Working with 5-11s (faith forming)

What are your top tips for working with growing faith in your 5-11s?

Use big screen with DVD, songs, quizzes.

Link drama to storytelling – some loosely scripted.

Use children’s names when greeting them.

Have a team of children who have practised beforehand to lead action songs.

Puppet sketches in family services (Christmas Day sketch with donkey and sheep who have a sleepless night – was this baby really a Saviour?)

If the kids are sitting on the floor then sit on the floor with them.

Find time during the session to talk with the children just forming friendly relationships with them.

Story CD to listen to with quiz after – simple but effective.

Include pictures and words in presentations.

Doug Horley DVDs.

Friends & Heroes DVDs.

Prayer wall – each brick contains a prayer.

Acting – either leaders or children.

Keep club relevant to group with plenty of different activities to keep their attention.

Ask children for ideas of activities.

Build relationships by remembering details about their lives they have told you.

Puppets with CD of Christian versions of pop music.

T-shirts for leaders and children and name stickers for leaders.

Allow for social time – children and leaders together.

Use science with boys.

Use air-drying clay to make something relevant in the story.

Have teens lead worship and singing times.

Word-search puzzles are really great for 5-9s.

Storytelling with children dressing up and/or props for support (children are so keen to be involved and engaged).

Boys love experiments.

Use flags to illustrate dances.

Draw feelings and describe the drawing; draw prayers as against just praying.

Get children to present to children. Acknowledge kids who take part.

Get kids to make up actions.

Eat doughnuts with hands behind backs.

Create a scene before children come in. Examples – igloo tent moved round the room and sat in for Abraham travelling; baby bath with water, plants and toy figures representing Jesus’ baptism.

Drama club.

Start Sunday club with ‘News Time’ where children can share one thing that has happened in the previous week.

This helps to engage them as a group. Use in prayer time later.

Whole church doing cover to cover Bible in a year.

Allocate a few kids to each leader to pray for weekly. Also pray for each other on the team. Really helps!

Use puppets to introduce idea / story or apply it to their lives.

Have kids dramatise the story or make up and dramatise situations from their lives.

Have a craft for small groups as they come in so they get to know each other.

A few ladies began a craft group and then began to take their children too. Are children welcome in adult groups?

Award trophies / story book each week to a child in each group (which they keep for the week).

Breakfast club on a Saturday morning, followed by games and craft, ending with children’s church.