17 Free Resources to Use in Your New Year, New Start of Awana
The roller coaster that is 2020 has taken us all on a wild ride. It’s disrupted our lives, our churches, and our children’s ministries. With the new year in sight, our hope and desire is to help you navigate 2021, whether your Awana Club is well underway or just beginning. Take advantage of these free resources, developed with your needs in mind. Then let us know if we can help you further.
You have been called by God to serve the children in your community. In fact check out this online event we hosted with hundreds of leaders around the country to be encouraged and inspired as you look to the new year. Now, more than ever, we want you to know you are not alone!
Getting Started Resources
Are you wondering how you can possibly run club this year? No need to worry! We have curated plenty of resources to help you make resilient disciples, regardless of your situation.
Four Ways to Run Club This Fall
Start by watching our recent webinar, “Four Ways to Run Club This Fall … No Matter What!” Whether you’re exploring in-person, virtual, hybrid or at-home opportunities, you will discover a variety of ideas and suggestions to serve your community. We also compiled 80 additional ideas from leaders who connected with us on the chat feature during the webinar. You may find just what you are looking for!
Awana Clubs+, also referred to as awanaplus.com, is a brand new club-focused website, complete with helpful teaching videos, an at-home parent guide, music, and more! Explore the available resources to help you reach and disciple kids in a new way this year. We know you’ll love what you see!
Find free, downloadable club refresh resources—including social media graphics, Zoom virtual backgrounds, and more—to help you start your club year.
Tips for Running an Online Club
Many of you have chosen to gather online. Great idea! The four blogs below can help you lead and engage the kids in your club even if you’re unable to physically be together.
How to Make Your Time on Zoom More Interactive and Fun
If you use Zoom, you are already familiar with the ability it offers you to see and talk with those you care about. But the online platform gives you the option to do much more! In Part 1 and Part 2 of our four-part series, we highlight features of Zoom that can make your time with your kids more interactive and fun.
How to Make Your Time on Zoom More Interactive and Fun, Part 1
Learn how to share your screen, take advantage of virtual backgrounds, chat and react.
How to Make Your Time on Zoom More Interactive and Fun, Part 2
Become a Zoom pro and learn about security, polls, reporting and breakout rooms.
Your Club Space and Games Don’t Have to Be Dull
Awana has always been the highlight of a child’s week. It should be no less so, even if your club is going virtual. Part 3 and Part 4 of our four-part series will up the Zoom experience for your club.
How to Make Your Online Club Space Welcoming to Kids
When kids enter Awana at church, they are welcomed in by bright colors, decorations, friends and smiling faces. For kids who attend Awana virtually, they may miss the colorful stimuli unless you provide it. Find ideas on how you can make your space welcoming and fun for your kids when they come into your club.
Have Fun and Build Skills With These 12 Virtual Game Ideas
Games have always been a part of Awana; but if your club is meeting online, you may need some fresh ideas. The 12 games highlighted here provide opportunities for kids to strengthen skills, work as team players, become proficient with Zoom, and just have fun.
Theme Night and Game Time Ideas
Fun at Awana is so important, and theme nights and new game activities can make all the difference. Whether you’re meeting in person, online or somewhere in between, these resources are sure to spark new ideas!
100 Theme Night Ideas for Your Children’s Ministry
We compiled 100 crowd-pleasing theme nights, grouped by subject, to support you during this unique teaching year. The themes are easy to arrange, and most require simple household items. However and wherever you meet, theme nights can re-energize your group, boost participation and encourage handbook achievement.
If you’ve enjoyed the list of ideas, download a version of it to hang on your wall or store in your club binder.
If you need a plug-and-play resource, this calendar is filled out for you already! The dates are intentionally left blank so you can use the calendar year after year.
Customizable Theme Night Calendar
This fully customizable calendar allows you to fill in your own themes and dates. How cool is that?!
15 Game Ideas for Home and Social Distancing
Games can be a ton of fun; so we created a list of 15 games to be played safely during the pandemic, with social distancing restrictions in mind. Our friends at Awana Canada compiled this list of fun and safe activities for you to do, regardless of how you’re gathering.
Awana At-Home Ideas
Your church may have decided that an at-home club is the safest option for your community. Thank you for your commitment to raising resilient disciples! These practical tips and free resources make it easy for you to equip parents to create great family memories, keep their kids on track in Awana, and help them follow Christ for life.
In this video, Awana missionary Tyler O’Donnell encourages families to continue to be the disciple-maker in the lives of their children.
How to Run an Awana Club From Home
Awana is flexible enough to use in whatever way works best for you and your family. We explain three simple options to run an at-home club, whether its 15, 30, or 45 minutes long.
Download this handy parent guide to use as a framework to plan your own style of club at home.
Which Handbook Should I Buy For my Child?
Unsure which handbook your child needs? We’ve got you covered.
Here you’ll find free, practical in-home resources for Puggles, Cubbies, Sparks, T&T, Trek, and Journey, including printable activities, certificates, and lesson and verse lists.
If your church is unable to run Awana Clubs this year, check out Brite Families. Our new digital curriculum puts tools into the hands of parents to raise resilient disciples in the home!
For more free discipleship resources and ideas, read our other Awana blogs, listen to our podcasts, or join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Regardless of how you run your club, we’ll be by your side to help you, cheer you on, and pray with you for a fruitful ministry in the new year.
The Awana Editorial team is a group of people passionate about child discipleship and the equipping of leaders for the advancement of the kingdom. We have a breadth of experience in children’s ministry, and our heart beats with the stories of what God is doing around the world. We have an affinity for salty snacks and the occasional sweet treat, and we believe that everything is better with a good cup of coffee!
