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Outreach in Children’s Ministry can feel like a daunting task at any time of year. Trying to incorporate it into the hustle and bustle of the holidays may seem completely overwhelming. To quote that angel in Luke 2:10, “Fear not!”. Outreach doesn’t have to be complex and difficult. Get creative and use this holiday season to “Go tell it on the mountain!” To help spark your inspiration, here are some creative children’s Christmas outreach ideas.
The Perfect Time To Introduce Outreach To Children’s Ministry
Whether it’s kids or adults doing the outreach, the mission is the same. We want to take the love that God has filled us with as Christians and share it with those around us in tangible and intangible ways. Christmas time can be difficult for children to look beyond their own lists and wishes towards the needs of others. They are constantly surrounded by the idea of “getting” and are just starting to understand the “giving”. Spend some time this season teaching kids WHY we care about outreach, and give them opportunities to participate in real-life examples of it alongside their friends and families. You have the opportunity to build lifelong believers who find joy in serving others.
7 Children’s Christmas Outreach Ideas For Your Small Church
1. Cookie Swap
A classic Christmas cookie swap can work just as well for kids as it has for years for adults. In addition to each child bringing a few dozen of their favorite holiday treats, set up a cookie decorating station. Provide simple to-go boxes, blank cards, and a plethora of craft supplies. Let participants know how many boxes they can fill with how many cookies, and let them walk around and fill their boxes. Students will leave with boxes of goodies to share with neighbors, teachers, or members of their families. Set a few boxes aside to put together for some of your senior saints, staff members, or others who may not get to participate.
A plate of holiday goodies is a timeless way to show hospitality to those around us. Encourage kids to think of someone who might not be getting many Christmas treats and spend time writing them an encouraging note in the Christmas card attached to the goodies.
This could be an event that happens alongside another already-planned Christmas event. Maybe alongside a Christmas dinner or music program? You could even do this on a Sunday morning during normal classes and put together a short devotional on hospitality and sharing.
2. Neighbor Gifts
Gather supplies to put together small bags of gifts kids can leave on neighbor’s door knobs. Set up stations so they can put together a simple ornament craft, pick out some hot chocolate and candy, and write a card. Include an invitation to the Christmas Eve service at your church. Fun things to include could be a “Christmas Morning Emergency Kit” with little scissors, AA batteries, and super glue. Or pasta and a jar of spaghetti sauce for an easy dinner after Christmas shopping.
Events like this encourage kids and their families to reach out and talk to neighbors with the goal of building relationships and fostering gospel-centered conversations.
When planning this event, assign different people to be in charge of certain stations. They can help decide what item they’ll create, gather supplies, and lead people as they go through the station. Do this in a large room where you can play a Christmas movie as people work. Provide simple snacks and lots of space and time for fellowship.
3. Nursing Home Caroling
Even if you don’t have a giant kids’ choir, I can guarantee your local nursing home’s residents would love to hear your kids singing their favorite Christmas songs. Gather a group of kids (and their families if you’d like), print off lyrics to a couple of easy Christmas carols, and do your Christmas best. If you are planning a Christmas program, this could be a great “dress rehearsal” opportunity! You can station yourselves in one spot at the home, or travel from room to room.
Take a few minutes to talk with the kids about what to expect. Make sure they are prepared to see people in wheelchairs and in beds. If you have time, put together handmade cards or treats that you can bring with you. Spend time praying before and after this event for those you will come in contact with.
4. Christmas Labor For Your Neighbor
The kids in your ministry may not be able to do major home projects, but there’s a lot they can do to help the less fortunate and shut-ins in your community. Pick a Saturday, gather a crew of kids and adult leaders, and divide up in your community. Coordinate ahead of time with people who could use some help shoveling their walk, hanging decorations, cleaning, or maybe just want some company and friendly faces to bake cookies with. Bonus points if you all dress as elves.
After your elves have done their projects, bring them back to the church for pizza, movies, and some fun games as a reward for all their hard work!
5. Crafts At The Homeless Shelter
People often head to homeless shelters to serve meals during the holidays, but consider taking it a step further by reaching out to your local shelter’s activity director. Plan a simple craft that would make a fun gift for a parent, and bring all the supplies and lots of extra little helpers. Providing something that children staying at the shelter can make and give to their parents is a great way for them to celebrate together. Ask your church members to donate supplies and maybe even cookies and cocoa to take with you.
Make sure you talk to the shelter you want to work with ahead of time so you know what is allowed and what would be most helpful. Consider partnering with other ministries in your church and make a whole night of it, ministering to the adults at the shelter as well!
6. Christmas Store
Providing a place where low-income kids and their parents are able to shop for gifts for each other is a great way for an entire church to serve their community. Have the kids in your ministry help make wish lists for your church members to shop from, they know what kids like best! Pick one day to have people shop, and make it a fun, high-energy experience.
Have all the gifts donated and let the families either shop for free or deeply discount the items (with any funds received going back into the program). Provide a wrapping station so people can go home with gifts ready to go under the tree. This is a more involved event, so start small! The first year might just serve a few specific families you invite to shop, but it can easily grow each year.
7. Family Christmas Service
Pick a Sunday during the holiday season, maybe even the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s, and have the kids run the show. This could be a great opportunity for the kids to share what they have been learning in your children’s ministry. Have the whole congregation stand up and do the motions along with your favorite songs. Let your best kids’ teacher “preach” by teaching the Christmas Story as they would to the kids. Have a few kids come up and tell what they’ve learned, share verses they’ve memorized, or retell their favorite story. Have the older kids help pass the plates, greet at the door, anything you think they can do.
This is a clever way to achieve two goals:
- When people know kids are doing something in service, they bring family members and friends to come watch. Advertise this “Kids Take Over Christmas” service to the community, and they’ll love to come out to celebrate with you.
- As a small church, you will inevitably struggle to fill your volunteer spots during the holidays with people traveling. Let the kids take over some spots and give your usual people a break. Consider using this format for your “Christmas Program” instead of an extravagant drama or musical production. Just a normal church service, focused on the Christmas story, run by kids!
This may not seem like an “outreach” event, but serving your church members and the community with worship and teaching the good news is one of the best outreaches!
A Few Things To Remember Before You Start!
Yearly traditions have to start somewhere, and they often start small. Don’t be afraid to plan an event that is intentionally small and simple. Do a few things carefully. There are a lot of things competing for you and your church members’ attention this Christmas season. Be careful what you ask of your people, and use their time wisely. Combine events, add small pieces of outreach to already established events, and plan some projects with a small group instead of the whole congregation. Don’t let the desire to introduce outreach to your Children’s Ministry overwhelm you.
A good outreach event is not one with the highest attendance, coolest programming, or best news stories about it. A good outreach event connects God’s people to others and gives them an opportunity to share the Good News. This Christmas, may we be burdened with the desire to share the news of a humble Savior sent to save the lost. May we find new, unique, tangible ways to share that news with those around us. Merry Christmas!
Read More:
5 Best Christmas Crafts For Your Children’s Ministry
8 Fun Children’s Ministry Christmas Party Ideas
5 Easy Nativity Crafts For Kids – Small Church Ministry
Amber Kreider has served on staff at a small church in northern Indiana for the past 10 years, focusing on children’s ministry, administration, women’s ministry, special events, and more. She also fulfills several volunteer roles with the Missionary Church North Central Region and with a K-12 private Christian school that her husband teaches at and their two children attend. Amber loves talking ministry with other churches and getting creative on using whatever resources God has given us to the best of our ability.
