I’ve volunteered in Kid’s Ministry for many years and have taught children in all kinds of places from the kitchen of a rented hall to a multi-purpose room shared with another department.  But no matter where we met out of necessity I always tried to create an attractive and welcoming environment for the kids.  Portable or permanent, a well thought out space shows children, parents and leaders that you care about your Kid’s Ministry, that you want it to be fun and that you believe it has the potential to grow.

 

‘When parents see their kids enjoying church and learning about the principles that will help them in life they are eager to support the church with their time, money and abilities.  Parents are attracted to a place which loves their kids and serves them well.’

Michael Persaud, Persaud Creative

 

1. Design a background

Portable or permanent, you need a background to create an amazing Kid’s Church space.  A background is anything seen behind a focal point, in this case, YOU, teaching the children.   Whatever background you choose, use it to announce your curriculum theme, to display your Kid’s Ministry logo, visuals aids and Memory Verses.  By adding a few hooks you can hang up props, costumes, or objects for object lessons. Background options could include painted boxes from flat pack furniture, a lightweight stand like those used by photographers, a partition (best on swivel castors with brakes) hinged panels, a screen, or a painted canvas.  You can find lessons on painting a canvas on You Tube.

2. Create zones

Spatial zoning is important.  If you create boundaries, circulation, and visual separation, you’ll have an area that encourages good behaviour and positive social interaction.  Let’s do everything we can to help our kids love their Kid’s Church experience!  For safety, use masking tape to create a no go area between the children’s seating and where you teach.  Just pull it up when your program is finished.

3. Consider your seating

Seating is important if you want children to remain attentive, and chairs that fit your children are ideal.  But if you’re in a hired hall, you may have to use adult sized seats. Other options are carpet tiles or squares, cushions or chair pads, mats or rugs.  Seating the children in rows gives everyone space to walk around, and makes supervision easy, however a semi-circular arrangement gives every child the best visibility when you’re using visual aids.  The children are also ‘in the open’, so you can see everything that’s going on.  A circular arrangement is great for games and discussion but children can misbehave when you’re not looking, so it’s not the best arrangement to use when you’re teaching a lesson.

4. Cogitate on tables

Hopefully, you’ll have access to tables for drawing, colouring or puzzle activities.  If you’re going to do craft, cover tables with cheap plastic tablecloths you can throw away.  It will save you a lot of scrubbing and time, especially if the tables are needed for tea and coffee after church.  If you have no tables, buy a clip board for every child and let them personalize it.  It will make colouring pages and puzzle sheets easier to use.

5. Think about technology

No matter where you hold your Kid’s Ministry, you’re going to need a computer and a screen.  You’ll need the ability to use song clips, screen animated stories, and use PowerPoint.  If this is not in your skill set, find a Techie in your church (usually found at the sound desk) and ask them for help to make it happen.  Remember, if you have power cords running from power points to your computer, you must make sure no one will trip over them.  Buy a cord/cable cover from Bunnings.

6. Reflect on lighting

You’ll need to cover windows if natural light is going to affect a screen children need to watch.  Natural light, where the children are drawing or working on a word search, is better than fluorescent lighting.  Soft, natural lighting is best for maximum learning and productivity, but you may not have much control over the lighting in a hired hall.  But it’s something to consider when you’re positioning your background and seating.

There are now studies that support the theory that there’s a relationship between the physical environment and children’s behaviour.   Children are very susceptible to the influences of their surroundings.  How you arrange a room, the equipment and materials, determines where their focus will be.  An organized room can have a positive influence on improving behaviour.  So, let’s own our space wherever it may be!