CHILDREN IN CHURCH

1. Make your Church a warm, clean and safe environment for children.

2. Ensure that there are clear directions to the toilet.

3. Provide baby changing facilities.

4. Create a carpeted Children’s Corner, with appropriate toys, that are in good condition. Try to include toys that can be linked to a Christian theme, e.g. Noah’s Ark, Nativity, parables...

5. Provide a ‘creativity’ area in church, with colouring sheets/activities based on the theme of the service, for use during or after the service.

6. Make Bible story sacks or liturgy boxes.

7. Provide colourful Christian story books and Bibles suitable for a cross section of ages.

8. Ensure that children are welcomed as they arrive.

9. Provide suitable refreshments for children. Always check with parents/carers to see if their child has any allergies or preferences. A good selection of inexpensive alternatives to biscuits is available in most shops.

10. Ensure that there are Church members who are ready to sit with new families, especially parents attending on their own, to offer support.

11. Make a comfortable space at the front of church for children to see what is going on.

12. Dedicate a notice board for children and families to display their work and to publicise events and resources.

13. Provide a Junior Church, Sunday Club or similar and feed activities into services, e.g. drama, prayers, music.

14. Buy a Bible or Christian story book for children who attend church or a related activity such as holiday clubs.

WORSHIP

15. Create opportunities for children to be included in child-friendly services.

16. Invite children and their families to join reading, prayer, offertory and welcome team rotas.

17. Ensure that child-friendly service books, digital media or leaflets are available for children to follow and use to participate in the service.

18. Provide flags, banners or instruments for children to use during singing.

19. Invite children to become communicants and offer a Holy Communion preparation course.

20. Make prayers as multi-sensory as you can.

21. Use drama in readings or as part of the talk.

22. Include and value children’s work created as part of the service.

23. Provide opportunities for children to play instruments.

24. Help the children to create an interactive prayer board.

25. In baptism services involve children’s workers in the presentation of the candle.

26. Choose an appropriate book or children’s DVD as a baptism or confirmation present.

27. Establish a children’s choir, or include them in the adult choir.

MINISTRY

28. Set aside PCC time to discuss and pray for children’s work.

29. Draw up a vision for children’s work, including pre-school and primary age children and their families – try to see things through the eyes of a child.

30. Invite the Children’s Work Adviser to your church to offer advice or training.

31. Designate part of your budget for children’s work and resources.

32. Nominate a PCC member to represent children’s views and to be an advocate for children, and ensure that they are well known by the children and parents.

33. Create regular opportunities to gather feed-back from children and their families on all aspects of their life in the church.

34. Ensure that, whatever you are doing as a church, the involvement and participation of children is considered carefully– try to keep them in your midst.

35. Pray regularly as a church for your children and their leaders.

36. Appoint a Child Protection Co-ordinator to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement child protection policy and procedures using the Diocese of Ely Policy.

37. Encourage your children’s workers to attend local and national training events, and support them financially in doing so.

38. Get to know what other churches in your area are doing in terms of mission and work with children and their families. Discuss, observe and pray together.

39. Consider planning joint events with neighbouring churches to maximise resources and save duplication of effort.

40. Ensure that children’s events and groups are publicised well throughout the community, ensuring that publicity is attractive, colourful, clear and concise. Use a variety of methods of communication: posters; parish and school magazines or newsletters; church/community web sites and existing church links through personal invitation.

41. Include a book about children’s work as a study topic for your adult groups/PCC in order to stimulate thinking and awareness

ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN

42. Organise a Praise Party as a church, or jointly with others.

43. Take your children/families to a Cathedral event.

44. Organise themed craft events/workshops and services for special festivals, e.g. Christmas, Easter, Harvest, All Saints.

45. Run a holiday club for any period from half a day to a whole week. This could be a ‘churches together’ event.

46. Invite local uniformed groups to special services.

47. Hold a monthly or termly Sunday afternoon service.

48. Organise a mid-week toddler service either as part of, or in addition to, your own toddler group.

49. Begin a breakfast or after-school club.

50. Organise a ‘Messy Church’ event (www.messychurch.org.uk).

51. Set up a children’s Bible study group.

ACTIVITIES FOR CHURCH FAMILY AND COMMUNITY

52. Football games or other team games after the service or early evening.

53. Picnics, either after the service or at weekends, at the local park, school grounds, or nearby local attraction.

54. Organise a family bike ride.

55. Have a ‘tea party’ for older and younger church members to get to know each other.

56. Run a Ceilidh, bingo night, beetle drive or other games event.

57. Organise a church family entertainment evening and supper, drawing on the hidden talents in the church!

58. Invite children to run stalls or games at Christmas or summer fairs, or in support of a charity such as ‘ToyBox’, ‘Tearfund’, ‘Children in Need’ or other.