No One's Lazy in LazyTown
by Aaron Reynolds
posted 5/01/2006
 2 of 2
Be intentional about recruiting the right person for the job, knowing how kids respond. Seek out some teenagers—especially guys (a couple piercings or tattoos never hurt either) — to teach your 5th graders, and watch what happens. Yes, these teenagers will need to be developed and kept accountable, but who doesn't?
My greatest teaching volunteer was a kid named Dugan. When Dugan stepped up to teach, there was a whole new energy in the room. I mean, I'm not exactly geriatric, but his youth brought credibility to the lesson that was much different from me. There was power in the room when this 16-year-old with the earrings and the spiked hair talked about forgiveness. No doubt about it, this guy was cool. And the kids eagerly wanted to hear what he had to say in a way that I had to work for.
Say it, don't spray it
Often in children's ministry, we live by the "more is more" principle. We want the kids to know so much about God, so we spray them with information like a sprinkler gone haywire, thinking that if we just say it all then they'll get it. But the truth is, the more we pack into a single lesson, the less they walk out with.
LazyTown is masterful at "less is more" thinking. Over the course of their season they cover a wide scope of topics, but each story-driven episode focuses on a single clear learning. In one show, the whole point is that Sportacus goes to sleep at exactly 8:08 every night. In another, Stephanie (Sportacus's pink-haired compatriot) discovers a memorable formula for brushing her teeth: 20 times up, 20 times down, 20 times left, and 20 times right. And while I saw these episodes weeks ago, I remember them like they were yesterday. So do my kids. That's the power of "less is more" teaching.
Not only does LazyTown teach less concepts for more retention, they also package those concepts into a memorable hook. Hooks like going to bed at 8:08, or the "20 times" rule of teeth-brushing are not only fun, but unforgettable.
We can apply this learning to children's ministry. For example, don't feel the need to tell kids everything the Bible has to say about lying in a single lesson, instead give them one verse, and teach them to recognize the reason they are lying, the "why" behind the "lie," so they can stop it before it happens. The result? A single hook that leads to application.
So resist the urge to spray the kids in your ministry with a shower of truth. You'll find that a clear and focused concept, taught with a memorable hook, will hit home with the impact of a fire-hose.
LazyTown does a great job teaching kids about health. I know they've got my kids eating carrot sticks right out of their hands. But the methods of LazyTown's good-living gurus have great applications for us in children's ministry as well. They can help us continue to make the Bible energizing and exhilarating for kids. Work out these lessons in your ministry, and before you know it, you'll be reaching kids for God and teaching them about the Bible in even more powerful and pumped-up ways, without working up such a sweat.
Aaron Reynolds is the author of several children's books. His newest book, The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School, will be available in March 2007. A 12-year veteran of Promiseland, the children's ministry at Willow Creek Community Church, he now consults and leads dynamic workshops for ministries. Visit him atwww.creativekidsministry.com for more information.
Copyright © 2006 Promiseland.
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