• Teach kids the simplicity of love through Jesus.memorial jesus image by Rikmo from Fotolia.com
  
  Use church bulletin boards as a tool to engage children and students in a dialogue about God, Jesus Christ and the values and beliefs of Christians and Biblical philosophy. Allow kids to help create, arrange and complete the boards and hold group discussions surrounding that week's lesson plan while assembling them. Try these three ideas to foster creativity and learning.
  
  

Let Your Light Shine

• Let Your Light Shine is a simple board to make, needs little time to create and requires few materials. You'll need black paper, markers, yellow crepe or construction paper, and white paper or card stock, along with glue or a stapler. To begin, cover the entire board in black and run yellow or gold along the edges on all four sides to create a border. Next, cut out two thick candles complete with flames and affix to the bottom right hand corner of the board. Use white paper for this step and color with markers--yellow, brown, orange and black for candle flames and rays of light. Decorate the rest of the board with the verse Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men."
  
  

Follow the Leader

• The vibrant, colorful and playful Follow the Leader board engages children with its animation and encourages students to feel closer to God by following Jesus. To build this board, you'll need construction paper in white, yellow or gold, and medium and dark blue, as well as a stapler and glue. Download templates for fish outlines or draw the forms free-hand and decorate with markers, glitter and sequins. Begin this board by covering the background in medium blue and adding dark blue around the edges to create a border. Cut the phrase "Follow the Leader" out of white construction paper and affix to the board at the bottom in the center. Next, use yellow paper to cut out an oblong fish symbol and staple along the left side. Behind the large main fish, add a fish for various children or every child in your class. Encourage students to decorate their own fish and write their name beneath it. The day you reveal this board, create a lesson plan that reflects the idea that Christians following Jesus never lose their way.
  
  

Fall for Jesus

• Ideal for display during the fall season, Fall for Jesus is a colorful board that gives teachers an opportunity to discuss with children issues of peer pressure, faith and developing healthy individuality. You'll need blue, green, yellow and brown construction paper, as well as glue or a stapler. Cover the background of this board with light blue to resemble the sky, adding a section of green construction paper at the bottom for grass, a large yellow circle in the upper right for the sun, and a brown tree in the center. Encourage students to help create the board by cutting out various fall-colored leaves from construction paper, and glueing or stapling those leaves to the tree. In the grass, attach the words "Fall for Jesus," and hold a discussion about themes that come to mind when hearing this phrase. Another fun twist to this board for Pre-K and early grade kids is to allow them to brush their hands with fall-colored paint and make handprint leaves. Stencil on butterfly outlines or affix colored decals for added detail.