If we want our children to become true worshippers of God, then they need to see worship as more than just singing songs on Sunday morning. They need to understand that daily obedience, giving of their whole selves, and loving others are all integral components of genuine worship. Below are some creative ways to engender this more holistic view of worship.
Daily obedience to God
These are some ideas to celebrate acts of obedience and help children’s associate obedience with worship.
- Allow children to share stories in their small groups of what they did during the week to worship God through obedience.
- Provide time at the beginning of your church worship service for children to share their experiences of obedience to God and to other authority figures in their lives.
- Allow children who share to select a song to lead others in worshipping God together. Choose songs that emphasize the need for obedience.
Giving of your whole self
We know that real worship involves the giving of our whole selves to God. How can we encourage children in our church to give their whole selves in worship?
- Provide time for lay teachers to explain with the children why they have sacrificed their time and talent to serve as volunteers.
- Give children ideas about what they can do each day to give their whole selves in worship to God.
- Have a child choose a Psalm and lead his or her class, or even the whole church, in praying it back to God.
Loving others
Along with worshipping by obeying, and giving our whole selves, we worship God by loving others. When we elevate loving and serving others as a crucial act of worship, our faith will be real and dynamic, and children will follow our lead.
- Involve children in quarterly or at least semi-annual service projects. Have them relay their experiences of serving to their entire class.
- Begin each week’s music worship by sharing how you’ve been able to show tangible acts of love for others in your life.
- Lead children in a brainstorming session of how they can worship God by serving others throughout the week. Have them cut heart-shapes out of red construction paper, write down the ideas on the sheets, and then take them home to do throughout the week.
As the children in our churches have the opportunity to experience a fuller, more complete kind of worship, they’ll begin to understand that worship is an authentic and important part of their everyday lives!
Lynda Freeman is the creator of kidz Connection Curriculum, a curriculum for preschool- through elementary-aged children. She is also the editor of ‘RoundAboutTheChurch.com, a website for curriculum reviews and resource information. Lynda lives with her family in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area where she spends much of her time teaching, writing, and consulting.
