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For a creative and fun way to kick off the new year try this birthday party for children’s ministry, where every attendee is the guest of honor. Although January is a perfect time to celebrate, this is a smashing success any time of the year.
Great reasons for your small church to host special children’s ministry events include:
- It makes children feel loved and appreciated. Events help to build relationships with kids and allow them to be ‘seen’ as a valued part of our small church families.
- Events are great opportunities for children to invite friends. These are great top-of-the-funnel ministry events to introduce new people to your church.
- Children’s ministry events build excitement and anticipation within your small churches. Both kids and parents enjoy knowing that their small church loves building up the family and supporting kids.
This event could be a catalyst to set the tone for the rest of your children’s ministry year!
Promote The Biggest Birthday Party For Children’s Ministry
Creating excitement and a ‘buzz’ about your party is the key to getting people involved, both kids and volunteers. Announce the big birthday bash at your church. Try some Better Church Announcements or do some unique Event Promotion.
Did you know that kids love getting ‘snail mail’? Send out birthday party invitations to the kids in your church and encourage them to bring a friend. Set up some sort of system for kids to RSVP, whether you choose to have them fill out a form online, do a sign-up sheet at church, call in, email or text. You want to be sure you have enough prizes, food, and gifts for everyone.
Decorate With Different Seasons
Decorate different tables with a theme of a different season (2 or 3 months per table). Use calendar pages on the tables and seasonal decorations. (e.g. for winter months use snowflakes, snowmen, mittens, or hats). Print signs and place them in inexpensive acrylic picture frames for each month and place them down the center of the tables.
Use simple curling ribbons, birthday gift bags, and party blowers scattered on the food table and hung around the room with streamers and balloons! Go as festive or as plain as you like. Use lots of colors and make it fun!
To create a celebratory atmosphere, you don’t have to spend a fortune –– ask people in your church. Some may even have odds and ends of birthday decorations at their homes that they would be willing to contribute. Mixing and matching is a great way to save money.
Birthday Name Tags
When guests arrive, make sure each one wears a birthday name tag sticker with the date of their birthday and have them sit at their birthday month table. Don’t worry if you have a small group coming. Just expand the months represented at the tables. Even if you only have 2 tables, you can put 6 months at each one.
Creative Ideas For Your Birthday Party Game
1. Play Birthday Bingo
2. ‘Minute to Win It’ type of games are always fun.
Give each student a spoon to hold in their mouth and see who can balance the most cheerios on their spoon. For older kids, set the timer for 3 minutes and see which team of three can build the tallest tower made from toothpicks and marshmallows.
3. Pass The Gift Game
This is played like musical chairs, but everyone is seated in a circle. When the music is played, a wrapped gift (with a small prize) is passed around. When the music stops, the person with the gift can have the gift, but then sits in the center of the circle. Take their chair out of the game and play until everyone gets a gift!
*Here’s a great smart shopper tip: Go to the after-Christmas sales and pick up small toys and gifts at a deeply discounted price!
Don’t Forget The Cake & Refreshments
Keep it simple, but of course, don’t forget the cake! It’s fun to serve cupcakes and provide the ‘fixings’ for everyone to decorate their own. Please, make a note if you have any gluten or other food allergies to consider. Ice cream cone cupcakes are a fun alternative and always a hit with parents as they are less messy to eat.
Birthday Party Favors
Ask someone in your church if they would make small gift bags for the kids to bring home after the party. Simple items like crayons, some candy, a pencil, and maybe a jar of bubbles or a pop-it toy! It’s a great way to incorporate others in your small church in the children’s ministry.
Wrap Up With A Birthday Devotion
Fearfully and wonderfully made. We are all unique in God’s design, all loved and all cherished, and He knows us each by name! Emphasize that God loves His creations and that all of these children are designed uniquely and specifically by God. No matter what happens, God’s love for them will not ‘grow old’ or tire. God desires to have a relationship with each one of them, and what a great birthday gift that would be!
Psalm 139:13-14
Make sure you keep note of everyone’s names and birthdays so that during the year you can encourage people in your small church to send out snail mail cards to the kids. Asking people to pray for each child is also a powerful tool and helps to build these kids up spiritually.
So you see, a simple, fun children’s ministry event can make an impact on a child’s life for years to come. Get your small church excited about reaching out to the kids in your church and beyond. Let’s follow Jesus’ example of ‘letting the children come’ and encouraging them to walk with Jesus.
Happy birthday to everyone!
Bonus Idea: Grow this into an annual event where senior church members are paired with children. Every senior could have a secret –– or not so secret –– adopted child and actually wrap a gift for their child to be opened at the party!! Wouldn’t that be grand!? Of course, have a few extra gifts for visitors or guests … but if every kid knows they are gonna get a gift … don’t you think they’d come!?
Looking for a step-by-step guide to starting or restarting your children’s ministry?
Check out the Children’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!
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