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Have you ever visited another church, walked into their children’s ministry area, and thought, “Wow, I wish I could be a kid here!” Or maybe you’ve had the opposite reaction and quietly said to yourself, “I hope my kids never have to experience this.”
It’s incredible how much a space can communicate without anyone ever saying a word.
How does a child’s first experience shape whether they (or their family) return? While colorful walls and creative classrooms make an impression, it’s more about having an environment where kids feel safe, excited, loved and seen, and a place where parents feel good about leaving their child.
Why An Inviting Environment Matters In A Small Church
An inviting environment reaches the hearts of visitors and regular attenders to let them know this is the place for them!
Simple touches, even with limited volunteers, small spaces, and tight budgets, can have a big impact on young children and their parents.
Keep reading for practical tips and easy-to-implement ideas on how to help make your children’s ministry more inviting. Discover creative ideas that any small church can use, regardless of your style or structure, to help make your children’s ministry a place where every child wants to be.
15 Best Tips To Make Your Children’s Ministry More Inviting
1. Keep Your Physical Environment Clean
- Is it clean?
- Do you regularly clean and sanitize the toys and countertops?
- When children or parents are in the room, do they see dirty toys?
Look at your children’s ministry space. Ask these questions:
Establish policies in your children’s ministry, such as regular cleaning schedules, sanitizing toys, and washing bedding and fabric items.
Practical Tip: Involve the children. I have a class of 4-year-olds who love to put warm soap and water into the plastic bin where the Legos are stored. We wash each one and lay them out on a towel to dry. We do the same with the play dishes and food in our kids’ kitchen space. They are engaged, have fun, and it’s an opportunity for you to have conversations with them as you clean. It’s a win-win!
Does the room smell fresh? Bad smells can give off the sense that the room is not clean or unsanitary. It could also raise questions about whether there are good practices for hand washing, germ spread prevention, toileting, etc.
2. Create An Inviting Environment By Adding Color
Imagine the smile on your children’s faces as they enter a room full of color and anticipation!
It is proven that specific colors can create responses, enhance moods, and create inviting spaces. Choose a warm base color for walls and ceiling. Shades of blues, greens, and beiges can help to create a sense of calm and warmth. Then add excitement and fun with bright colors in accents, furniture, and pops of color on the walls.
Try inexpensive, removable wall stickers for wall decor. They can add a fun pop of color and can fit into a theme in your room.
Bright, fun posters mounted in poster frames are easily changeable to create new looks for different seasons. Paint geometric shapes on the walls in bright, fun colors.
Safety tip: Use paint with low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) to ensure better air quality in the classroom.
You don’t have to do it all alone. Invite the teens in your church to a painting party. It’s a great way to connect with them, give them a role in their small church family, and have some productive fun. Throw in some pizza for a prize! Let them suggest some ideas, after all, they know what’s inviting to kids!
3. Consider The Furniture In Your Classroom Decor
Ask yourself this question: Is the furniture in the children’s room sized appropriately for the children’s age and size?
It’s difficult for younger students to sit in folding chairs at an adult-sized table. It can become a distraction for them during learning time or a safety concern due to the risk of falling. We want them to feel welcome in their own space, not just kids using an adult space!
Invest in kid-sized furniture, if possible. For a budget-saver idea, check out used school furniture in your area. Try some ‘furniture’ alternatives, throw pillows, or carpet sample squares for kids to sit on during story time. Area rugs can also add a pop of color.
4. Add Storage To Your Space
Many small churches have limited space. Often, we unknowingly pile things up in rooms. It’s not intentional; it happens gradually. It’s essential to provide storage spaces.
Low cubbies or bookcases can be great toy storage. Items you don’t want accessible to kids need to be higher up on shelves, wall cupboards, or in locked cabinets on the floor.
5. Pay Attention To Lighting
Is the room well-lit? Does it have natural light? Natural light stimulates creativity, reduces anxiety, and improves focus and mood. If you have windows in your classroom, use them to create an inviting environment.
What do you do if you have a classroom with no windows? Try to incorporate a variety of lighting. Avoid harsh overhead fluorescent lighting. Create different spaces within your room (story area, book nook, toy corner, etc.) where you can use floor lamps or fun table lamps, even hanging string lights to enhance the lighting in your room.
6. Think About The Emotional Atmosphere
Let’s face it. We can have all the great decorating themes and colorful walls in the world, but if we are not creating a welcoming and inviting atmosphere with our people, we’re not following the example of Jesus!
Our teachers, volunteers, and church can speak volumes in making a child and their family feel welcome! Preparing our hearts before we walk into a classroom on a Sunday morning through prayer, both for ourselves and for the children and their families, is a must!
Let children know you are excited when they arrive. Don’t be so busy with other things that you don’t see them enter the room. Greet them by name.
Before children arrive, start playing children’s background music. It helps create a joyful atmosphere. Place activities out for them to participate in as they arrive to help them become engaged before class even starts..
Your efforts and kindness convey God’s love and can encourage guests to return!
7. Connect With Children On Their Level
Knowing how to connect with children on their level is a key to creating a class that kids thrive in. When kids are thriving and enjoying their class, they tell their parents about it. They’ll want to come back to your small church!
When you talk to the child, get down on their level. Listen to what they are saying.
Join them in their play. Build a tower, eat the pretend food, and make some clay animals. As you have fun, they will have fun!
Remember important things in their lives. If they told you about something they are going to do or an upcoming birthday party, ask them about it later. They will notice and feel very special!
If a child is on a ball team or has a dance recital, ask their parents if it’s okay for you to come and show your support. The child will be thrilled to know you care.
8. Establish An Atmosphere Where All Children Belong
Part of an inviting atmosphere is one where all children belong, regardless of abilities. Everyone is seen and valued, and the teaching is focused not just on accomplishing a certain lesson goal, but on being relational, showing God’s love, and allowing space for children to grow in their faith.
Incorporate time in your class for the kids to get to know each other. As they grow in friendships, it will deepen the warmth of your classroom.
9. Get Kids Engaged And Excited About Your Class
Keeping kids engaged in your lessons is vital. It helps them to focus and learn what God has to say to them on their faith journey. Hands-on teaching gets kids involved in the story. Invite kids to act out a story. Draw illustrations (or enlist an aide to help) while you talk. Make a certain noise whenever you say a specific word. Ask children to provide sound effects for specific things in your story.
If you have children who know how to read, ask for volunteers to read the Bible passage if they are comfortable doing so. This engages them in the Word of God.
Looking for a Sunday school curriculum built for small churches?
We recommend Two or More™—a low-prep, Bible-rich curriculum created specifically for small churches. It works with mixed-age groups, flexes to fit whoever shows up, and makes it simple for volunteers to lead. Learn why we love it here.
Already using it? Check out our Two or More™ video guide for practical tips to get the most out of every lesson.
10. Make Your Class Time Memorable
Children are much more apt to remember a Bible lesson that they were a part of and actively participated in. Think outside the box when you teach. Mix it up; don’t always teach the same way from the same place. Move around, go on a ‘field trip’, tell a story outside, or put up a tent to gather in. Getting them involved makes it memorable.
11. Engage Your Church
One of the most inviting environments in a small church is created when the whole church family is engaged. Share with your pastor or leadership about the WINS you have in children’s ministry. Tell them about the child who applied part of the lesson in their daily life. Share about the moment when kids modeled the godly character of love or kindness with another child. Celebrate it as a church family; this lets kids know they are valued!
12. Encourage Inter-Generational Participation In Class Events
Senior adults can’t always physically pick up babies or toddlers, but they can help in other ways. Invite senior adults to help with some of the cleaning, or to come and tell the Bible story one week. Ask one of your church leaders to share their testimony, or have the kids do an interview TV show and ask them questions about when they were a kid.
Encouraging intergenerational connections helps our children see that it’s not ‘the older people’ and ‘the kids’, but it’s ‘us’. We are all part of the family of God, working, playing, and learning together!
Host special events for your class where you invite people of different ages to participate alongside you. Invite the teens to a pizza party or invite grandparents to a PJs & Pancakes Breakfast. Invite your classroom families to a Christmas party.
13. Build A Happy Atmosphere For Volunteer Longevity
When we create an inviting atmosphere in our children’s ministry classroom, it creates an inviting atmosphere for volunteers to want to be involved in.
Give potential volunteers what they need to make a commitment. Allow them the time they need to observe and see if this ministry is a fit for them. Visiting the class, watching, and getting to know the kids can help determine if this class is a good fit for them.
Walk in grace if they can’t serve one day. Be gracious. Don’t make them feel guilty. Pivot and make other arrangements. Follow up with the volunteer so they know you’re not upset.
Thank your team often. Tell them when they do a good job. Give your volunteers a quiet shout-out in the classroom when you see them engaging a child really well.
When parents and children see a team that works well together and loves each other, it makes your small church stand out!
14. Communicate With Parents Regularly
Common ways to communicate with parents are flyers, emails, face-to-face conversations, and church announcements.
Reduce stress for new visitors by creating a Welcome to Children’s Ministry booklet. Offering a Welcome booklet to new guests can help establish a sense of confidence in your small church. It helps them trust you because of your openness and transparency in your ministry.
15. Be Safety Minded
What’s unique about small churches is that it’s easier to make personal connections, but it’s also easier to overlook things. Don’t overlook safety! Parents want to know that a space is not only fun and pleasant for their child to be in, but also safe!
Each time you enter the classroom, look around. Pay attention to broken toys, furniture, and decor. When a volunteer shares a safety concern, address it immediately.
Think about food allergies.
Always keep a watchful eye on the children in your care. Safety includes doing your best to keep children safe from other children throwing toys or bullying.
Help Kids Feel Like They Belong
Sometimes, small gestures matter the most. Small gestures show you pay attention to the details, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Small details are often very significant to children and their parents.
Following these tips can transform your small church children’s ministry and set the stage for it to have a positive influence on spiritual growth for years to come!
Sometimes, you don’t need more stuff, just more intention and heart. Be relational. Create a children’s ministry that doesn’t just offer an hour of fun, but one that creates an atmosphere to foster spiritual growth.
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!
Read More:
7 Best Tips For Leading Children’s Ministry In Small Church
