit from the PC(USA) focuses on faith practices which include: prayer, storytelling, service, retreat, and hospitality.  

Lifelong Faith 
This website provides extensive resources, training, and assistance to help leaders develop faith formation for all ages and generations. 

Free Rotation Lessons

Rotation.org
This is an online community of Sunday School teachers and church staff sharing free and premium Sunday School lesson plans, creative ideas, and discussion.

Free Sunday School Curriculum

Calvary Curriculum
This website offers its original children’s curriculum to non-members. The 325 lessons from Genesis through Revelation were created for 1st-6th grades in English and Spanish. 

Episcopal Children’s Curriculum
This curriculum was discontinued in print but is available as a free download on the website of the Virginia Theological Seminary. 

Episcopal Curriculum for Youth
This curriculum is available for younger youth and older youth.  

Lesson Plans that Work
These lesson plans follow the Revised Common Lectionary. Both a lesson plan for young children and a lesson plan for older children are offered each week. 

Mission Arlington
This curriculum is written specifically for the unchurched child, teenager, and adult. 

Sermons4Kids
This website provides children’s sermons and group activities, as well as coloring and activity sheets, for each Sunday in the lectionary year.  

Virtual Church School
This curriculum follows the Revised Common Lectionary and is available in both English and French.

Games for Kids

• Bible Games Central 
• Building Faith 
• Children’s Ministry.com 
• How to Make Jeopardy Games 
• Ministry-to-Children 
• Sunday School Network 
• United Methodist Communications

Highly Recommended Children’s Ministry Websites 

• Building Faith 
• Children’s Ministry Toolkit 
• Flame: Creative Children’s Ministry

Homelessness 

Unsheltered Lives
This interdisciplinary activity guide for grades K-12 teaches about homelessness.

Interactive Christian Websites for Children

Keys for Kids Children’s Ministries 
Children’s Bible Hour (CBH) is now Keys for Kids, using multiple platforms (radio, live streaming, CDs, MP3, e-books) to bring their message to children and their parents. Multilingual. Offers devotionals, Bibles, books and more. 

My Place with Jesus 
An online interactive Bible study for children. 

Peter’s PowerPoint Station 
Offers free presentations in PowerPoint format & free interactives & games for kids. Includes Bible stories and books of the Bible. 

Life Kids TV 
Interactive online Bible study and downloadable apps for parents and 

Compassion 
Compassion International is “a child-advocacy ministry that pairs compassionate people with those who are suffering from poverty.” Site offers a magazine, links to devotions, activities, and cultural info about impoverished children around the world in a manner that children can understand and appreciate. 

Miscellaneous Activities

The Well Creative Children’s Ministry 
This site offers crafts and other activities, including seasonal ones. There’s also information about other topics related to children’s ministry. 

Online Resources for Children’s Ministry

• Online Resources for Children’s and Family Faith Formation 
• Resources for Children’s Online Sunday School 

PRC Booklets 

• Basic Teacher Training booklet
• Celebrating Advent with Children in Worship booklet
• The Changing 21st Century Sunday School booklet
• Cradle Roll Ministry booklet
• Creative Ways to Energize Your Sunday School booklet 
• Equipping Families to Teach the Faith to their Children booklet
• Getting and Keeping Children’s Ministry Volunteers booklet 
• Helping Families Celebrate a Holy Advent booklet 
• Keep Faith Alive in the Summertime Participant Handbook 
• Missions and Service in Sunday School booklet 
• New Ways of Doing the Christmas Pageant booklet
• Reaching Out to Children of Unchurched Parents booklet
• Spiritual Practices with Children and Youth booklet
• Spiritual Refreshment for Busy Sunday School Teachers and Leaders booklet
• Sunday School Curriculum Overview booklet
• Using Advent and Christmas Symbols in Sunday School booklet
• Vacation Bible School Tips and Programs