Junior Church Ideas for Toddlers and Up
Most churches offer Sunday school or religious education specifically for the church's children. Many churches also offer a modified church service geared toward children that takes place either during the regular church service or just before Sunday school. The best ideas for junior church engage the children with short sermon lessons as well as songs and activities to keep them active and learning.
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Short Lessons
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Junior church sermons are short lessons on biblical people, events or topics. For example, create a lesson around babies of the Bible using the stories of Moses and Jesus. Share how Moses was born at a time when the government wanted to get rid of all Jewish baby boys, but God had a plan and purpose for Moses. When his family tried to save him by floating his basket boat in the river, God sent the Pharaoh's daughter to the river. She adopted Moses. After Jesus was born, the king tried to find and kill him, too, but God told Joseph to take Jesus and leave the country. Emphasize several times that God has a plan and purpose for each person.
Verse Memorization
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Choose a Bible verse that emphasizes the lesson's key point -- just a few words for toddlers -- and help the children memorize it. Keep track of the verses they learn by promising a reward when verses are recited. Place older children in pairs to practice a longer verse. Then write the verse on the board and allow child volunteers to erase one or two words at a time. Each time a word is erased, have the children recite the verse. By the time the verse is completely erased, most of the children will know it.
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Music and Movement
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Use movement as much as possible to engage the children and keep them from getting restless and bored. For example, on the lesson on Bible babies, let them rock arms every time you mention "babies" or "baby," such as "baby Moses." Sing action songs that allow the children to wriggle, jump, point and move in other ways. Action songs might include, among others, "Oh, Be Careful Little Eyes What You See," "I May Never March in the Infantry" and "This Little Light of Mine."
Practical Application
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Create games that show how a Bible story applies today. For example, show the children how good and bad news spreads by dividing them into two groups and giving one group a piece of good news and the other some bad news. Have the first person in each group tell one person, then they each tell a person until everyone has been told either the good or bad news. Explain how they can make a difference in the world for either good or bad by what they say. This allows for practical application of biblical principles so the children will not just hear the lesson, but also see it in practice.
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References
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