As a ministry leader, creating fun, creative church activities for kids is an important part of your job. As a thoughtful ministry leader, we’re betting that it’s important to you that these activities aren’t just time-fillers but that they help kids make meaning of their faith. We’ve gathered ten of our favorite ideas for playful activities incorporating the eight ways kids naturally make meaning. Whether you’re looking for children’s church activities, VBS games, or a creative Bible game, we’ve got what you need right here!
1. Play Church
Whether they’re cooking food, playing “house,” or trying on various professions, kids love to copy what they see the adults around them doing. Visit any preschool classroom, and you’ll find many opportunities for dramatic play. This copying isn’t just cute; it’s an essential part of how kids learn about and make sense of the world around them. This is why we love the idea of a “Play Church,” an intentionally designed space where kids can act out what they see happening around them Sunday after Sunday. Just imagine it: a tiny pulpit, mini stained glass windows, child-sized chairs, and play communion elements. Some churches put this space in a common area like the foyer or church entry, some churches have specially designed child-sized classrooms, and some churches just add a space like this to a worship area or children’s classroom. There are so many ways you can incorporate the idea of dramatic play into your kid’s ministry. What would a child-sized version of your worship space look like?
2. A PrayGround
A common pushback to keeping kids in the sanctuary is that sitting still and listening for long periods of time is not developmentally appropriate for young children. Some churches answer this concern by making adjustments to their worship space that make it hospitable to the developmental needs of children. Some churches call these spaces “praygrounds,” and while they are as unique as each church that has them, they generally include a rug, some child-size furniture, and quiet toys and activities that can help kids engage their bodies throughout worship. Spaces like this say, “You are welcome to be a kid here.” But the idea of including kid-accessible spaces in your church doesn’t need to be limited to just your sanctuary. Whether you would ever have a prayground in your sanctuary or not, what kind of impact would incorporating these kinds of spaces for kids have in your church overall?
3. Sanctuary Scavenger Hunt
Whether children worship in your church’s main worship space or their own designated area, why not give them an opportunity to explore either or both spaces through a scavenger hunt? This activity doesn’t just involve a lot of movement and fun; it’s a great way for you to help show the kids in your church why you do the things you do during worship and why your spaces have been arranged the way they are. It also gives you, as the ministry leader, a chance to consider the reasons behind your spaces and your worship. We love that this idea allows kids to explore and test right in your church’s worship space! This idea can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be and will be unique to your church’s tradition and worship space.
4. Follow the Leader Prayer
Times of corporate prayer can be boring for kids, and they might find themselves tuning out, even if they want to listen. One way you can include kids in a time of corporate prayer is by inviting them to “follow the leader” as you pray. Print out images that represent the different groups of people or concerns you’ll be praying for and set them on the floor around the room. You may want to laminate them to reuse. As you pray, walk from picture to picture, and have the kids walk with you. For larger groups, you could have kids do this during small group time. Here’s a list of ideas for images you could use:
- Hands open or praying: Thanking and praising God for his goodness. You could also choose a picture that represents something about God that you are praising him for.
- Church: Praying for the concerns and needs of people in your church community.
- Bandaid: People who are sick or hurt
- Map of your city or picture of a recognizable area: Praying for needs in your local community and for those who do not yet know Christ.
- Globe: Praying for people and nations around the world. Both for current concerns and for those who do not yet know Christ.
5. Interactive Prayer Room
Can prayer be playful? At the Center for Faith and Children, we think it can be! Create a space in your church where people can try out different kinds of prayer. This is a great idea to try out during special seasons of the church year like Advent, Lent, or Holy Week. One church we know of created a series of interactive prayer stations and opened them to their community throughout the week leading up to Easter. If you’d like to set up a more permanent prayer space or include prayer activities in your kid’s ministry, we’ve got a bunch of ideas for you in our Interactive Prayer Spaces Toolkit.
6. Books of the Bible Walk
Invite kids to get their whole bodies involved when learning the books of the Bible. More than just memorizing the names of books, we want kids to get an idea of how the books of the Bible work together to tell God’s story. This free downloadable resource includes a footprint labeled with each book of the Bible and a genre intro for each of the six genres included in scripture. Our download suggests some creative ways to use this resource, but we’re also betting you’ll come up with some great ideas of your own.
7. DIY Bible Trivia Game
Instead of asking kids Bible Trivia questions, have them create their own Bible trivia quiz for their parents. This works best at the completion of studying a particular book of the Bible or series of Bible stories. Kids can work in teams to come up with 2-3 trivia questions, each from the stories they learned to share with their parents. Invite the parents to join your classroom for one week and see if they can face the challenge the kids have prepared for them. Encourage kids to get creative with the questions by offering prompts like the following:
- I wonder what it would be like to draw some pictures and have your parents try to match them to Bible stories.
- I wonder if there are items we could put in a bag that parents would have to connect to the Bible story.
- What’s something new you learned that you’ve never heard before? Do you think your parent knows that?
- What 1-2 things do you most want to share with your parent from these lessons?
8. Bible Memory Games
Whether you’re trying to help kids memorize a memory verse, passage of scripture, or an important like the Lord’s Prayer or the Apostle’s Creed, make it playful! Here are a few ideas to make memorizing an interactive, fun activity in your kids’ ministry spaces!
- Print out the Bible verse on multiple lines of paper. Cut apart and invite kids to put them in order.
- Write out the scripture verse, leaving out important words or concepts you’d like to teach on. Invite kids to work together as a group to see if they can remember the word that fills the blank.
- Have the kids work together to write the first letter of each word out on a whiteboard or large posterboard. Then read the verse together out loud a few times, demonstrating how to use the first letter of each word as a cue to remember the verse. For resources that use this method like stickers, tattoos, and coloring pages, check out Dwell Differently.
- Involve kids in creating hand motions rather than teaching pre-made motions. Their creativity often surpasses that of adults, and you get a chance to check what they understand the words to mean. If your group is small enough, you can crowd-source the motions together. If you have a large group of kids, break them into smaller groups and have them come up with their own motions together. As they take turns sharing their motions, everyone will practice the verse repeatedly.
9. Lights, Camera, Action
We talked earlier about dramatic play for church, but what about incorporating chances for dramatic play about the stories of the Bible? Create a costume and props corner and allow kids the chance to plan, direct, narrate, and act out their own interpretations of the Bible stories you learn about at church. In addition to providing an opportunity for kids to imagine and create, it will help you and your volunteers see how the kids in your church heard the story and what they’re taking away from it. A brief time of prayer and debriefing after the story allows you and the kids in your class to reflect on what the scripture teaches us about God and what it has to do with their lives. Below you’ll find a list of materials for a costume corner and a list of wondering questions you can ask after a show.
10. Get Outside!
When adults are asked to reflect on their early experiences of God, many of them will name something that happened outside. Romans 8 tells us that creation is one way that we can learn important things about God. Often in the church, we spend most of our time inside. If your church’s location allows it, take a nature prayer walk, create sidewalk chalk prayers, or pray with bubbles. If your location isn’t ideal for getting outside, how can you help kids and parents recognize the outside as a place to enjoy being with God?
We hope these ideas have sparked your creativity, connected you to some excellent resources, and encouraged you to keep doing thoughtful, fun ministry with kids. Which idea are you most excited to try with the kids in your church?