Kids Archives - King's Arms Church

As I write this, I’ve just signed up for a free online course in children’s mental health. I haven’t felt this excited about a training course for a long time; I really believe this will be eye-opening and so helpful in the work I do supporting children and families.

The sudden decline in children’s happiness has seemed to be slowly creeping up on us and I feel, like many other people who work with children, this is now rapidly approaching a crisis point. There are many reasons educators, psychologists and doctors cite for this ‘recession in children’s happiness’, such as:

The pandemic and cuts to educational budgets
Long NHS waiting times for mental health support
A decline in reading for pleasure (as an avid reader this reason intrigues me so much)
An increase in anxiety and depression that mirrors how much time is spent on screens

If it takes a village to raise our children and young people, how can we ensure that we are playing our part in setting them up well to thrive?

Let’s talk about screen time, social media and raising our children and young people as tech-healthy, happy humans — and modelling this well too!

WHAT DOES JESUS TEACH US ABOUT BALANCING SCREEN TIME?

Even though Jesus didn’t speak directly about technology, His teachings still apply to the dangers of too much screen time:

Guard your heart and mind
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23

Too much screen time, especially on social media or video games, can fill our minds with unnecessary distractions, unhealthy comparisons or even sin. Jesus calls us to protect our hearts and focus on what is good.

Seek Him first
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33

If screens are taking up most of our time, are we still seeking God first? Jesus teaches us to prioritise Him over everything else in life.

Prioritise what’s important
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better.”
Luke 10:41-42

Just like Martha was distracted with tasks instead of listening to Jesus, screens can keep us from what really matters — spending time with God and our family and friends.

True rest is found in God
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Screens can make our minds restless and anxious. Jesus invites us to find true rest in Him, not in endless distractions.

HOW CAN WE SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE?

The message for us and our children is clear: Technology isn’t bad, but it must be used wisely.

So, how can we live this out? What can I do as an aunt to my ‘niblings’ (niece and nephews)? My niblings live on the other side of the country and I rely on texts/FaceTime to communicate with them. I love getting a video call from my 15-year old niece. I love that my nephew nags me when I’ve dropped my Duolingo streak!

Here some practical tips that we can implement for ourselves and our children and young people:

Check in regularly: Ask how they feel about their screen time. Children and young people are super reflective and more aware than we think, they will know when too much scrolling is having a negative effect on them e.g. eye strain, lack of focus or feeling stressed.
Model healthy, balanced tech use: If they see us setting limits with our own screen time, they’ll be more likely to do the same. Also, let them see you enjoying books, outdoor activities and social interactions without screens.
Use parental controls & monitoring: Keep them safe by ensuring your WIFI has filters to protect them from harmful websites. Also, look into using built-in parental control options on devices to set screen time limits, restrict inappropriate content and monitor app usage.
Turn off notifications: Help them reduce distractions by muting unnecessary alerts.
Agree on limits: Instead of dictating rules, collaborate on a balanced screen time plan that works for them.
Introduce screen-free times: Suggest “no-screen” zones like mealtimes, before bed or during family activities.
Encourage hobbies and social activities: Help them explore sports, music, art or other hands-on activities. If they like a certain hobby, do it with them! It will strengthen your connection and make offline time more appealing.

FREE RESOURCE FOR FURTHER LEARNING

Finally, we also need to educate ourselves. Spacemakers, an organisation run by Christian award-winning author and TEDx speaker, Daniel Sih, are offering a free tech course — Raising Teach-Healthy Humans — for those of us who want to learn more about navigating the digital world with wisdom and balance.

This insightful course will address questions like:

When should I give my child a smartphone?
What types of media are better for my young child’s brain?
How do I set a healthy tech-culture at home?
How do I talk about hard stuff such as online pornography?
How can we parent together as a community?

As we navigate the ever-changing digital world, let’s be intentional about guiding our children, and ourselves, toward a healthy, balanced and Christ-centered approach to technology.

Much love,
Kat Wright and the eFocus team

With it being Halloween next week, you might be busy making plans and working out what you’re going to do. Maybe you have children wanting to be taken trick or treating? Perhaps, you’re someone who has always turns off all the lights and hides in a back room? Or, you’re really excited about welcoming people to your door and you’re wondering how to best use this opportunity to share the love of Jesus? Personally, I feel like Halloween is a bit like marmite — you either dread it or you are really excited about it. Whichever you category you fall into, something we can all do is to prepare for it in one way or another.

So, what are you going to do this Halloween? I’d encourage you to take time to prayerfully decide on the best decision for you and your family, and to resist judging the choices of others. Remember, you don’t have to get involved in some of the darker elements of the day in order to make it memorable; even using it to point towards light, hope and healing. Something we teach our children at King’s Kids is to ask themselves, “How can we be more like Jesus?” That would be a great question to start with.

Whether you have children or not, here are some suggestions to spread hope instead of fear this Halloween; bringing peace into a situation that can normally be quite scary:

Get creative

Carve a pumpkin with positive or uplifting artwork to display outside of your home. (Scroll down for some ideas!) Or, put up some autumnal decorations to bring cheer to passers-by and convey a message of hope.

Check on your neighbours

Perhaps you have neighbours who might feel vulnerable during this season, why not invite them round for a coffee? Or, drop off some goodies and have a friendly doorstep chat?

Celebrate Jesus

We will be having a Light & Praise party for those at church and within our community with primary aged children. Bring the family, or come along and help us put on this event, and eat lots of sweet treats in the process!

Let the kids take charge

Encourage your children to pray and ask God for ideas. At King’s Kids we give our children lots of opportunities to grow in their ability to hear God’s voice. Maybe they want to make some cards with prophetic words to hand out to trick or treaters? Be bold in asking those visiting your door if there is anything you can pray for.

Need more ideas?

For additional resources and information, check out the following…

Parenting for Faith has some helpful articles on navigating Halloween
Bag of Hope (UCB) and Pumpkin Heroes (WorldVision) offer material you can order to hand out to trick or treaters as well as activity packs.

However Halloween will look for you this year, let’s use the occasion to celebrate Jesus, the Light of the World! He came to bring Hope and Peace to everyone, and we have the privilege of partnering with Him, not just in this season, but every day.

Much love,

Nicky Stanyard and the eFocus Team

As schools and universities begin a new term, our prayer focus this month is on the Next Generation. In Matthew 19:14 Jesus says: “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus has a value for the young; despite the fact that they’re still learning, He isn’t fixated on what they’re getting right but simply on being close to them. Have you ever seen a child “trust in the Lord with all [their] heart, lean not on [their] own understanding”’ (Proverbs 3:5)? Somehow children have the capacity for faith in God beyond what many of us ‘more mature’ adults can muster. Children can reveal to us what it looks like to innocently trust a Good Father and to trust that He will do what He said He would do (Any parents accidentally told their children they can have an ice cream later? They remember!)

Our children and young people are going through a process that we, as adults, have all been through: a process of discovery and learning, forming belief structures and character as they experience the world. However, today’s youth are having to do this in a time of great uncertainty around identity, truth and institutional trust. It is a good time for us to pray for the Next Generation!

What could it look like for each of us reading this email to take some this month to pray for our next generation? Let us give you some ideas! Maybe pick one or two and see if you can weave them into your daily prayer rhythms throughout September:

If there are children you know, perhaps in your family, find a scripture that you can pray over them as a promise this school year and incorporate it into your evening prayers each night
Think about the school or university that you live closest to. How could you incorporate praying for that institution in your prayer times? You could even take prayer walks around the area regularly.
Do you know any teachers? They need our prayers! Reach out to them to find out how to pray for them.
Choose one issue facing young people in this generation and pray about it. Sometimes it helps to be really specific so that we don’t get overwhelmed by the size of the issue!
Pray about the media as it affects the young. Pray for TV shows and social media. Pray for regulation and safety and for positive influence.
Pray for the King’s Kids and for our youth within the church, and for those who are just going off to university. Pray for a thriving faith for the young, for dreams in the night, for provision of their needs, and for whole families to come to faith through their witness.

CELEBRATE WITH US!

King’s Kids update from Jess Fordham: In King’s Kids we are always trying to find exciting ways to teach the next generation about God and His love for them. This summer, we invited children from within King’s Arms and the local community to join us for our Holiday Club. Each day we got to connect with the kids and spent time learning how Jesus is the ultimate Superhero! One of the children was astonished to find out that as followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit actually lives in us. It was the perfect opportunity for them to hear about God’s heart and give them the tools to grow in their relationship with Him, all while having lots of fun!

Let’s entrust the Next Generation into our King’s arms.

Much love,
Katy Ryland & The eFocus Team