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Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

So, how do you develop a children’s ministry that is better than any other church’s? You don’t. Other churches are not your competition. Your competition is Chuck E. Cheese. And Nickelodeon. And Xbox.

Kids today are conditioned to need high stimulation, to be fully engaged – if we’re going to grab and sustain their attention. Whether they’re surfing the Internet for cheat codes to the latest Lord of the Rings PS2 game or checking out your kids’ program, what they find had better be fun and interesting. Because boring or intimidating just doesn’t cut it.

In a world where our society pushes adults to have and achieve more, parents have been known to extend that mindset into their parenting practices. So the last thing your children’s program should be to an “overscheduled” child is this: another obligation. How can they come to know how much Jesus loves them if they don’t even want to be there? Right, you say. And precisely how do we avoid the boring and intimidating syndrome? Glad you asked.

First, think like a child. (And by this we mean: not like an adult who has preconceived notions of what’s “proper.”) If you can’t spend a service in one of your kids’ classes (and we use that term loosely) without saying, “Man, I wish church had been like this when I was a kid!” then something is seriously missing.

Second, think like a parent. (As in, needing a major break from your kids – while knowing that not only are they in good hands, they will quite possibly be leaving in a better mood than the one they arrived with.) As precious as children are to us, their parents are even more so. Because it all rolls downhill. So if we hit it out of the park with the parents, their children will benefit in huge ways.

Third, think like a volunteer. (And by this we mean: Yikes! Children!) Even the most maternal (or paternal) of volunteers will get frustrated if there is no leadership and there are no systems in place to make their tasks easier. And burnt out if they’re so overscheduled that they never get a weekend off.

Fourth, think like a newbie. Is your children’s center an inviting place? A place that takes guests a bit by surprise? It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, you know. Bright, fun colors and themed rooms are more conducive to kids’ learning than “institutional looking” rooms.

Plus, there’s a side benefit to these creative kids’ spaces. According to Stevens and Morgan in Simply Strategic Growth: “Volunteers are more likely to better serve children in a room that is fun, engaging, interactive and exciting.” Why? “Because they don’t feel like they have to bring all the fun and excitement with them; it’s already built into the environment. They can just offer themselves.” And what kid couldn’t use a little more interaction with an adult who considers him a masterpiece of God?
 
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