Kids Ministry Idea: Go hard with a good theme.
Collage of pictures illustrating various themes done in Indoor Sunday School. Brooklyn, NY. Circa 2015/16.
Go hard with a good theme. Add decorations! Have everyone dress up! (That means kids and adults!) Have fun with it. When YOU have fun, the kids will have fun. When I first started doing Sunday School out on the streets in Harlem we didn’t really do themes, but over time we found themes helped to get new kids interested and involved, it broke up the monotony of same-old-same-old Sunday School and it added a bunch of extra fun. Themes became a staple part of the Sunday School experience.
Now, how often you choose to theme-ify your Sunday School is up to you and your resources. Maybe weekly or every other week is possible if you’ve got a large team and budget to help pull it off. Maybe it’s more within your capabilities to do a large themed-event once a month, or even once every few months. You’ve got to find what works for you. But whenever you do have a theme, be sure to go hard with it. All in baby!
3 SUPER SUGGESTIONS:
Promote, promote, promote the theme. Put flyers in the lobby at your church. Send flyers home with the kids and encourage them to invite their friends at school. Plug it on Facebook and Instagram, wherever you’ve got socials. Send an email to parents. Shout it from the rooftops! You get the idea. Just get the word out there and let everyone know about it.
Create a great music playlist. A themed playlist is FIRE! In my opinion, the playlist is a make it or break it thing. Why is this so important? Glad you asked. Music sets the atmosphere and really ties the entire theme together. Lame music = lame theme. Hillsong kids worship is cool, just not when everyone’s dressed like pirates swishing swords and wearing eye patches. Trust me, you want great music for a great theme.
Reward participation! Have fun give-aways and prizes ready for the kids (and even the adults) who participate. The prizes don’t have to be big, but something is good. It encourages more engagement day-of and it also guarentees more participation for all future themed events.
