Colouring Through the Church Calendar
How one woman is helping children experience the Bible through activities and colouring pages.
In ANiC two of our primary ministry priorities are to build churches which are biblically grounded and which are intentionally loving children and families. Yvonne Carman has found a way to help in both those priorities with families in her church and perhaps in yours too.
Yvonne lives in Windsor, Ontario with her husband, the Reverend Canon Tom Carman, ANiC Registrar and retired rector of St. Aidan’s church in Windsor. For some time now she has been developing colouring pages and activity sheets for children, which correspond with the lectionary readings of the church calendar, with her grandchildren contributing the drawings. She’s made these easily downloadable and has offered them to other churches as well her own. We caught up with her to ask her more about it.
Here’s what she shared with us:
“Tom was the pastor at St. Aidans when the church joined ANiC in 2008. Just over two years ago we both retired from our positions, but we still attend there.
I worked as a nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and then later, again with children, as an Educational Assistant. I have always had a heart for interacting with children and youth. So when our church moved Sunday School from during the church service to a time slot prior to worship, I became aware of the need for something to help the children stay focused and interested on the service and what was happening around them.
Initially, I looked online for activities and colouring pages that related to the lectionary readings for that day. Let’s just say, I learned a lot about the lectionary in the next few years! But I couldn’t always find what I was looking for and some days I’d have to create a puzzle or two, or more scary yet - draw a picture. And I’m afraid, I do not draw well.
I’d set these pages out with clipboards and packages of crayons and pencils so the children could pick up any that interested them.
People from several other churches asked me if they could use these puzzles and I was hesitant to send them anything that I had not created myself. With the help of my grandchildren, and support and permission from their parents, I could now put together weekly sets of pictures/puzzles, with them proofing the puzzles and drawing pictures for this project. What a joy it is to be working with them on this, knowing that they have the scriptures reinforced as they help.
After three years I’d collected quite a few pages and when ACNA introduced the 2019 Lectionary and Year A was about to start that Advent, I opened this project to a larger audience.
We now have an Overview - a master index - of what is designed for each Sunday of Years A, B, and C. Each season of the church year is listed separately for easy access. Permission is given for all the pictures and puzzles to be downloaded and printed.
I’ve always been a puzzles person so coming up with ideas is fun. Computer work, on the other hand, is a challenge. I have my husband to thank for much continual support there.
The Lord has really taught me and blessed me - and my grandchildren - through this process. And I pray that other churches will be blessed as they access this material to share God’s love with their little ones.”
– Yvonne Carman
To view all the pages Yvonne has available and to download any you’d like to use with your kids click the button below: