Christ has radically, unexplainably, graciously called us out of darkness and into His light. We’ve tasted and seen the goodness of Lord and now we get to show Him to the little ones He has entrusted to us. When ministering to kids, we want them to understand this life-changing good news, but how do we do this best for our kids?
We want the children in our ministries to have a firm foundation and to grow up into young adults who love the Lord and His Word. To serve them well, begin with and never compromise content that is biblical. The what of your kidsmin should be unchanging, but the how should evolve at a pace in line with your kids. For kid-friendly ministry make sure you share Truth with kids in a way that is:
Challenging – Too frequently we are surprised by what kids can learn! Oftentime, children understand more than what we give them credit for, so be sure to feed them content that dares kids to continually stretch and ask questions.
Memorable – Make your kidsmin opportunity something they won’t forget! Pull in wild, crazy surprises or make the most of the everyday. Concrete object lessons that turn simple, everyday items into a vessels of biblical teaching are great go-to’s for ministry to children.
Engaging – Instead of just occupying children’s time, captivate their minds with biblical Truth. To draw kids in, make interaction and involvement a priority in all times together. When kids can experience what you’re teaching at different levels (through movement, song, or even play-dough) your lessons will go farther and last longer.
When questioning what a specific age group can understand or how to most appeal to certain kids, consider Lifeway’s Levels of Biblical Learning. This is a great guide to show how different ages understand and learn best. Following these simple principles will help our kids to be better learners and help us to be better teachers. When we have a captive audience of children’s ears, let’s show them the Truth in a fun, kid-friendly way!