Celebration Place
Welcome!
Celebration Place is a place where your children can make new friends, share ideas, play games, sing songs, create crafts, and watch videos and movies. Each week your children will learn the same lesson that you are learning in Celebrate Recovery. And most important of all, they’ll learn about God’s amazing love for them!
Celebration Place is truly a celebration—of the joy of life, the wonder of God’s love, and the promises of the future. Celebration Place is a structured program for children. The night begins with a time of connection that we call Free Play.
Free Play:
People were created for connection. Free play offers an opportunity for children to play together. Play is very important for children. It helps prepare them mentally and emotionally to learn in addition to building friendships.
Worship:
Every Celebration Place meeting includes a time of worship. We want to encourage children to connect with God. Praise and worship are just one way people can connect with God.
Teaching Time:
Children will experience sessions on topics such as denial, powerlessness, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and more--at their age level.
Centers:
Every lesson has three centers that help reinforce what is being taught. These centers include things like games, crafts, object lessons, and snacks. They are a lot of fun and give children a way to connect with each other.
Small Groups:
We have small group time before and after our centers. This is a time for the children to talk about the lessons, to ask questions, and share what they learned. It also gives the children a safe place to come out of their shells and talk about whatever is going on in their lives.
Small group guidelines:
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We talk about our own thoughts and feelings, not about other people. When it’s our turn, we only talk for a few minutes.
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We talk to the whole group, and not just one person.
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When others talk, we listen quietly without interruption
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We don’t talk outside the group about what others say, unless we’re worried that people might hurt themselves and others.
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We never use mean words or put-downs at Celebration Place
During small groups, children use their Celebration Place Journals to get in touch with their feelings and record their thoughts. This unique aspect of the journal opens the door to healing communication by teaching children to talk to each other, talk to God, and talk to their parents.
Children bring home a discussion sheet so that the parents can talk with them about the week’s topic and healthy choices can be reinforced. The unique approach initiates positive, fun, faith-filled conversations between children and parents that let them practice open communication and sharing in ways they may never have experienced before.
Closing:
The main points of the lesson are reviewed as a final reminder of the recovery themes taught. Children end the night in prayer by reading together a child version of the Serenity Prayer.
God, help me accept the things I can’t change;
Give me the courage to change the things I can;
And give me the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen​
