Farewell Kid Connection... Hello Dwell Flex

Faith Alive is announcing that the Kid Connection (KC) curriculum will be retired at the end of the 2022-23 ministry year. And with over a year of use in churches, Dwell Flex is ready to take on the valued KC mantle.

KC History
Faith Alive first published Kid Connection in 2007 as a large-group/small-group curriculum with an interactive approach to faith formation. Written by a team of experienced children’s ministry leaders, it quickly became a valuable, theologically sound and dependable curriculum for churches across a variety of denominations. Churches with small children’s ministry (and budget) found the format an especially good fit for multi-age classes. Each session was easy to follow and filled with teaching tips so leaders could enjoy the sessions as much as the kids.

Why Phasing Out?
Kid Connection has been around for almost 15 years and much has changed in technology and views on children’s learning habits (pedagogy) during that time. The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity for Faith Alive to invest in development of some new multi-age curriculum as churches looked for session plans that would work for multiple ages and in multiple settings (virtual, in-person, and for use at home). KC can be retired now that Dwell Flex is in place as a solid replacement for multi-age group learning.

Dwell Flex Ready to Replace
Dwell Flex uses the same scope and sequence as Kid Connection, alternating between the Old and New Testaments each year. But each Flex session was also created to stand on its own and be used out of sequence if desired. It offers engaging activities like KC, but has also added a more inquisitive (“wondering”) aspect. Unlike KC, Flex sessions do not break out into age or grade specific smaller groups, and are only available online through Dwell Digital. Dwell Flex excels with 5-9 year olds. And some Flex churches have found that their older kids (ages 10-11) embrace being active assistants, or they have used Dwell Marvel (graded materials) for them.

Passing of the Mantle
After June 2023, the Kid Connection materials will no longer be available for purchase. If you currently use KC, we encourage you to investigate Dwell Flex and see how it might fit into your ministry context. But don’t just take our word for it. Karen De Boer, one of the initial creators of Kid Connection, believes that Dwell Flex will make a great replacement. Read her exciting post.

If you have any questions about Kid Connection or Dwell Flex, please feel free to contact Faith Alive at 800-333-8300.