Worship Activity Bags for Kids

We all know that it can be hard for children to sit still and be quiet through an entire worship service. Different churches offer a variety of different ways to keep children engaged during the service. One very popular offering is worship activity bags for children.

There are a couple distinctive ways to approach this. One is to provide pre-assembled bags each Sunday. This is, perhaps, the most labor-intensive approach since it requires a set of "big hands" to assemble the bags each week for "little hands." Another approach is to set out worship bag shelves or carts that contain a variety of items and let children stuff the bags themselves withe the items they choose. At my particular church, we started many years ago with a volunteer who came in each week to organize and pre-stuff 50+bags. Once this volunteer relinquished her duties, however, we switched to the shelf method because we did not have a point person to do the bags each week. 

We have two different worship spaces. The cart is in one so it & the shelf is in the other.

A few things to consider;

The actual bags - I strongly suggest some type of canvas bags to avoid the crinkling, crunching noise of paper or plastic bags. It is completely worth the investment! 

These are the bags we use. (Markers for size comparison.) Our church logo is printed on the other side. We purchased many several years ago and they have lasted well.

Explanation to the congregation - If this is something new for your congregation, it will take some explaining, especially if children are stuffing their own bags. A letter to families, an announcement on Sunday mornings, a note in the bulletin, and/or some signage on the shelves where bags are located are all options. Be sure to include expectations that the bags AND the items in the bags are to be returned each week. They are not meant to be take home party favors! 😉 

Maintenance - Even if you use the shelf/cart approach, someone will need to regularly check the bags & shelves to make sure they are organized and re-stock items as needed. This is less intense than creating bunches of ready-made bags each week, but still needs to be a consideration. 

What goes in the bags? Below is a list of many, many suggestions. I am not, however, suggesting that ALL of these items be available all the time. These are simply suggestions for you to use based on your children and, quite frankly, your budget. Also, think about what ages of children are likely to be using the bags. Remember, too,  that items can be changed out seasonally. 

• Coloring books/coloring pages - You can purchase great coloring books at your local dollar store and/or print coloring pages as you please. 

  

  These both came from the dollar store!

• Markers/crayons/pencils - Of course, if they are going to have coloring books, they need utensils to color with! Crayons, washable markers, and colored pencils can all be offered. 
• Blank paper can always be used for coloring, not writing, or stickers.
• Stickers - All kids love stickers, right? You can also purchase seasonal  and bible story sticker sheets like THESE from Oriental Trading and other sources. 
• Books - Bible story books and children's bibles are great additions to the worship bags.
• Lacing Cards are a quiet activity that can keep little fingers busy while developing fine motor skills. The set of Bible Story Lacing Cards below can be purchased from Oriental Trading. They have a set of nativity lacing cards and various other religious and secular ones. 
  
• Pipe Cleaners - I don't know why, but kids LOVE pipe cleaners! I put them out for our bags and have to replenish them almost every week because they seem to be a favorite! Wiki Sticks are a similar idea, but would also have to her replenished pretty regularly. 

Photo Credit: Flickr

• Fidget toys - Honestly, go to Amazon and do a search fro "fidget toys." you will get LOTS of differs kinds of small items that are great to keep small hands busy. Pictured below are puzzle cubes (like rubix cubes) slinky (be sure to get plastic so they don't make as much noise), snake cube twisters, and fidget spinners. Also, check out Monkey Noodles, Liquid motion bubblers, and mesh and marble finger toys. 

• Activity pages such as word searches, mazes, and crosswords are great for older kids. You can find plenty of reproducible ones online or make your own. 
• Small puzzles are great for quiet play, too! You can get slide puzzles or twisty puzzles so you don't have to worry about losing pieces. 
• Scratch art is something most kids enjoy. You can get playing sheets or you can find shapes. 
  
• Flash Cards are a fun way for kids to learn. You can purchase some or create your own. Some ideas include bible story on one side/scripture on the other; sanctuary symbol on one side/location on the other (so they can actually find it in the worship space); and sing language image on one side/word on the other side (The Frutis of the Spirit are great for this one! )
• Bingo card - I saw this idea on another site. Create a bingo card with words they might hear during the worship service (pray, hymn, God, etc.) and let them mark off the words as they listen! 
• Magna doodles or Etch-A-Sketches both come in mini/travel size are are great for small bags. 
• Small treats such as fruit snacks or lollipops - This really only works if you are pre-stuffing bags each week. 
• Something kids can put in the offering plate - Somewhere, I saw the idea to give children a small sheet of paper that says something like "My Artistic Offering to God" or "Thank You, God, For . . ." so that they can draw a picture or write a sentence and, then, actively participate in the offering by putting it in the plate. 

Last, but not least, here are a few suggestions for what NOT to put in the bags. (Please note: these are all just from my personal opinion and experiences. If you feel these would work in your setting, you could certainly try them!)

• Play dough/slime - In our sanctuary, the pews are upholstered, so I have always been afraid that play dough and/or shine would get stuck tot he fabric. Many child care facilities have also expressed concern about these materials harboring germs. These could work if you pre stuffed bags so that old ones could be replaced with new/clean ones each week, but that can get pretty pricey! 
• Anything that make any amount of noise! I once purchased several of the little wooden Jacob's ladders (like this) thinking they would make great little fidget toys. I was quickly informed by several people that the "clackety-clack" noise they made was quite disruptive an had to remove them from our shelf! 
• Anything that is too expensive to replace. Unfortunately, the small fidget toys and a few other items I have put out have a tendency to disappear and have to be replenished periodically. If you have something you cannot afford or do not want to lose, I would suggest you don't put it out just to be safe. 

Have you tried worship bags? Have some additional suggestions of what to include or what not to include? Please feel free to share in a comment! 

Follow Me! (Matthew 4:18-22 - Jesus Chooses Disciples)

Jesus Calls the First Disciples 

Matthew 4:18-22 (NRSV)

18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

In this passage, we see the beginnings of  of Jesus' ministry with his disciples. When I read it, I am always struck by the ease with which it seems they followed. Jesus said, "follow me," and they simply did it - without hesitation, without question. Of course, now, we know who Jesus was and what he was going to accomplish in his ministry. However, they did not. Still, they followed. 

I think this scripture can be a great example to use when trying to help children understand the concept of faith. I have used a couple different approaches when teaching this scripture in a children's sermon. 

One time, I actually printed face airplane tickets. They looked something like this: 

I started by giving each child a fake ticket and the first things they asked was, "Are these real?" 😂I explained that they were not real, but we were going to pretend they were. I asked them where they would like to go and got a wide variety of answers including Disney World, Mexico, and Alaska! Then, I asked the kids this - "If I gave you a real plane ticket to go on a trip with me, but you couldn't bring anything with you - not your favorite toy, not your best friend, not your parents - AND I didn't tell you where we were going, would you still go with me?" Some of the kids were clearly perplexed by this question. After all, they know me and trust me, but going on a big, unknown trip with me is a pretty big leap! (I also think they were a little afraid saying no high hurt my feelings.) I continued by affirming that it would be a really hard decision to make and that, if you went on the trip, it would probe be pretty scary. Then, of course, I explained that that was pretty much the choice the disciples had make when Jesus said "Follow me." They were leaving their families and going on a trip that was full of unknowns. They said yes because they had faith in Jesus and, sometimes, having faith means doing hard, scary things. I ended a lighter note by telling them that if any of them were going to Disney World soon, I would happily go on that trip with them! 

Another time, I focused on the "follow me" aspect with a game of Follow the Leader. Almost all kids will be familiar with this game. If your setting allows, you can actually get up and move around - even invite the adults to join in! If not, you could simply play in place by placing hands on your head, clapping hands, stomping feet, touching nose, etc. Tell the kids what a good job they are doing following you and ask, "What if I did something really crazy? Would you keep following me?" (Give some "crazy" examples like, "what if I turned cartwheels down the aisle? or "what if I just got up and ran out the door into the street?") Chances are some kids will say yes, some will say no, and some will seem perplexed. That will lead into the discussion of the story of Jesus' disciples and how the way they followed Jesus was actually kind of crazy! Explain that faith is believing in something or someone even when it seems scary or crazy. 

Overall, this is a great scripture to use with kids. I think it is something they can relate to in a concrete ways to understand the abstract concept of faith. 

Explaining All Saints Sunday to Children

For a very long time, I thought of All Saints Day as a day of glorifying the dead. There was always a necrology read with sad music played underneath and a list of dead people in the bulletin. As a kid, that made it feel pretty creepy. (Especially, on the heels of Halloween.) As an adult and a worship leader, I have come to realize that, while it is a day to remember those who have passed away, it is also a lot more than that. 

However, it can still be a little tough to explain it to kids who, like I once did, might be a little "creeped out" by all the death talk. Having done an All Saints Sunday children's sermon on a few occasions, here are four ways I have found to approach it that take the focus off the death aspect and make it a little more digestible for kids. 

One way is to play on kids' love of super heroes and equate superheros to saints. It might go something like this. 

•  Show some pictures of super heroes (Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.) and ask children to identify them OR simply ask kids who their favorite superhero is. 
• Then, show some pictures of saints and ask kids if they know who those people are. (Most likely, they will not.)
• Explain that they are all saints which means that they are superheros of the church who were special because of the things they did. (You can give an example or two such as St. Francis of Assisi who was superhero in the way he loved all of God's creation; Saint (Mother) Teresa who was a hero in the way she cared for sick & poor people; St. Patrick who was a hero in teaching people about Christianity.)
• Then, ask if they see anyone in the congregation who looks like a saint or superhero (probable answer is no unless your congregants wear halos & capes! 😉).
• Finally, explain to them that, actually, we are all saints because God loves us and has given each of us special & unique gifts and talents.
• Wrap up by explaining that this is All Saints Sunday which is a day that we remember saints (people from God's family and our congregation) who have passed away and a day that we remember we are all saints who have the ability to be God's superheros. 

Another idea for All saints children's messages is to focus on family heritage. 

• Bring in a family photo album or family tree and show the children some of your relatives who were important in your faith but have passed away.
• Then
• Option A - Explain that the bible is like a photo album of God's family as it tells the story of so many people who loved God and helped to create the Church. 
• Option B - If available, you could use a pictorial directory of your congregation here. Explain that it is a different kind of family photo album because it shows the church family. 
• Finally, explain that we are all saints because we are all part of God's family. On All Saints Sunday, we remember the people in our family who have passed away and express gratitude for all the saints - past and present - who have helped form the church and who have helped us personally form our faith.  

A third idea is to focus on the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. 

• Begin by asking children if they have rules in their family. Then, ask them to list some. (Examples might be not hitting, share toys, bedtime at 8pm, etc.) (If possible, you can choose a personal family photo album and talk about some rules you had to follow as a child). 
• Remind children that we are all God's children and ask if there are any special rules we have to follow as part of God's family.  Jesus gives is a list of these rules/expectations in the Beatitudes. Read the scripture or excerpts from it. 
• Let children know that we are called saints because we are all part of Gods family and that we should all use the Beatuuides as a guide to help us remember how Jesus wants saints to live. 
• Explain that today is a special day to remember saints that have passed away and to be grateful for all the ways those saints showed us how to live by the Beatitudes. 

Last, but no least, books are always a great way to explain difficult topics to children. Two books that are perfect for All Saits Day are The Keeping Quilt (Patricia Polacco)  and The Name Quilt (Phyllis Root). In both books, an heirloom family quilt is used to keep memories and pass down stories of family members who are gone. This is a great way to explain that, while we may not have a quilt, All Saints Day is a special day when we remember people who were part of our church family and have passed away. 

I think the biggest goal in an All Saints Day children's sermon is to help children understand the concept of Saints and that we are all, in a sense, saints. It is also important to try and put a positive spin on the concept of death which can be confusing and scary for kids. Hopefully, one of the ideas listed here will help you formulate your own children's sermon that is meaningful in your congregation.