You already know that music is important to youth today. But think about this: From its very beginning, United Methodism has been using music to support and communicate our theological beliefs such as our assurance of God's grace. Charles Wesley not only wrote new songs to convey the essence of Methodist beliefs, but also did so with music that was familiar to the people of that day.

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Providing healthy snacks to your teens will help boost them out of the blahs. Instead of donuts and orange juice before class, bring your teens yogurt and berries, nuts and dried fruit, raisins, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or apples slices with almond b***er. Not only will a healthy snack alter their mood, but also a simple change is likely to get their attention.

Five-Minute Fitness
Create five-minute fitness breaks to jump start a dreary group of teens (or tired leaders). Winter can bring about the blues and can even cause us to feel a bit run down. Exercise can help give us the boost we need to re-energize! Make this break as silly or as serious as wanted, but make sure to involve everyone. Remember to take only five minutes and to do something that won't allow the classroom to become too disrupted.

Create the Days of Holy Week
Help children celebrate Holy Week with a book they put together. This works especially well for grades 3 through 6, but it can be effective for grades 1 and 2. The book will contain a page for each day from Palm Sunday to Easter. Each page should have the day of the week on it and a symbol for that day glued or taped to the page. Children can write a sentence about that day or tell the story. Symbols could include:

Palm Sunday: A palm leaf or picture of a donkey.

Monday: A small bird feather (available in craft stores) to symbolize the doves and other animals being sold in the Temple.

Tuesday: Several play money coins to symbolize the coins given by the widow.

Wednesday: A teardrop made from construction or tissue paper or a crystal, symbolizing Peter’s sorrow at denying Jesus.

Maundy Thursday: Staple or tape a plastic bag or small pieces of matzo (available in most grocery stores) to this page.

Good Friday: Tape a nail to this page.

Saturday: Put nothing on this page since Saturday is a day of waiting.


Easter Sunday: Easter stickers saying “He is risen” or “Alleluia.”

Pray this prayer with your children:
Dear Lord, You were crucified for our sins. We will always remember what you did for us. We will accept your love and your grace. You have given us your power and we praise you forever. We hope to see you and know that you will never have to be crucified again. In Jesus' name, Amen.