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3 FIFA World Cup 2026 and Ed’s Bit
4–5 KA! JAM
6 Proverbially Speaking 7 World Wonder
8–9 Giggle in the Middle 10 Kimmon Spring New Growth Competition 11 Cookery Corner 12-13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space
16 Patch’s Pals Naughty Norman
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EDITOR Cara Mott
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Elliott
PROOFREADER Chris Horne
CONTACT US
Phone Of ce – 020 7367 4910
Hey there, readers! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this issue of Kids Alive! If you would like to get your own copy of Kids Alive! delivered to your home every week, why not ask your parents or carers to take out a subscription* for you? Every week, Kids Alive! includes a cartoon Bible story, a competition, puzzles, jokes, comic strips and topical activities and articles for you to enjoy.
DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku
Email kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Post 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ
FOUNDERS Catherine and William Booth
INTERNATIONAL LEADERS General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham
TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Andrew Stone
Published weekly by The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory. The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. ISSN 1363-5662.
'LÅT OSS GÅ!'
TLets Go!
his summer, around 5.8 billion people from 195 countries will be tuning in to watch an epic sporting competition. Over the course of 104 matches, 48 teams will be giving it their all to prove that they’re the best of the best. Matches will take place in 16 cities, across 3 nations –the United States, Canada and Mexico. And every team will have to bring their A-game, because only one squad will be named the FIFA World Cup 2026 champions!
Whether you’re not keen on football or you adore the sport as much as dogs love chasing a ball, this World Cup will probably be too exciting to miss. That’s because two teams from the UK will be taking part – England and Scotland! Although the competition started on Thursday (11 June), the excitement for UK fans really begins tomorrow (14 June), as Scotland take on Haiti in their rst game. Then, on Wednesday 17 June, England will be playing against Croatia!
friends and family? It’s hard to beat watching a football game
Will Ché Adams or Lyndon Dykes score some unbelievable goals for Scotland? And will Harry Kane lead England’s team to lots of fantastic wins? There’s only one way to nd out – by checking out this year’s World Cup! Why not arrange some watch parties with friends and family? It’s hard to beat watching a football game surrounded by other excited fans. You could even make some scrumptious football-themed cakes for everyone to enjoy (check out page 11 for an awesome recipe).
Scotland’s match against Haiti tomorrow is very early (2am!), so you can watch it later in the day on BBC iPlayer. Then you can check out England’s match against Croatia on 17 June at 9pm on ITV1 or STV. Since this match is late at night, you can catch up the next day on ITVX!
everything we to,
It feels like the football season just finished, but it‛s already World Cup time! That gap was just a few weeks, but some waits are much longer. I‛m an Arsenal fan, so I‛ve just celebrated us winning the Premier League after a 22-year wait! Scotland fans are also celebrating after a long wait – it‛s 28 years since they watched their team play in a World Cup tournament. Waiting for something to happen can be hard! Whether it‛s waiting for a football tournament to begin or for the school holidays to start, being patient isn‛t always easy. It can be especially difficult if you‛re living through tough times and just want things to get better. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 there‛s a message for these moments –it says that God makes everything happen at the right time. Things might not happen when we expect them to, but we need to trust that God knows best and his timing is perfect!
Caring for Creation Adam and Eve
Check out your Bible – Genesis 2:7-9, 15-23; 3:1-6, 21-23
Trust God
Have you ever done something and then irealised you made a terrible mistake? When I was little, I wanted some chocolate, but my mum said, ‘Not now’. I’d already had one, but wanted more. Instead of listening to her, I kept looking at the chocolate in its golden wrapper … then I took it! But as soon as I ate it, I realised my mistake. I felt so sick and knew I should have listened to my mum.
This experience reminds me of the first people in the Bible. When God created Adam and Eve, they had a perfect life. They lived in a beautiful garden, had a very cool job taking care of creation and they even got to spend every day hanging out with God!
However, things changed the moment they chose not to follow God’s instruction. God had given them one rule – ‘Eat any fruit you want, except the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil’. But when the snake came along and convinced them to do just that, Adam and Eve lost their perfect life. They had failed to trust God and instead chose to do what they wanted.
Following rules is not always easy, and following God’s rules can feel even harder. But we can trust whatever God tells us, because he loves us so much and wants the very best for us. So, the next time you’re faced with a tempting situation, remember you can always ask God for help. When you do, the Holy Spirit will help you make the best choice possible.
by Ibukun Baku
Prayer Space
Can you think of a time when you did something that you knew was wrong? Use the spaces below to complete a prayer asking God for help to make a better choice in the future.
Tongue Twisters
See if you can say this terrifically tough tongue twister 10 times!
Purple paper people, purple paper people
Colosseum
? ? ? ? ?
HELLO, READERS, I’VE LOST A VERY IMPORTANT OBJECT SOMEWHERE IN THE ISSUE. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO HELP ME FIND IT? I HAVE A CLUE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE.
Patch’s Problem... ?
World Wonder
Our world is pretty awesome! All around the globe there are magni cent things to see. So jump in our imaginary jumbo jet and travel the world with us!
This is Rome’s Colosseum – it was opened way back in AD80 (which is a super long time ago) with a celebration that featured 100 days of games. The Colosseum was the largest arena in the Roman world and was built out of stone and concrete by thousands of slaves. Inside there was seating for more than 50,000 spectators. It was used for ghts between gladiators, wild animals and even navy ships, which was the Romans’ idea of entertainment. We’d rather go to the cinema! Over time, the Colosseum was abandoned and the stones were used for other building projects. This, as well as damage caused by the weather and natural disasters, means that only one third of the original Colosseum is still in place.
Chris Horne
by Neil Locker
I
Identify the mystery item in the magnifying glass
world cup WORDSEARCH
U
What time is it when an elephant steps on your football?
Time to get a new ball!
I couldn’t figure out why the football kept getting larger and larger... ...then it hit me!
Why was the chicken kicked off the football team?
new
I was born in London.
For persistent fowl play! germany
zealand iran
I started my football journey at Chelsea’s academy before moving to West Ham.
In 2023, I led West Ham to victory in the Europa Conference League and was named ‘Player of the Season’ by UEFA.
In 2023, I joined Arsenal. I scored two incredible free kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League. I used to play for the Republic of Ireland national team, but now I play for England. Can you guess who I am?
SSpring New Growth Competition
pring is a wonderful time of year, isn’t it? Gorgeous daisies sprout from the ground, butter ies utter from ower to ower and busy bees buzz as they build their hives. Since it’s only a week until when some experts believe summer begins, which is 21 June (although some people believe it started on 1 June), now is the perfect time to celebrate spring before it comes to an end! Winners of this week’s prize will receive their own Kimmon plush doll from the Spring New Growth series. Standing at seven inches tall, Kimmon dolls are poseable and ready to be displayed. They even come with removable accessories and matching ID cards. Whether it’s a blossom- lled bunny, a playful fox decorated with spring owers or a curious panda holding a tiny plant, these plush dolls bring the freshness of spring into your home. For the opportunity to win your own Kimmon plush doll, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
Remember to put ‘Kimmon Spring New Growth Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 10 July when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by lling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Kimmon Spring New Growth Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
Name:
Address:
Which of the following is a date some experts believe summer starts on?
21 June 21 August 21 October
WHAT YOU NEED
Mixing bowl. Whisk. Spoons. Cupcake tray. Cupcake cases. Rolling pin. Cookie cutter. 110g softened butter. 110g golden caster sugar. 110g self-raising our. 2 eggs. ½ tsp vanilla extract. Buttercream. Multiple colours of fondant icing. Icing sugar. Grown-up to help.
MIX, MIX!
METHOD
WORLD CUP-CAKES RECIPE
1. Ask a grown-up to preheat an oven to 180°C (or 160°C for a fan oven) and then put cupcak cases into your cupcake tray.
2.Whisk the butter and the sugar together in your bowl until they come together as a uffy mixture. Then whisk in the eggs one at a time, before adding your vanilla extract. To nish making your cake batter, whisk in your our. The nished mixture should be smooth.
3.Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases (hint – try to make sure that you’re putting the same amount of batter into each case). Then put your cupcake tray into the oven and set a 15-minute timer.
2 3 5 6 7
4. It’s time to make ags to decorate your cakes! It’s completely up to you which ags you create, whether that’s England, Scotland or a completely different nation. Look at pictures of the ag you want to recreate, then pick out the fondant icing colours you’ll need!
5. Dust a surface with icing sugar, then use a rolling pin to roll out all the different fondant icing that you’ll need to make your ag. Use a round cookie cutter to cut each bit of fondant so that you’ve created lots of circles. This will mean that your ags will t perfectly onto your nished cupcakes.
6. Get a grown-up to help you to cut some of your rolled-out fondant icing, so that you can create details such as crosses! You can then stick different pieces of icing together by using your ngertip to dab them with a bit of water.
7. Take your cakes out of the oven after they’ve been baked for 15 minutes. Leave them to cool and then add a spoonful of buttercream to the top of each one. Then carefully place your fondant icing ags on top of the buttercream.
Living a healthy and active lifestyle, and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being
Faith in Sport
Did you know that there are around 27 million people who would call themselves a Christian in the UK? This means that all around the country, there are Christians teaching in classrooms, working for the government, designing cool websites and starring in lms. There are even Christians who are scoring amazing goals in football matches!
Bukayo Saka
Faithful Footballers
To celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2026 (which you can learn more about on page 3), let’s learn about a few Christians who are brilliant at footie and are also magni cent at sharing their love of Jesus with others!
Bukayo Saka is a right winger for Arsenal and one of England’s best footballers. He’ll be playing in the World Cup. Plus, he’s a Christian! Bukayo has never hidden his love for Jesus from others. When he won a man of the match trophy during Euro 2024, Bukayo used that as an opportunity to share about his faith in God. He even wrote a letter to his old school to talk about how he knows that God is looking after him!
Marcus Rashford
Another player in this year’s England squad isn’t scared to share his faith in Jesus. We’re talking about Marcus Rashford, of course! Marcus’s love for Jesus has led him to show love to others around him.
Some footballers make lots of money, and Marcus uses his money to help to provide meals for kids who don’t have much! In fact, during the 2020 lockdown, it’s believed that Marcus’s charity work helped to feed around 4 million kids! million
RenéNijh
Michelle Agyemang
In 2025, Michelle Agyemang was named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. There’s no denying that Michelle is a world-class footballer – but there’s also no denying that Michelle really loves Jesus! Michelle uses her social media channels to share verses from the Bible. She also wears football socks with a cross on them to remind people of what Jesus has done for them!
Beyond Football
Sporty Christians aren’t just found on the football pitch! There are Christians playing any sport you can imagine, from rugby to water polo. That includes spectacular pros who play sports for a living – and normal people like you!
In fact, The Salvation Army (which publishes Kids Alive!) has a podcast called Faith in Sport, which is all about everyday Christians talking about the sports they take part in! Why not check it out with your parents or carers by visiting salvationist.org.uk/podcasts/faith-sport-podcast?
Your Turn...
Which sports do you enjoy playing? Perhaps you’re a fab footballer like Bukayo, Marcus and Michelle. Maybe you’re a superb swimmer, ridiculously fast runner or stunning cyclist. No matter what sport you like to play, it’s a fab opportunity to grow as a Christian. You can do this by…
Sharing your faith with your teammates! Arsenal is packed full of Christians, and they all take the time to share their faith with one another. Why not be inspired by them and ask your team (or other people who play your sport) if you can pray before a big game or event?
Learning to make Jesus more important than anything else! God is always with you, so you can thank him for helping you when you do win at a sport. You can also trust that he’s with you and loves you when you don’t do quite as well as you’d hoped you would!
opportunity
Becoming more like Jesus! Playing sports is the perfect opportunity to learn how to be more patient, kind and loving – particularly when things aren’t going according to plan! That might look like congratulating someone who’s beaten you!
Bukayo, Marcus and Michelle are great examples of Christians who share their love for Jesus in whatever they’re doing. Have their stories inspired you to be like them too?
Share your faith in any sport you play!
Cool Colourings
Ruby, aged 9, has done a wonderful job capturing the joy of Easter in her colouring!
Here’s a super sock design from Rowan, aged 9, to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day!
Noemi, aged 6, sent us this awesome World Book Day Colouring. Great work, Noemi!
New Junior Soldiers
A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army
Here’s another fab Easter Colouring. It’s from George, aged 12 – what a great reminder of Jesus’ love for us.
Kids in Charge!
The young people at Leigh-on-Sea Salvation Army led the Sunday service to celebrate International Day of Children and Young People, with the help of Amy Fraser. Many of the young people took part by giving testimonies, choosing favourite songs and leading the prayer time. Amy also reminded everyone in her message that, no matter what age we are, we all have a place in the Church. It’s hoped that the young people will lead a future meeting too, because this one was so good!
H a p p y
B i r t h d a y
t o y o u !
To see your name and birthday printed in a future issue of KA! email your full name and date of birth to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
15 June
Zachary Renouf – age 12
16 June
Ina McAlpine – age 5
17 June
Kelly Welsh – age 6
18 June
Ila Marson – age 13
G e t I n
T o u c h !
Lily-Rose
Age?
Favourite colour? Purple. Favourite food? Pizza.
The Kids Alive! team loves to hear from its readers. And guess what –other readers love reading your news! So why not get in touch?
You can email or post your own colourings, drawings and letters. Or you could ask your Sunday school, church or corps leaders to email us or write to us with any news about the fun stuff you’ve been doing at your church or corps.
Email: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
Post: Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ
Favourite sport? Snooker.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? Colouring Corner.
Favourite Bible story and why?
Noah’s ark, because Noah saves all the animals.
Favourite TV programme? Bluey.
What do you want to be when you’re older? Artist.
Pets? Fish, hamster.
Hobbies? Art and drawing animals.
Tell us a joke.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is a very long word. How do you spell it? IT!
What special skill or talent do you have? I can run like the wind or do a fabulous cartwheel.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I moved up a group in my swimming lesson.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? Me and my best friend, Holly, are pen pals.
TODAY, I’D LIKE YOU TO WRITE AN ESSAY ON WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF YOU HAD A MILLION POUNDS.
TIME’S UP! PLEASE HAND IN YOUR ESSAYS.
BECAUSE IF I HAD A MILLION POUNDS, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD DO!
