If you’ve ever taken a moment to stop and look around after one of our Sunday services, one of the realities you won’t be able to ignore for very long is that God has blessed us with an abundance of children! It is a joy to have so many children join us on Sunday mornings, but it also can be difficult for many people to understand how to engage and interact with them. If you don’t have children of your own, if it’s been a long time since you’ve had young children, or if you simply don’t know how to interact with children who are older than yours, understanding how to talk to them can be a challenge! And yet, with so many children in our midst, we would do well to remember that a child’s sense of being welcomed and connected to the church body begins very early. And in our desire to raise up a future generation in the truths of the gospel, that sense of connection is a crucially important component. We want our children to feel welcomed as part of the body of Christ and as a valued part of our community rather than an interruption or an inconvenience.
To that end, I recently discovered an article written by author Megan Hill that suggests a number of helpful questions that you can ask to children to begin a conversation with them. If you’ve ever found yourself feeling awkward an uncertain around children, perhaps a few of these questions could help encourage you and guide you in a helpful direction. Whether you simply want to engage a child in conversation to make them feel like a valued part of the community or whether you want to specifically engage their faith, I would encourage you to prayerfully consider how any of these questions might help you next time you have the opportunity to talk to one of them!
Questions for Getting to Know Kids
- What’s your name? (Be sure to say your name, too.)
- How old are you?
- What treat would you like to eat on your birthday? (Kids are always planning their next birthday.)
- What’s your favourite _____ (animal, sport, colour, candy, etc.)
- Who do you like to play with? What do you play with him/her?
- What makes that person a good friend?
- What’s something that made you laugh today?
- What’s something that made you feel disappointed today?
- What’s something you know how to do really well?
- What’s something you’d like to learn how to do?
Questions to Engage Kids’ Faith
- What’s your favourite song that we sang in church today?
- Why do you especially like that one?
- What’s your favourite Bible story?
- What’s the best part of that story?
- What’s something you know about Jesus?
- What’s something you are curious about Jesus?
- What’s something that makes you worried?
- Who do you talk to when you have a problem? How does that person help?
- What’s one way God has helped you?
- How can I pray for you?
All the best,
Luke
