The Treasure Chest

The treasure chest comes in handy for children's ministry. Whether it is to reward a "quiet seat" prize or to reward a child who brings a visitor or a Bible, this can be a wonderful tool. It's also fun to let a birthday child pick some thing out (or two!).

I found this wooden box at church that I thought we could use for our Bible club. I went through some of the little prizes already at church and added them in. I recently found quite a few trinkets at Hobby Lobby that were marked down from their summer stock. Other great places to find things are at Smile Makers, Oriental Trading Company, your local dollar store, Wal-mart, Big Lots and the dollar spot at Target. These places give awesome variety while keeping the cost low.

So, what do I include in my stash? First of all, I include a mix of Bible-related items and every day fun things, too. I don't put anything inside that has anything to do movies, cartoons or entertainment. Although I don't have any candy in there right now, soft candies as well as fruit snacks are also a good idea to put in.

Here's what I currently have in there....

jumping frogs

cars

stickers

mini paddle balls (they say "Make a Joyful Noise")

animal-shaped erasers

tiny paint kit

rings (with a Bible phrase on them)

sea animals

silver coins with the Ten Commandments printed on them

punch balloon

More ideas include: balls, glow-in-the-dark jewelry, pens and pencils, notepads, book marks, key chains, etc. Of course, there's room for more items. If you have a treasure chest, what do you include in it? I'd love to hear your ideas!:)