If I say "key elements of a Kids Church program" you might think of things like a game and the Bible lesson, but there's much more to it. I've witnessed firsthand how we can build strong programs that ultimately connect kids' hearts to Jesus... but only if we have the right components.

Facilitating Kids Ministry is hard - but does it have to be? The good news is that there are some specific things that you can do to level up your Children's Church in ten ways that matter. You don't have to reinvent the wheel/ Include these tried and tested elements to turn your Sunday School from mediocre to great.

If you don't feel like reading, watch the short version of the post on my Youtube Channel!

I've spent over a decade doing kids, youth, and toddler ministry in various settings - and that was before pursuing my Master's degree in the field. After all of that... these are my all-time favorite, most important pointers for anyone struggling to get their kids' program to work.

10 kids church program elements

1. Orderly beginning (Start right)

2. Overview (Tell them what the plan is)

3. Welcome (Acknowledge each individual)

4. Draw volunteers in (Facilitators need to participate)

5. Familiar program (Choose a program and stick with it)

6. Varied activities (Notice energy levels)

7. Solid lesson (Invest in a good curriculum)

8. Ask for help (Bring in reinforcements)

9. Intentional play (Don't waste a game)

10. Surrender (Go with the flow)

1/10 ORDERLY BEGINNING (START RIGHT)

What happens when it is time for your Sunday School program to start? When kids are dismissed (I hate that word) from big church, they often run into the kids' space, playing, chatting, and going wild. I served at a church once where the kids even came into the Sunday School classroom before church, pulling toys from shelves and making a big mess everywhere - leaving the volunteers exhausted and overwhelmed, long before the church service even started.

These things matter! Later, when the teacher wants to start the lesson, the kids are already riled up, and it's really tough to reset their moods at that point.

This is what you could do instead:

1. Instead of letting the kids run out of the big church, have them come to the front where the whole church family can see them. Do a short announcement: "Praise God for our kids. Today, they will learn about the Fruit of the Spirit. Join me in praying over them: God, may these children learn about You today. Amen."
   

2. Then, walk with them to the space where you have your kids' church. Make a new rule where they have to line up at the door / before entering. Our kids' ministry was outside for many years, so we all made a big circle holding hands to begin. Wait for everybody to stand in line or circle up before you start anything. Don't shout, just be quiet and wait. They will watch you for cues on when to start or what to do.
   

3. Next, I would clap my hands or do something to get their attention. "Hey everybody, welcome to kids' church! My name is ___ and I'll be teaching you today about the Fruit of the Spirit*." If this doesn't work, choose a song or a different sound - like a bell - that signals the start of the kids church program every week in the same way.

*Note: In this example, I've already told the kids what they'll be learning about twice (Once in front of big church in the prayer; next in our little pre-lesson huddle). Repetition, repetition, repetition.

Element of Kids Program: Start with structure.

2/10 OVERVIEW (TELL THEM WHAT THE PLAN IS)

Children always bump into invisible walls. But when the plan or boundary is clear, it's much easier for them to thrive inside the given parameters.

I love to start my time with a group by giving them an idea of what to expect:

While your parents are in big church for the next hour, we will spend some time here together. We'll do a memory verse, a song, a snack, a Bible lesson, and end with a game. You can go to the bathroom during snack time. Any questions?

If they know what's coming, it's easier for them to go through the program. They're not tossed back and forth, but they have a direction of where you're going with things.

Using the sentence above as an example, I told them:

• How long we'd be there

• Why they are there

• What we will do

• How to know when it's over

• When there will be a break

• AND I gave them a chance to respond or ask questions

When was the last time that you were in an unfamiliar environment, at the mercy of someone else? Maybe you went to the doctor or went to dinner at a new friend's house... The kids step into your time together with the big question: What's next? And most of the time, we don't realize this, and they're just expected to be okay with having no idea what's going on.

Studies have shown that kids do better when parents give them a heads-up when something's about to change. In the setting of your children's ministry, this might look like saying: "After 5 more minutes of this game, we will transition into snack time."

So, at the very beginning of your time together, take a moment to give the group an overview of what the day's Sunday School program will look like. It also works to put up a poster so that they can visually see the program components.

Here's an example of what such a poster might look like. If you want to use this exact one, feel free to print it for your Sunday school program. :)

Element of Kids Program: Tell them what the plan is.

3/10 WELCOME (ACKNOWLEDGE EACH INDIVIDUAL)

The challenge of kids' ministry is that we have no idea what's going on in a child's life during the week. Often, the louder, rowdier children take up so much of our attention that we don't even get the chance to chat with each one of them.

A simple way of making sure that each person feels seen and valued is to start with a name game. (If your group is too big, split into smaller groups for this.) Our names carry real value...

A name game could be as simple as each person saying their name, and the class responds with "Hello!". It's important that the group responds after each individual speaks; otherwise, you'll lose their attention.

Side note: I'm also a big fan of giving each kid a name tag. Even if you know their names, it helps them to get to know each other. Furthermore, it helps the rest of the congregation to get to know the children in your church family.

One of my go-to games is that the kid says their name and the name of an animal that starts with that same letter. Then the whole group responds by making that animal's sound. Example: Boy - My name is Mike... and um... an animal that starts with an M is a Monkey Group - Ooh-ooh ah-ah!

Element of Kids Program: Call each child by their name.

4/10 DRAW VOLUNTEERS IN (FACILITATORS NEED TO PARTICIPATE)

Linking to the animal sounds example above - Kids' ministry can be a terribly awkward place (especially with older kids). They could just give you the stink-eye or cross their arms when you try to tell them to do something. I once had a kid shut down completely, drawing his hoodie over his face and laying with his head on the table, refusing to respond.

My biggest response to this kind of behavior is that it's never your aim to embarrass a growing child. They already deal with a lot of insecurity and identity development.

The aim of an ice-breaker, game, skit, or class leader is never to single someone out or laugh AT them. But we can laugh together! We get to have lots of fun together because God fills us with joy!

You've got to be silly with them. You can absolutely never just ask them to do stuff like that, without engaging too. I always go first! My name starts with an E, so I normally choose an elephant and make a loud trumpet sound! If you break the ice, the chances are good that they'll follow your lead.

I struggled at one point with kids church volunteers / helpers who would be on their phones and just chat with each other (versus engaging with the kids). The kids won't do the dances, play the games, or listen to the lesson if it's not modeled for them.

They are not there to entertain you or do cute things. The reason for kids ministry is for kids to encounter Jesus through creativity and play - not to embarrass them or make them feel insecure.

Element of Kids Program: Volunteers who participate!

5/10 FAMILIAR PROGRAM (CHOOSE A PROGRAM (AND STICK WITH IT!))

For my first few years leading a kids' ministry at church, it always felt like I had to drag the kids along to the next activity. Then, I printed out our program and stuck it on the wall. For the younger ones, we even did a program with pictures at one point.

Eventually, the kids knew that when the icebreaker was done, they could move to the sandpit area for worship. It was amazing to see how the kids who have been in our church for longer even stepped up as leaders and helped visitors / new friends settle into the next activity.

This way, the kids can even help you "police" or facilitate. They would say to other kids: "You can't go to the bathroom now, but we do that after snack time."

Here are some elements of a great kids church program that you can organize into an order that makes sense for your unique needs:

• Check-in

• Introduction

• Welcome

• Name game

• Introduce volunteers

• Rule and boundaries

• Bible memory verse

• Lesson

• Story time

• Craft

• Activity

• Ministry time

• Response

• Q & A

• Prayer

• Worship

• Songs

• Game

• Snack time

• Bathroom break

• Check-out

• Time to go home

• Parents pick up kids

Element of Kids Program: Get a Clear Program / Flow of Events.

6/10 VARIED ACTIVITIES (NOTICE ENERGY LEVELS)

If it's been a busy time for families - like school holidays or even exams - you can ease up on the program for that week and flow with them.

Remember, the goal is not merely to tick the box of doing church or getting through your curriculum. We want kids to view church (and God) as a positive experience. On an even deeper level, I've often designed programs to take the kids through different energy levels. Certain activities that are high energy (like games) are done first, then something medium energy (like a Bible memory verse) is done to help them settle down before we get to the lower energy part (the lesson). This way, they're actually tired enough to sit down and listen for a while.

We don't just expect them to sit still the whole time, but we can help them get there...

Element of Kids Program: Paying Attention to Energy Levels.

7/10 SOLID LESSON (INVEST IN A GOOD CURRICULUM)

Children struggle to listen to a long reading from Scripture. While kids' ministry is not supposed to just be entertainment, it is important to teach kids in ways that are relevant, captivating, and fun.

If possible, invest the time to write a unique lesson tailored to your group. But if that's not the option, there are some great resources and curriculums for children's church that you can buy.

I have lots of free Sunday School lessons on this blog & I offer a service where I can write a custom curriculum for your kids' church's unique needs.

Would you want to go to church if the pastor / minister didn't put any effort into the sermon?

I've seen kids who go from crying and clinging to their parents, saying "I don't want to go to kids' church" to being the first one out the door as soon as kids are released from the big church. Effort matters, and the children you're shepherding deserve to learn about God in ways that are creative and touching.

Element of Kids Program: Get a good, Bible-based lesson plan.

8/10 ASK FOR HELP (BRING IN REINFORCEMENTS)

One of the greatest criticisms against kids' church is that it's merely babysitting, and the kids don't actually learn anything. Sunday School is juxtaposed with "big church", even when we don't have the budget, full-time staff, or fancy schmancy equipment.

At this point in reading this article, overwhelm is probably starting to creep in. How on earth are you supposed to make all this happen?

But what if we had a growth mindset when thinking about this problem? Your children's ministry is one part of your church's service. It's not a separate thing standing on its own, it is part of the bigger whole.

I almost shocked every person around the table at our church staff meeting when I (the kids worker) listed 5 ways that the others can help me that week. I might have asked the staff to help me with things like:

• Write an encouraging note for a kids' volunteer

• Take the speaker in to get it repaired

• Help find 1 person to help in the baby area on Sunday

As the ministry leader, you need to address this problem with an active approach. You're not supposed to carry this on your own. Ask parents, church members, and staff for help. Tell them about the children. Share testimonies, breakthroughs, and prayer requests. When you lower the walls and bring people in, the ministry can grow exponentially.

Some ideas of easy things to delegate (to bring people in):

• Ask someone to do the purchasing / buying for Kids Min

• Create a Kids Min prayer group and post prayer requests on there as they come up

• Ask someone to do check-in this Sunday

• Let them weigh in on curriculum choices and song choices

Element of Kids Program: Ask for Help!

9/10 INTENTIONAL PLAY (DON'T WASTE A GAME)

It is common in most Sunday School settings that there's a time of play in your program. For many years, I just played whatever games I knew with the kids. We did the basics a million times, think freeze-dance and stuck in the mud!

But then I stopped and asked myself: What if we bring more intentionality to this? Now, the games that I plan are linked to the lesson in some way. Here's an example:

If they're learning about how Moses parted the Red Sea, why not play a game like 'open the gates' or something that links to the message? If the lesson is about having faith and listening for God's voice, do a blindfolded obstacle course where the rest of the group shouts instructions. It takes a little bit more effort, but it's amazingly beneficial if you can link the game to the lesson. And it really helps the kids remember it.

Element of Kids Program: Intentional Game or Play time.

10/10 SURRENDER (GO WITH THE FLOW)

This one is not a specific element, but it applies to all of them.

If you know me, you'll know that this isn't my strong suit. When I worked as a Kids Ministry Leader, our pastor, Ricky, would always bend his index finger like a worm and tell me to practice my 'flexi finger'. It was a silly joke, but it helped me realize that when I'm working with kids, I need to loosen up.

Children are super sensitive to your mood, and it really is hard to have a good time when someone's being strict because of the 'need to stick to the program'. Sometimes the Holy Spirit wants to do something different, and we're not seeing it because we are so stuck on what we're supposed to be doing.

One day, I was struggling to get the kids to focus on the Bible memory verse part of our Sunday School program, because the worship inside the big church was so loud. They kept looking that way and getting distracted. But then I realized this is an important teaching opportunity too. I opened the space for them to ask any questions they had about worship, and we had a beautiful discussion. I remember they asked:

• Why does my mom cry when they worship?

• Why do people raise their hands?

• It sounds like heaven when they worship. Is God really there now?

Element of Kids Program: Flexible approach, working WITH the kids and not AGAINST them.

Reflection:

- Let me know in the comments, which of these you've tried out and how they worked. - If you've enjoyed or benefited from this article - who else could you share it with? Perhaps your pastor or those serving on your Kids Ministry program with you? - Is there anything else you'd add to the list? Something that you've found is also a crucial element for a great kids' church program...

C o n s i d e r joining my newsletter for more faith-based encounter tools and resources

Until next time, may you abide in the Vine!