Q: We have a wide mix of age ranges in our group but not enough children or leaders to make splitting them into smaller groups practical. How can we involve the babies and toddlers in what we are doing, while still making it challenging enough for the older ones?
Sadly this is a common question. There are two answers. Firstly this might be an opportunity to review the church service itself, considering
how it could be made accessible to all ages. If the worship was designed to enable whoever was present to encounter God and worship together then it would not matter how many children arrived each week.
Alternatively if the children spend part of the service separately, then finding activities for them to do together can be more difficult but is not impossible. There are a variety of resources which provide ideas for mixed age groups. Roots is a bi-monthly magazine which is written ecumenically and specifically focuses on smaller children www.rootsontheweb.com Other ways of engaging smaller children, either in the service or in groups, would be through stories and play. Simple boxes can be created to enable children of all ages to explore a story or theme together. For example thinking about Easter; have a variety of Bibles or books with the story and some different ways to play with the story.
Some basic items which will help to stimulate a child’s imagination could be:
• Dressing-up clothes or pieces of material
• A selection of crosses
• Wooden building blocks and shapes
• Wooden people
• A communion set (mini Altar, chalice, pattern, cloths)
• Things for planting and growing like a gardening set
• Visual items made from natural materials
When considering toys and activities remember they do not have to be expensive - ask members of the congregation if they
may be able to help with sewing, woodwork or things they have at home.
You may want to tell a story and then have a variety of activities to do after to explore it further: play, craft, playdough, construction
materials, lego, prayer, or discussion. This enables the children, no matter what age, gender, ability or learning style to engage at whatever level they are comfortable with. Variety and choice is essential.
Ellie Wilson is under 5s adviser for Wakefield Diocese. She is passionate about enabling children and their families to participate fully in all aspects of church life. Ellie is also an accredited Godly Play teacher
Q: I have read that children will benefit from time to be quiet and reflective in their children’s groups but doubt my group’s ability to do this. How do you recommend we begin this practice?
This is a very normal concern; working this way goes against everything we have been taught and believed in for a long time. Often lots of
fun and fast-paced activities become a safety net where we know the kids will behave and probably remember a key teaching point, so it
takes some bravery to reject all this and step away from this cycle. However, if we are serious about forming Christians who are able to connect with God we must change - and you’re on the right track.
The first thing to say is that children can do this and their ability to be quiet and reflective will surprise you; most people’s experience in
getting started is that they are staggered by the depth of engagement from the children.
Secondly, you must be clear that reflective practice does not mean that you are creating ‘vacuums’ where children just do anything they want in the vague hope it might be spiritual. There is still a structure; children are still expected to be doing something. It’s just that there is freedom in what they choose to do and what the outcomes may be. It’s the difference between ‘go and colour in this picture of Jesus’ and ‘go and draw a picture that helps you think about Jesus’. You don’t lose structure and expectation but instead create space for the children to think for themselves, rather than just colouring in someone else’s ideas.
Finally I’d say that you need to think about phasing stuff in slowly. Working this way will be very different for you and the children so you will need to build up your confidence and they will need to adjust. One aspect the children are likely to find hard will be the absence of a ‘right answer’. They are very conditioned to search for the answer they think you want them to say. You will have to work hard at affirming all the contributions children bring, thanking them for sharing to create a safe space over time for children to process spiritual thinking without fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.
Sam Donoghue is co-editor of Childrenswork magazine, and children’s ministry advisor for the Diocese of London
Q: We have a group of teenagers who volunteer to help out in Sunday school. How best can we utilise them?
Your question is a very encouraging one, as many Sunday schools would love to have teenagers who want to be involved in working with children and young people. It is an amazing privilege to lead teenagers in developing their skills and gifts. You have an opportunity to
help these young people live out their Christian life in a sustained way, because disciples are formed in the midst of life; when we are serving
God in the area he has called us.
However, as well as this being a privilege it is also a responsibility for your team, as you need to think through the type of leadership you are
modelling to them. Is it the type of leadership you want them to demonstrate? This can be a great challenge to leaders working with children. Recent research by the Fuller Institute (Sticky Faith) suggests that young people whose faith sticks through early adulthood are almost always involved in teaching children younger than themselves as they grow up. So how can you utilise the young people in your group and make sure that they are developing in leadership in a healthy way?
• The first thing is to believe in them and expect great things from them – sometimes we do not see young people develop in their leadership because we do not expect them to.
• Assess their gifts and competence and train them to become even stronger in these areas – there is no one job that all of them can do, as we need to use their gifting. What do they do well? What are they passionate about? They might not know what their gifts are, so they will need to try out different things.
• Help them to prepare for what you ask them to do – don’t just spring something on them without notice or preparation time.
• Help them to evaluate what they have done, so that they learn to reflect on their leadership and ministry – this is the area that we ignore most often. We get young people to do things, but then never get them to reflect on what they have done and what they can learn from
it going forward. So you need to sit with the young people after they have led something in your Sunday school and ask the three important questions that help them reflect: what went well? What did not go so well? What would you do differently next time?
Sharon Prior Is an experienced trainer, mentor and leadership coach catalystraining.co.uk
