Heart for the Kids Training for YFC Kuyas and Ates

Heart for the Kids Training is designed to inspire, equip and unite the Kuyas
and Ates serving in KFC. It is an activity that allows them to interact with one
another and exchange ideas in preparing for their KFC service.

Kuya and Ate are Filipino words meaning elder brother and elder sister
respectively. Kuya and Ate in Philippine culture serve both as role models for
the younger siblings and as support to the parents in rearing the kids. We
believe that these are the very attributes that we hope our YFC serving in KFC
will imbibe.

Schedule:

08:00am Registration
08:30am Gathering, Teaching of Songs
09:00am Opening Prayer
09:15am Games and Activities (Appendix : Sell Yourself)
09:30am Talk 1: “Let the children come to Me”
10:15am Group Sharing
10:45am Workshop 1: Animator’s Workshop
12:00nn Lunch
01:00pm Games & Activities (Appendix : Archer-Rabbit-Wall)
01:15pm Workshop 2: Speaker’s Workshop
02:00pm Workshop 3: Storytelling Workshop
02:45pm Sharing and Break
03:30pm Talk 2: A Heart for the Kids
04:15pm Group Sharing
04:45pm Closing Prayer
05:00pm Home Sweet Home
Talk 1: “Let the children come to me”

Goals:

1. To stress the importance of serving in Kids for Christ

2. To empower the Kuya-Ate serving in KFC “Let the children come to me; do not prevent
them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14

I. “Let the children come to me;”

The kids, young as they may be are part of the vision of the community from the beginning.
Aside from this, the mission verse of CFC Kids for Christ speaks of allowing the children to
go to the Lord.

In response to God’s call, the CFC Kids for Christ ministry aims to help the children enjoy a
relationship with Jesus Christ in an environment that is fun and life-giving in the company of
their friends. It also creates an atmosphere where Christian values can be shared,
practiced, developed, and experienced.

As we look deeper into the verse, the Lord calls us to let every child come to Him. Children
who are less fortunate, differently-abled, and even those kids who may seem difficult, are
all part of our call of bringing them to the Lord. We are to reach out to them where ever they
are and whatever race they maybe.

II. “Do not prevent them;”

Oftentimes their being kids becomes an excuse for us to limit them in knowing God deeper
and responding to His love, thus, preventing them from being able to really come to the
Lord. But, knowing and understanding their nature can help us create more opportunities of
bringing them closer to God.

A. Junior Kids: 4-8 year olds

1. They have a short attention span

• It is important to realize that children in this age bracket cannot stand listening to long
talks. The most effective way to reach the children is by involving them in an activity that
they can enjoy. A short processing session should follow that relates the activity to the
value or to the lesson to be learned.

2. Most of them are extremely active

• Junior kids are enthusiastic and normally restless, especially 4 to 6-year olds. Activities
such as running, jumping, dancing and generally moving around appeal most to them.

3. They are attracted to motion and interesting visuals

• They enjoy learning using the five senses. Cutting, pasting, coloring and other art
activities are exciting to them.
• They have a high interest in words and love stories.

4. Most of them learn better through repetition

• Having the kids to repeat what you say can also excite them and impress upon them that
learning can be fun.

5. They are beginning to be aware of the needs of others.

• They enjoy being with friends and can play cooperatively with peers.
• Exposing them to group activities such as; team building, group games and the like can
help them interact and be conscious of others.

6. They need specific instructions.

• Step-by-step directions are easier for them to follow, and give them greater confidence to
carry them out. Sometimes, when a child refuses to follow directions, it is more out of
confusion rather than disobedience.

7. They respond to love

• Seemingly little gestures like remembering their names, accompanying them to the
bathroom and conversing with them cheerfully tell them more about God’s love than
anything you can ever say.
• Serving them with a cheerful and loving heart helps them realize that what they learn in
KFC is true and worth believing in. As they grow, your constant example makes you a
credible teacher to follow and look up to.

B. Senior Kids: 9-12 year olds

1. Their bodies are rapidly developing.

• They demonstrate considerable competence and continuing mastery of their bodies and
their environment.
• Boys are stronger than girls. Girls may be more graceful and accurate.
• Fine motor skills (writing and drawing) improve noticeably.

2. They are into formal education.

• Motivate them. Give them a reason to become involved. Allow them to use their hidden
potentials so that their talents may not go to waste. Use prizes and other tangible rewards
to motivate them.
• Give them many opportunities to explore their different talents and skills.
• Provide venues for them to showcase the fruits of their labor. These will help the kids
have confidence and be proud of themselves.
• Always have an encouraging attitude towards the kids. Simple gestures will give them a
chance to overcome their fear of failure that they might have acquired early in life, which if
not addressed, may keep them from fulfilling their potentials.

3. They look up to their elder siblings as role models.

• By being models, offering advice, and interceding with adults, siblings form bonds that last
a lifetime.
• They begin to develop their self-identity. Accepting some of an older sibling’s behaviors
and rejecting others contribute to their own sense of identity.

4. They need their friends. They enjoy doing stuff with their friends.
• During this age, relationships with friends are very important. Kids are attracted to those
who share their interests, who play well with them, and who help them learn about
themselves.
• Friends provide opportunities for learning. They teach kids how to communicate with one
another. Friendship also means that a kid has to learn how to cooperate and how to deal
with conflict.
• Friends give kids the chance to feel that they belong to a group. Here the kids learn about
not just individual friendships but roles, collective participation, and group support for
activities.

We should remember that these are general characteristics for us to understand them. It
does not mean that each kid is or should be that way. Remember that each child is unique
in his/her own qualities and individuality. He/she will have his/her own way of responding to
God. They need people to guide them in their walk closer to God.

III. Conclusion

“For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

The kids always have a special place in the Lord. Serving the people that are closest to the
Lord’s heart is a very special privilege. Being close with them is also being close with the
Lord.

Being a Kuya or Ate, we are role models and we need to witness to them how it is to love
and serve the Lord. Serving in KFC is doing God’s will. We are actually taking part in the
fulfillment of the vision He has given our community. Furthermore, it is with great privilege
and responsibility that we are given this task of leading the kids to the Lord. We are actually
working hands-on in the future of our country and our faith.

Discussion starters

1. Share a significant experience with the kids.

2. Do I see myself serving in the Kids for Christ Ministry?
APPENDIX: Games and Activities

1. Sell yourself
Dynamics:
1. The participants will be asked to sit in a big circle.
2. They will take turns introducing themselves by doing something “out of the ordinary” (ex.
“I’m Jude and I can make the tip of my tongue touch the tip of my nose!” Or “I’m Robert and
I can kiss my elbow!”)

2. Archer-Rabbit-Wall

Dynamics:
1. Divide the participants into groups of about 5-7members (the number of groups depends
on the number of participants)
2. The game is similar to the game “Paper-Scissor-Rock.”
3. The rabbit beats the wall
4. The wall beats the archer
5. The archer beats the rabbit
6. Two groups will stand back to back
7. The game master will count “0ne, two, and three” then the two groups will simultaneously
face each other.
8. The group with the winning character wins a point.
9. Best of three games.
10.Additional games can be played
Note: the service team can use other ice-breaker activity

WORKSHOPS

Speaker’s Workshop

A. Objectives

1. To orient the participants in giving talks or facilitating sessions to a young audience.

2. To introduce creative ways in speaking before KFC members.

B. Introduction
“To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak; Have
no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you says the Lord.” (Jer 1: 5-8)

C. Preparing for the Talk (Short Recap)

1. Begin with the end in mind

a. know what your talk is about- the message
 b. stick to the outline

2. Internalize the talk- understand it

a. speak from the heart
b. understand your audience-age, social status
3. Prepare your outline
a. come up with stories, anecdotes that might help illustrate your point
b. make it personal- share, don’t preach

4. Pray.

D. Presenting the Talk

1. Speak to the audience

a. Generate good rapport-eye to eye contact, have a cheerful disposition

2. Clarity
a. Number your points so your audience would know where you are
b. Speak clearly with enough volume and pitch
c. Avoid Christian jargons as well as YFC lingo that they might not understand

3. Tailor-fit your talk

a. Consider age (usually 4-12 years old), social status, presence of two genders
b. Use more stories as analogies to present your message
c. Consider the better option of using Filipino/ English depending on your crowd
d. Give jokes but not green/ racist/ Erap

4. Time
a. Should be kept to 10-20 mins; kids have short attention span

5. Aesthetics
a. Dress decently; kids are looking up to you
b. Wearing costume is an option to further excite the kids

6. End with a high note

D. Creative Aspect

1. Very important element of every talk in a Kids Conference; it should be catches attention
of the kids; it should break the monotony

2. Insert creative presentations before/during/after the talk (e.g. dance, song, magic show,
praise and fashion, role-playing); Example: Finding a Treasure Talk talks about talents; can
feature special talents of any KFC members

3. Speaker can be part of the performance before the talk proper

4. One session is like one show; children should not notice that you’re giving a talk

E. Attitudes

1. Don’t scare them.

a. It is not your goal to make them cry/ guilty/ scared
b. Some make the mistake of citing instances such as death of parents, accidents, etc. to
change them

2. Don’t underestimate or overestimate your audience

a. don’t be too “kiddy” on your examples or too serious
b. don’t ever think that KFC is a less service than YFC
c. don’t ever think that speaking to kids need no preparation; kids know when you are not
prepared or not enthusiastic
d. don’t be scared with the notion that kids are bratty or not attentive

3. Love the kids. Understand where they’re coming from.

a. Know their concerns-studies, family, siblings, peers, ambitions
b. Be patient if they are noisy, wandering, ‘NR’, etc.

Storytelling Workshop

A. Objectives
1. To introduce storytelling as an alternative method of giving talks to
KFC members.
2. To prepare participants for different storytelling methods.

B. Introduction

Pep Talk on Storytelling

When telling a story, be yourself; do not try to become a dramatic character or something
you’re not. Reading stories aloud from books will always play a part in education. But it is
not storytelling. Storytelling is older than reading (or being read to) and is a more complete
form of communication. It has neither the careful polish of literature nor the rehearsed
spectacle of drama. Instead it is a unique form of improvisation created in the moment
through interplay of audience, storyteller and story.

C. Points to remember

1. Off the page

-A story read from a book would gain some refinement but may lose the raw vitality of the
Living Word. So getting a story from a book may need some adjustments and preparations.
2. Not by Word
-A story shouldn’t be memorized word for word but by heart. All you need to remember are
key words, phrases and significant events.
3. Grasping the Plot
-Read the story several times, in order for you to fully understand the flow of the story and
to be confident enough to retell it in the way that you want it to be.
4. Seeing the Story
-Visualize the setting, people and events in the story as clearly and as detailed as you can.
You can do this by closing your eyes and imagining.
5. Timing is Essential
-Know when to speed up, slow down (e.g. climax). Don’t be afraid to pause to create a
more dramatic effect.
6. Practicing the story and playing with your voice
-Try taping yourself while telling a story and then retell it with the corrections from the first
recording.
7. Movement and gesture
- Don’t just stand in place while telling your story; you’ll be no different from a book.
However, also remember not to overact.
8. Have fun
-If done with confidence and passion, storytelling could be fun not only for the audience but
also for the storyteller.
9. Pray
-That God may use you powerfully in telling His story through you.

D. The Gift

1. Each participant will imagine holding an extraordinary gift. (e.g. the Sun, balot at asin,
flying dragon)
2. They will move around and exchange gifts with each other while describing what it is that
they have in their hands. They should be creative in acting out what they are holding and
describe it in the best way the others would be able to understand them.

E. Story Chain
1. The participants will form a circle and the facilitator starts with a phrase to begin a story.
The person on his/her left will continue the story with his/her own input. The story will
evolve and develop into a climax and a conclusion. This aims to develop the spontaneity of
the storytellers.

F. Story by Partners
1. The participants will be asked to form pairs.
2. From the pair, choose who will be Partner A and Partner B.
3. Develop a story with actions.
4. Partner A tells the story they made to the audience without words and only actions. After
that the partner B will tell it to the group with the words and actions.
5. This will show the importance of words in a story and that actions are not essential but
will help make the story livelier and clearer.
Talk 3: The KFC Challenge: A Heart for the Kids
Goals:

1. To challenge the YFCs to look unto Jesus and like Him have a heart for the kids

I. Introduction

As the work of CFC and KFC continues to grow and evolve, we see a lot of
developments happening. The CFC Kids for Christ ministry is flourishing and widening its
reach in Metro Manila as well as the provinces of the Philippines. This is also true with
what is happening around the world. KFC is spreading to more kids in more
countries. Whatever race/ethnicity
Catholic kids
Muslim/ other religion

healthy and clean

malnourished/dirty
Its social component is also in place. With advocacies and work with the poor, we let the
kids experience the social dimension of the gospel.

As we see the Lord unfold all these developments before our eyes, we are humbled
and we realize the need for more laborers to work on the harvest, but more and more
with hearts that follow after the Master’s heart.

II. Heart for the Kids

What kind of a heart does Jesus have that we should all have as well, as we seek to bring
more of God’s little ones to Him?

Jesus has a heart of a Child. He would always mention in the gospel that he has come to
do the will of the father. Likewise, the very prayer that He taught us starts with “Our
Father…” so resembling the heart of Jesus, we are also to be always dependent on the
Father. Trusting and obeying Him. He also has a heart of a shepherd.

1.) Jesus said “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me.”
Psalm 10:14. As Kuyas and Ates, we are to be like our Lord. We could be like Him by
knowing the people we serve (ex. We could know their names, their birthdays, their likes
and dislikes, etc.).

2.) We are to be good role models for them. Guiding them and inspiring them. “…
whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me.” Matt 25:40

3.)
Christ has a heart of a soldier of God. Always ready to be of service to the Father. Acts
without delay, without complain and without selfishness.
III. Conclusion
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into his harvest” Luke 10:2.

All the wonderful programs and camps of CFC Kids for Christ will be useless and meaning
less if no one will take them on and bring them to the kids. There is a call for the laborers
and it starts from their hearts.

Having a heart for Jesus is also having a heart for the kids. These are the people that are
closest to the heart of Christ. If we really like to be the best servants for the kids, we imitate
the heart of Christ.

Reflection Question:

1. How is God calling me to respond to His call to serve the Kids?

2. What can I contribute to Kids for Christ?