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The Ultimate guide to Church Toddler Group Resources is all about getting back in the swing of all things toddler group after a few weeks away.

Follow the links for extra ideas for toddler group Bible stories and toddler Bible story crafts. At the end of the post I’ve added a friendly toddler group checklist so you can see what you’ve achieved and what you might need to do.

Toddler Group Resources – set up ideas

Every toddler group is unique, different spaces, different people but here’s some ideas that can be copied or adapted. Setting up a toddler group in a church or community hall can be really hard work. Toddler group leaders become furniture movers and it can take it’s toll. If you can get some help.

Below are some photos of our set up and the toys we have out each week.

One of the groups I help with meets in a community hall but is run by a church. To help parents and carers know who we are we have a notice board. It’s good to display something about your group so people know what they are coming to. We like to have this behind our welcome table.

Some ideas for your toddler group welcome table

A leaflet or booklet with key details about the group including dates when you are running and phone numbers of leaders or a website address. Include details of your church.
Information that is helpful for families from your local area including details of other toddler groups
A box of tissues
Some christian tracts or booklets
Smalltalk – printable information sheets from Care for the Family that cover a wide range of topics. I recommend taking a look at the list on their website. They are family friendly and helpful without lecturing.
Your sign in sheet – this can be simple with first name of the adult and the number of children with them.

Resources for Telling Bible Stories to Toddlers

Telling Bible Stories in a toddler can feel a bit daunting so here are some resources to make it easier and hopefully enjoyable.

Invest in some props – take a look at this post all about these knitted bible characters

Other props that are helpful

Pringle people are easy to make and very versatile.
Home made paper plate scenes that tell a bible story
Purple cloth for the bible story about Lydia
A home made cardboard box bible time house for telling the toddler group bible story series Homes Jesus Visited.

Sometimes you can make use of toddler group toys for props such as a toy lion for a bible story about Daniel or things you borrow from home such as a pan and wooden spoon for a bible story about Mary and Martha.

Choose a story bag or basket that is easy to use. I have a few favourites – it is easier for me if they are bags/baskets that hold their shape.

It better to have fewer props – don’t feel that you need a prop for everything in the story or you’ll just have so much to remember and get out of the bag you risk losing the flow of the story.

The ultimate guide to toddler group resources story basket with props for bible stories

The ultimate guide to toddler group resources story bags with props for bible stories

Plan which bible stories you want to tell in your toddler group.

We recommend planning a term at a time – include seasonal things like Harvest and have a few weeks for Christmas and Easter.

There are lots of toddler group bible stories on the blog. Here are some for you to try that have been put in handy six week segments. One is all about saying ‘thank you’ to God for our bodies – it’s a great series if you want to introduce a bible story time in your group. The other story series is all about what God is like.

It can be fun to have a theme – Animal bible stories, Number bible Stories, Weather bible stories

Other resources are available from Go Teach and Faith in Kids

Toddler group resources for crafts

At the beginning of every term it’s a good idea just to check your craft resources. Here are a few basics that we use nearly every week at toddler group and consequently often need topping up.

Paper – coloured sugar paper, plain white A4 paper for printing
Glue sticks
Coloured tissue paper
Wax crayons (remove any that have broken into small bits)

Here’s a post with lots of ideas for craft resources

Play dough for toddler group play

There are lots of play dough recipes – this is the one I use most

I hope this guide has given you lots of ideas. Here’s a handy checklist

Welcome sheet with important info for adults
Sign in sheet
Tissues
Smalltalk from Care for the Family
Props
Story bag/basket
Bible story plan
Glue sticks
Paper
Wax crayons
Tissue paper
Play dough
Are all the toys clean and unbroken?

I’m sure you can add ideas of your own.

Craft supplies you need for toddler group! – or would really like, come in all shapes and sizes (and price ranges!). Here are some ideas of what you need (or would really like) when doing crafts with young children in toddler group or at home.

Some craft supplies can be bought especially for doing crafts at home or in toddler group but there are others that you possibly already have or friends and family can collect for you.

Craft supplies for toddler group and home

Craft supplies you might like to buy

Paint
No spill paint pots
Paint brushes
Aprons (you can go old school and use old men’s shirts – children wear them backwards – buttons at the back. Use them and then wash them.)
Glue (PVA can last ages)
Glue spreaders
Glue sticks
Paper plates – round, square, white/black or coloured.
Paper cups/pots
Doilies
Wax crayons
Petit four cases
Cup cake cases
Wreath shapes
Sugar paper
Lollipop sticks
Stickers – stars, themed stickers for example animals, sea creatures.
Pipe cleaners

Of course you don’t have to buy everything on this list. Prioritise items like wax crayons, paper and glue. See if there is a local scheme for sharing supplies.

Paper can be very expensive so save paper from packaging if you can. Card is great to use so try to reuse packaging.

Craft supplies you may already have (or know someone who does)

This is the list to get excited about! Craft items for toddler group that are free are a bonus. Once you start looking you will see opportunities for free craft supplies all over the place.

Greeting card pictures. Collect all year round and especially at Christmas. Just ask donors to tear the picture from the greeting section of the card if they can.
Wrapping paper (all sorts including shiny paper)
Tissue paper – often used for wrapping flowers/gifts/breakables
Yarn/wool – Lots of knitters and crocheters will have yarn in small lengths in a variety of colours. Ask for donations.
Fabric – sewers will have scraps you can use for collage.
Cardboard tubes
Cereal boxes
Netting from fruit packaging
Natural collage materials – leaves, petals (make sure these are non-poisonous. Take a look at this post for more info.
Ribbon (this is often used as handles on gift bags)
Magazine pictures
Garden catalogue photos of plants/vegetables
Paint colour sample cards from DIY stores
Egg cartons (these should be clean, i.e no sign of any egg!) Children can be allergic to egg so take care.

It’s good to be on the look out for materials you can use – charity shops are great for finding bits and bobs!

Some supplies you need only buy once – non spill paint pots and good paint brushes. Glue spreaders will last and a good quality PVC cloth to cover the craft table will last years. (You can use newspaper but just check the content first!)

Here are some crafts that use a variety of the items listed