Since the pillar of smoke first rose from the tabernacle, worship has included ushering others into the presence of God. Worship invites us into the spiritual realm—but from the beginning has done so by activating the senses. So how do we activate the senses of children in the context of worship and usher them into the loving and life-giving presence of God?
Here are four suggestions for engaging children in worship (that also engage teens and adults).
- Improvisational Drama
You don’t have to do a lot of practice to include drama in worship. You can simply invite children, teens, and adults to come forward and act out a narrative passage or illustration while you tell and direct the story. The pastor could lead this or recruit a director ahead of time to position and direct the participants.
Why it works: It brings the story to life, and children can relate to other children who are leading. Children see themselves interacting with teen and adult members as one body, and God’s story and presence are more real and captivating to children within a tangible context.
- Illustrations children can relate to
A sure way to lose the attention of children is consistently using adult illustrations that children can’t relate to. Thankfully, the opposite is not true: illustrations that children can relate to are often still relatable to adults and teens.
So where do we get such illustrations? Make a list of your childhood memories to save as a resource. Pay attention to news stories that involve children. Acknowledge when children are present in biblical accounts. Even when they’re not specifically called out in the text, they are often present. Keep an account of the ministry stories that involve children within your church.
Why it works: When they can engage with the illustrations, children can identify and relate better to the sermon—and consequently to what God may be laying on their hearts.
- Tactile kinesthetic elements
Introducing tactile kinesthetic elements into or as a response to a sermon will help children to track. Take advantage of items spoken of in the text. If there is a fish, cut out simple cardboard fish and give to everyone. (Children also love to pass out items such as this). You might suggest everyone write a person’s name on the fish whom they are going to pray for or with whom they will share their story. Or set up a couple of stations, which works especially well during communion. One station could be a window frame with two questions: How do you see the world? How does Jesus see the world? Another station could be a place to write a note or draw a picture for someone who is sick or shut in.
Why it works: Tactile and kinesthetic elements help the mind recall the message and spiritual experiences that can become lost over time when we only engage our sense of hearing.
- Participating
Nothing is more impactful to a child than being invited to participate as a worship leader. This could include reading scripture, leading a prayer, ushering, using a rhythm instrument, singing or dancing, participating in drama, or sharing a testimony of their faith journey.
Why it works: When children are invited to participate as leaders, the sense of belonging to the whole body will impact them for a lifetime.
What has your congregation done to specifically engage children during worship? Would these ideas work in your congregation? What has worked best for your church?
