Enjoying God, Creation and Our Time Together – Children’s Ministry

As children’s ministry leaders we endeavor to teach the truths of Scripture and help the children in our group to understand the Bible so that they can come to know God and live in relationship with Jesus. This is a serious goal with Kingdom consequences and we can have a lot of FUN achieving it…

Children love to have fun! In fact we all like to repeat experiences that are fun. As children’s ministry leaders, we want to engage children in ways that create in them a desire to return to our group week after week.

One thing that can make a big difference here is the ‘Fun Factor’. If the children have a great time, they will want to keep coming and they will probably tell their friends as well. This is not to entice children to a program that is big on hype and low on meaning. The goal is to present God’s word to children who are engaged, open and ready to hear a message presented in a relevant way.

Experiential games, activities and challenges like those found in www.max7.org are a fun way for children to learn. It is also helpful to play games that promote ‘team building’ and ‘getting to know you’ as we often have more fun and connect more deeply as we come to know each other better. You can also choose games and activities that promote the kinds of behaviors you would like to see in your group like sharing, serving, taking turns or co-operation. There is often a game that becomes a favourite in a group and it is great to be able to add this in when you have extra time as a reward or treat for your group.

It is important that the majority of the leaders are also a part of the games and activities. If the leadership team are having fun and sharing that enthusiasm with the children, it is more likely that the children around them will also be having fun. Leaders can model how to have fun in a way that is pleasing to God and be of great assistance to those children who may behave inappropriately at times. It is the light and shade in our programs — it is the fun and the seriousness that help children to connect joyfully with each other, build trust in their leaders and develop a better sense of what is appropriate behavior for different circumstances.

Your time together can be made very special as you allow and encourage an appropriate sense of fun – for you, your leaders and the children.