Have you ever tried to take a walk with a young child? Chances are you did not make it more than a few feet before that child stopped, perhaps to inspect a busy colony of ants, pick up a fallen leaf, or examine a storm drain. Children are natural explorers. They explore both through their own experiences and through (often persistent) questioning. The information that they gather often leads to more examinations and more questions.
Many child-friendly spaces in our society show that we understand that kids have this need to explore. Think about:
- Hands-on exhibits in museums
- The increase of nature-school options for kids
- Baseball teams that invite kids to run the bases after a game
- Organizations like Feed my Starving Children that encourage kids as young as 5 to participate
Yet too often, in the church, we relegate kids to observation only. Whether children are in the worship service or age-group classrooms, they often don’t have opportunities to explore and test within the church context. Perhaps we’re not even sure that they should. But if exploration and testing are an important part of how children learn, how they make meaning of their learning, then what important pieces of faith development are missing when we don’t make space for them to explore & test when it has to do with faith? When we shut down a child’s desire to explore and test, are we teaching them that church isn’t really a place that is for them?
Small shifts like these can help us to fan the flames of curiosity rather than squelching them:
- Preparing a scavenger hunt where kids & parents get to discover the significance of various places and items in the worship space.
- Listening to and answering children’s questions about church, faith, and worship in real-time.
- Inviting kids to engage their senses as they participate in worship in ways that are natural and authentic for them.
- Giving kids opportunities to see and experience rituals, traditions, and practices of the church community.
- Welcoming and encouraging children to bring their questions, wonderings, and curiosity to Bible reading and study.
- Involving kids in hands-on experiences like decorating the church, setting up spaces, or preparing for communion or other rituals and traditions of the church’s life together.
There are so many simple ways to honor the role of exploration in a child’s learning and life with God. As we grow in our ability and willingness to do this, we will all reap the benefits. No matter our age, we can all benefit from opportunities to get curious, learn as we explore the Bible and learn what it means to follow Jesus together.
Think about it!
What’s one way that you can encourage kids in your church to explore and test, whether in the context of a worship service, kids' ministry environment, or all-church event?