“I like playing with God in the Prayground,” a five-year-old girl said, when I was collecting feedback about our kid-specific space in the front of our sanctuary. Though I intentionally created this space so that children would know they were welcome to worship as children, this idea had never occurred to me–that children would see God as someone who wants to play with them. Without even meaning to, our prayground space communicated to children that God speaks the language of play, just like they do, and that their play was a place they could meet him. Creating space for play at church sends a powerful message to children about what parts of their lives God is involved in. While you don’t need special toys for children to play with at church, you can be strategic about what you provide to help kids engage with the stories of the Bible and their experiences at church through play.
Our Selection Criteria
For this list, we’ve selected toys that you can add to your rotation at church that will give kids an opportunity to make meaning through play, either about practices of your church or the stories in the Bible. This will help kids to take ownership of what they are learning and observing, and as you come alongside them, it will help you and your leaders understand what they are learning and wondering about.
Puzzles
Tiny Theologians has puzzles that provide an overview of both the Old and New Testaments. These puzzles are well-made and colorfully illustrated. Together, both puzzles outline the story of redemption using keywords. Each puzzle piece also has a brief explanation on the back so that caregivers can feel confident and comfortable having a conversation with kids while they put the puzzle together.
Best for: Multi-age groups of kids. Young children will connect most to various Bible characters, the “road” through the story of the Bible, and the keywords that describe the plan of redemption.
Advent Candles
This wooden Advent candle set is an adorable, child-safe addition to your preschool room or home. This is a great, touchable way to include kids in the season of waiting for Christmas. Kids of all ages will enjoy putting the wreath together and taking it apart again.
Best for: This can be used alongside a traditional Advent candle (read: fire), or as a replacement for Sunday school classrooms or homes with small children.
Communion Set
This wooden communion set is modeled after those in Anglican churches, but pieces of it could be used in a variety of church contexts, or use it as inspiration to create one that looks like your church’s communion set. Setting this up on a low table in your children’s spaces or in a prayground area gives kids the chance to mimic what they see in church and to act out the practice of Communion.
Best for: Churches where children are familiar with communion, an accessory for a play church or “church” dramatic play area in a Sunday school classroom.
Wooden blocks and figures
An invaluable addition to any Sunday school classroom for young children is a set of wooden blocks and some wooden figures. These manipulatives can be used to retell any Bible story. You can purchase specific figures from a place like Worship Woodworks, or you can opt for generic wooden blocks and peg dolls. Children enjoy being able to retell the Bible stories they hear. In the process of retelling, they are engaging higher-level thinking skills and processing information. Even very young children can use play to understand and make meaning of the stories they hear.
Best for: Storytelling and visual aids in multi-age settings. Children can also use them in retelling the story to themselves during playtime.
How to Make the Most of These Toys
Adding these toys to your preschool classrooms can help kids experience the church as different from school, daycare, or other places they go, and can provide them an opportunity to make meaningful connections between their faith and their lives. Creating spaces where children can explore faith through the language of play helps them to see that God wants to be a part of their whole lives.