Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7495
10 JANUARY 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
Channel 4 Picture
tyle and caring and an active lifes Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. l, for your physica
this week...
Goals for 2026
this week...
God Provides for Abraham's Sacrifice
WHIS KS AT THE READY FOR. ..
JUNIOR BA K E O F F
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 10 January.indd 1
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What’s Inside?
Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers
3
KA! JAM
6
Bumper Bible Breakdown
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Patch’s Problem
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
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Make Every Week Wild Competition
DOWN: 1 Help. 2 Disc. 3 Bird. 4 Tartan. 6 Turtle. 9 Bite. 10 Iris. 11 Vase. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Bat. 5 Gemini. 6 Top. 7 Cadet. 8 Rabbi. 11 Van. 12 Thirst. 13 Eve. EGG TIMER CHALLENGE 1 Protect. 2 Potter. 3 Otter. 4 Tore. 5 Toe. 6 Poet. 7 Pesto. 8 Poster. 9 Exports. SUPER SUM!: 6 + 3 x 2 ÷ 6 – 2 = 1. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 12.
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KA! JAM CONFUSING CHALLENGE 1 Isaac. 2 Trust. 3 God. 4 Fire. 5 Lamb. 6 Altar. 7 Promise. 8 Lord. 9 Stop. 10 Abraham.
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your morning started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles
e Availabl online!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7495
10 JANUARY 2026 50P/60c
this week...
and caring and an active lifestyle Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. for your physical,
Goals for 2026
Colouring Corner
this week...
God Provides for Abraham's Sacrifice
WHISKS AT THE READY FOR...
JUNIOR BA K E O F F
12–13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space Patch’s Pals Percy the Penguin
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
Channel 4 Picture
4–5
16 Love our comic? Check out Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Saturday and Monday at 7.30–8am and every Sunday at 9–9.30am.
Junior Bake Off and Ed’s Bit
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
WIN!
Subscribe* to
for £4.33 a month
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. Ask your parents or carers to go to sps-shop.com/kids-alive, call 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email subscriptions@satcol.org to set up a subscription. *A subscription costs just £4.33 a month (or a one-off payment of £52). This subscription offer applies in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with 51 copies delivered over 12 months. Please note that different prices apply to Europe and international orders.
EDITOR Cara Mott DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin PROOFREADER Chris Horne CONTACT US Phone Office – 020 7367 4910 Territorial Headquarters Switchboard – 0845 634 0101 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 Julian Watchorn 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.
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WHIS KS AT THE READY FOR. ..
J U N I O R BA K E O F F ow good are you at baking? Are you a wizard with a whisk H and a cake-mixing master? Do you know the difference between a scone and a tart? And have you figured out whether Channel 4 Picture
a Jaffa cake is actually a cake or a biscuit? (Believe it or not, lots of grown-ups can’t agree on this one!) Whether you’re a baking pro or you’ve never stepped foot in a kitchen before, we think you’ll love the new series of Junior Bake Off on Channel 4! That’s because 16 fantastic bakers will be competing to be crowned this year’s baking champion – and they’ll all be young people, just like you! Over the course of a few weeks, these bakers will be putting their skills to the test, as they create scrumptious cakes, brilliant biscuits and delicious desserts! Everything they make will be judged by two experts – Rav and Liam. So, these young bakers will definitely need to bring their A-game! In fact, if you’re reading this issue on Saturday 10 January, they’ll have already had to do some magnificent baking. That’s because a whole week of the competition will have taken place! This also means there’s a whole week of episodes for you to watch before the next one airs on Monday 12 January. So put on your aprons, grab your rolling pins and get watching! We think you won’t want to miss this fantastic series – and it might You can catch up on ‘Junior Bake Off’ inspire you to become a fab baker yourself! episodes on channel4.com. New episodes will air every weekday at 5pm.
I love watching baking TV programmes. I enjoy seeing all the delicious creations – although it’s hard knowing that I don’t get to taste them! My favourite bit of Junior Bake Off is when they create their showstoppers – the ideas they come up with are always so impressive … if they can avoid soggy bottoms, of course! All this talk of baking has made me think about how God kind of baked each of us. Not in an oven, thankfully! But in Psalm 139 it talks about how God knows everything about us because he put us together in our mothers’ bodies. Before we were even born, you could say that God added all the ingredients that make us who we are. And the thing that we are is his wonderful creations – each of us is one of his showstoppers! I hope it makes you feel good to know that to God, you are a perfect bake!
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Read the comment below about sharing our questions with God
It’s a Trust Thing!
I
ithink this week’s Bible cartoon is quite tough to iunderstand. Maybe you feel the same – perhaps it’s even a little bit frightening for you. It seems crazy that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his much-loved son, Isaac, if that’s what God wanted him to do. Even though this story might be a little scary, it does tell us something important – Abraham trusted God so much that he would do anything that God asked. Anything! Abraham probably thought, ‘Why do I have to do this?’ and I imagine he found the whole situation very confusing! However, Abraham put all his trust in God, and God provided an alternative option that meant that Isaac was safe. Phew!
says Cara Mott
I’m sure you’ve never been in a situation like Abraham, but there will probably have been times when you’ve felt confused about things happening in your life. In those situations, maybe you’ve asked someone questions – perhaps a family member, teacher or friend. Maybe you’ve even asked God for answers. God doesn’t mind us asking him questions, especially if we’re confused about something. He always wants to help us. Sometimes we won’t get all the answers to our questions, though (yes, even grown-ups don’t know it all!). That’s when we have to put our trust in God. Even if we don’t understand why things are happening, we can trust that God has promised to look after us. If we trust in God, he will give us what we need – just like he did for Abraham!
Confusing Challenge Below are some words linked to this week’s Bible cartoon, but they’re a bit confusing. The letters are in the wrong order! Can you put the letters in the right order to work out what the words are?
4 RIFE 1 ASIAC 2 STRUT 3 DOG 7 IMPOSER 5 BALM 6 LATAR 9 POTS D L on 8 RO Answers Page 2 A M H A 10 BRA 4 KA - p4-5 - 10 January.indd 1
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God Provides for Abraham’s Sacrifice
Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Children and Youth’s Explore It! resource – go to salvationist.org.uk/resources/discipleship/explore-it
02/01/2026 11:47
KA - p4-5 - 10 January.indd 2
Check out your Bible – Genesis 22
Promises of God
5
Steve English
Bumper Bible Breakdown Did you know the Bible isn’t one big book? It’s actually 66 books put together to tell one big story of God’s great love. Join us as we look at each Bible book and discover why God made the world, what went wrong and how in the end God saved the world through his son, Jesus.
A Mission From Paul
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KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity club around. As a member you’ll go on amazing adventures through the Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lots of great stuff about being a Christian. You’ll also receive our mini-mag, Chatterbox, which is filled with jokes, games and much more. And to top it off, there are loads of awesome prizes to be won! To join KA! JAM and complete the Bible activity courses online, go to salvationist.org.uk/kajam. Or if you would like to receive the postal version, simply fill in the coupon below.
To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with two first-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Name:
Date of birth:
Address: Postcode: Boy or girl: I, (signature)
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Do you attend a church, and if so, which one? apply for membership of Kids Alive! Jesus And Me. I understand that joining KA! JAM doesn’t mean I have joined The Salvation Army and that it is not a free subscription to Kids Alive!
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS. 02/01/2026 11:28
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Ho h ! o ho h
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SUPER SUM!÷ + ÷ + ? ? 2 3 ? 6 X X + 1 = ÷ ? 2 6 + ÷ X
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
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o, H o h a, ha h ! e he h
e What did the cupcak say to the icing? u!’ ‘I’d be muffin without yo
What did the pig say when someone criticised its cupcakes? ‘I’ve been bacon my whole life!’
I had a shepherd’s pie for lunch today... ...they weren’t happy about it!
The answers to the clues in this puz zle are anagrams of the answer immedia tely above or below, plus or minus one letter. The first one is filled in to give you a start.
1 defend
Clues 2 someone who makes pottery
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EggliveS Timer in water and on lAND 4 ripped Challenge 5 foot digit 6 person who writes rhymes 7 green sauce for pasta 8 large picture you might put on your wall 9 Things made in one country and sent to be sold in another
8
by Neil Locker
H e h e, h e h e!
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
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Crossword Clues
Why did the child put the cupcake in the freezer? Because the recipe told them to ice it! Why does Mary Berry never share her bread recipe? It’s on a knead to know basis!
by Neil Locker
across: What do you get if you put cola in the oven? Baking soda!
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Who makes the best apple pies? Granny Smith!
Crossword Clues
3 Nocturnal flying mammal. 5 Twin-like constellation. 6 Summit or peak. 7 Trainee soldier or police officer. 8 Jewish teacher. 11 Delivery vehicle. 12 Desire to drink. 13 First woman in the Bible.
down: 1 Assistance or aid. 2 Flat, thin circular object. 3 Thrush or robin, for example. 4 Scottish pattern on a kilt, for example. 6 Aquatic reptile with a shell. 9 Munch with teeth. 10 Coloured part of your eye. 11 Container for cut flowers.
junior b ba ake off WORDSEARCH Find the ‘Junior Bake Off’-related words in the grid
biscuits bakewell tart shortbread carrot cake cinnamon roll crumbles choux pastry naan bread focaccia cornish pasty trifles pies tarts cookies cAKES
y r t s a p x u o h c y t r a t l l e w e k a b s b s c r u m b l e s n a i e q z g s f k m f a p s l t k e p a c n o a h c f w i x c o z s c n s u I p d t o b t e a b i i r l o k j r h k c r n t t r i n a m l a c e r s r e p t q r s c i a o a s h o r t b r e a d c i n n a m O N r o l l
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Make Every Week Wild Competition
W
hen you borrow a book, you often have to be careful to look after it. You can’t tear out a page, stick a leaf onto the cover or spill blackcurrant squash all over it! Well, this week’s prize isn’t a book that you need to be careful with. When you’re reading Make Every Week Wild (which is a book written by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield), there are no rules that you need to follow! That’s because this book is designed to be taken outside, scribbled in and splashed with mud! You can colour outside of the lines, do the activities in any order and even draw on the cover. With 52 nature-inspired activities to try out, this book guarantees a year of fun, messy outdoor activities. So are you ready for a year-long adventure? If you are, then give this competition a go! For the opportunity to win your own copy of Make Every Week Wild, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Make Every Week Wild Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 6 February when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Make Every Week Wild Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN!
Which of the following is one of the writers of Make Every Week Wild ? Jane Austen
Fiona Danks
Zadie Smith
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
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Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 02/01/2026 11:37
BAKING COLOURING We hope that Junior Bake Off has inspired you to bake some scrumptious treats – but if it has, we have one thing to say to you! Put down your rolling pins, whisks and giant wooden spoons and pick up some colouring pencils instead! It’s time to take a bake… we mean, break from baking (that’s a tongue twister) and put your art skills to the test by adding a splash of colour to the design below! If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colouring to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Baking Colouring’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively, you can post your colouring to: Your Space, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to fill in the details below so we know who you are. We send a gift to everyone whose colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!
Name:
Age:
Address: Postcode: Go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page KA - p11 - 10 January.indd 1
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lifestyle, and caring ve ti ac d an y th al he a Living tual well-being iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph
Goals for 2026 This week, we’ve decided to write an article all about goals. Goals are made up of two posts that are connected by a bar, with a net in between them and … wait! We’re not talking about those kinds of goals – sorry! Since we’ve just started 2026, there’s no better time than now to pick some goals for the new year. When we use the word goal, we’re talking about something you’d like to achieve or get better at by the end of the year – not something that a footballer likes to kick a ball into!
What’s the Point? We think there are two reasons why it’s a brilliant idea to set goals this January (well, there are more than just two reasons, but we haven’t got space to tell you all of them). 1. It’s always good to work on improving ourselves. There are always skills that we can improve on, and there are always new things that we can learn to do. 2. Having goals can be fun! An exciting goal might have you trying something out that you never thought you’d do before.
Goal Ideas Looking for some ideas for goals that you could try in 2026? Here are a few suggestions. You don’t have to do any of these – if you can come up with your own fab goal, then that’s great too!
Creative Goals
Sporty Goals
Write a book Paint a self-portrait Create a comic book Make a short film Fill a sketchbook with drawings Build a statue out of recycled materials
Learn how to swim Take up a new sport that you’ve always wanted to try Work hard to improve at a sport you’re already doing Aim to do a sporty activity every single day Join a sports club or team
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Goal-Making Tips If you’d like to pick a few goals for the year, here are some tips that we hope will be super helpful. Pick realistic goals. This means picking a goal that you can actually achieve. That doesn’t mean that you can’t think big – just don’t plan to climb a pyramid by the time Christmas comes around! Celebrate wins! When you make progress on your goal, don’t be afraid to celebrate it. Tell friends and family, so that they can get excited for you! Plan how you’ll meet your goal. This also means setting aside time to work on your goal. If you want to create a comic book, then you need to spend some time drawing it – it won’t finish drawing itself! Write down your goals. This will help you to remember your goal, and that you’re working towards something amazing. Perhaps you could write down your goal at the bottom of the calendar that was in last week’s issue of Kids Alive! You can find this calendar on the Kids Alive! website at salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive. Be kind to yourself. To get good at something, you have to start by … well, being bad at it. So, be kind to yourself as you’re learning!
Even More Goals! OK, we thought we were finished – but we couldn’t stop coming up with goals for 2026. Here are some more that you might want to try!
Learn a new language Read 12 books this year outside school Eat a healthy and balanced diet Learn how to play chess Cook a meal every week Another reading challenge – read the Bible!
What are your goals for 2026? KA - p12-13 - 10 January.indd 2
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H a p py B i r t h d ay t o yo 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
12 January Jacob Thomas Roberts – age 7
E m ily Age? 9. Favourite colour? Pink and purple. Favourite food? Spaghetti carbonara. Favourite sport? Gymnastics. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Colouring Corner. Favourite Bible story and why? When Moses parts the sea (Exodus 14). Favourite TV programme? My Perfect Landing . What do you want to be when you’re older? An artist. Pets? No pets. Hobbies? Gymnastics, dance, arts and crafts. Tell us a joke. What’s a cat’s favourite colour? Purr-ple! What special skill or talent do you have? Dancing and gymnastics – I can do a one-handed cartwheel. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I love collecting Jellycats. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I love it when my grandad brings the next edition of Kids Alive!
New Junior Soldiers
A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army
Alexander, Dylan, Lemail, Rodwell, Tiffany, Aberdeen Citadel; EmmaLouise, Bellshill; Chante, Notting Hill.
G et I n To u c h !
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
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Cool Colourings Delilah, aged 5, created this amazing colouring when it was Stress Awareness Week. Look how many colours she’s managed to squeeze into it!
s w a P r o f s Pennie
uring This beautiful colo was sent to us by k Eli, aged 9, to mar Remembrance Day at a in November. Wh an great reminder of important day!
The young people at Maidstone Salvation Army spent last year fundraising for their local RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). They did a sponsored read during summer and autumn – recording books that they’d read. They organised two tea and coffee fellowships after Sunday morning church services, asking for donations for cakes. Then, more recently, they put together gingerbread houses and iced them with faces to fit in with the theme of that week’s church service. It was all about the church being God’s building, with Jesus as the cornerstone and the church members being living stones. One of the children’s workers also asked for donations for jams and marmalades that she makes. All of those brilliant efforts resulted in a staggering £1,000 being raised! Isn’t that incredible? The fab fundraisers even got to visit the local RSPCA cattery to see some of the animals that their money will help. Everyone loved stroking the cats and kittens, and would have loved to take one home if it was possible!
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what are you reading, percy?
A holiday brochure, patch.
it’s thAT time of year to start thinking about booking a summer holiday.
yes, i can’t wait for it to get warmer.
Warmer?
who said anything about sunshine?
BRR! this is my kind of summer holiday!
Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2026. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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Please Recycle Me!
02/01/2026 11:26