Imagine the scene: whilst some babies sit on adults’ knees, five or six older preschool children search the back of the church for a cross, a candle, a Bible, a knitted shepherd figure and some knitted sheep. Once found, each child brings up their item, some walking slowly, holding their item very carefully, others running up the aisle with great eagerness to place it on the special table at the front. The special table doesn’t always end up looking particularly aesthetic, but it is more important for the children to feel that this is their special space. Then, everyone watches and listens expectantly as the candle is lit and the same words—repeated each week—are spoken: ‘We light this candle to help us remember that we have come to spend a special time with God and a special time with each other.’ So begins the
Praise and Play service—the regular midweek service for preschool children and their carers. In this group there can be two-week-old babies, toddlers, mums, dads, grandparents, childminders, and even friends who are just visiting for the day, but all have come ‘to spend a special time with God and a special time with one another!’
What is
Praise and Play?
Praise and Play is one name for this kind of regular mid-week service for preschool children and their carers, and many churches find that such a service is a really positive way of offering something very important to young families. Its primary purpose is to minister to the spiritual needs of young children, although you may find, as I have, that it ministers to the spiritual needs of the adults as well. It is definitely a time for children and their carers to share in together. Discourage any thought that adults can have a
natter on the back row whilst you do something with the children!
Praise and Play provides a comfortable opportunity for people to bring their babies and toddlers to church, especially those people for whom church is a new and probably intimidating place; it is one way in which parents can be helped and encouraged to carry out the promises they made for their child at her/his baptism; it can also help and encourage carers to be faith nurturers for their children by giving them ideas and tools for bringing elements of the Christian faith into their homes. How often has a parent said, ‘We’ve been singing that song all week!’
Getting going with
Praise and Play
Where? Preferably
Praise and Play should happen in the church! Some people may be aghast at the thought of a service for preschool children happening in church, but this is a wonderful opportunity to reassure young families that the church really is for them as well. Try to create a warm and positive environment within the church. Use a specific section of the church, for example a side chapel, or move furniture to mark off a specific area, for example rearrange chairs to form a semicircle around the altar or communion table or at the foot of the chancel steps. Young children feel reassured by the security of a defined space. Make sure the carpet is clean. You could also put down cushions or kneelers. Arrange for the heating to be turned on in good time.
How often? In some churches,
Praise and Play type services happen weekly, and this kind of frequency helps to build a greater sense of community and encourages people to form a ‘habit’ of regular worship at church, but it does require a team of people able to commit to that. Some churches organize
Praise and Play services fortnightly or monthly and some just at special festival times. How often depends on the number of adults available to lead and support you in the services.
When? In choosing the time for
Praise and Play, you need to allow an hour in total. Do some neighbourhood research and avoid the times when other things are happening for preschool children. In setting the times, take account of carers having to take and collect older siblings to and from school. Be flexible, because it is hard to start on time, and inevitably people will be late. You can’t be that punctual with such young children.
A note of caution: be wary of ‘tacking’ a
Praise and Play service on to an existing Parent and Toddler group. Even though some Parent and Toddler groups meet in church premises, they may have very loose, if any, connection with the church. Adding
Praise and Play on without the substantial agreement of those who already go to the group can generate an attitude of suspicion and resentment.
Organizing
Praise and Play
Because young children respond well to structure and pattern, it is best to develop a pattern that you will follow each time. Here is one suggested pattern, but you may want to develop your own in ways that reflect something of the worship style of your own church:
- Children search for items for the ‘special table’, and then set it up
- An adult lights the
Praise and Play candle
- A welcome song
- An opening prayer
- An action song
- A story, sometimes from the Bible or sometimes one that makes connections between a young child’s life experience and Christian or broader spiritual themes
- A very short time of conversation about the story
- A song of praise with instruments
- A sharing time—news, birthdays etc
- A prayer activity
- An action song
- A blessing prayer
- Pack away the items from the focus table in a special box
- Blow out the
Praise and Play candle.
After the service is finished, you could have some refreshments, when pre-prepared craft activities and toys are also available.
It is important to be aware of how long the children will engage with particular parts of the service and not to overstretch their concentration capacities.
Resourcing
Praise and Play
The most important resource is the adults who will be involved in organizing, preparing for and leading the service. This may be a service in which the minister would like to be involved; equally, lay people can also lead it. It is very helpful if the minister can be involved at least on some occasions so that s/he can meet the group and they can meet her/him. Try to have a team of leaders so that this role can be shared. You will also need other adults who are willing to support—who will welcome people at the door, participate in the service and model what happens, prepare and serve refreshments. Be cautious about involving adults whose children will be present in the service: it can be difficult for both the adults and the children, and it goes against the idea of this being a time that children and adults share together. A pianist or guitarist is very helpful, but don’t despair if there isn’t anyone, because you can sing very successfully accompanied by a CD. And, most importantly, do encourage others in your congregation to pray for what you are doing.
You will also need to buy or gather together:
- items for the ‘special table’
- storytelling materials, such as good quality, well-illustrated books that are large enough to be seen by a group of children; puppets; three-dimensional, concrete story materials.
- CDs and a CD player
- art and craft materials
- musical instruments
- clean, safe toys.
Further help
For ideas of themes that you could incorporate into
Praise and Play look at
Easy Ways to Bible Fun for the Very Young and
Easy Ways to Seasonal Fun for the Very Young. For further help with setting up or developing a
Praise and Play service, look in the Early Years part of the Ideas section of the website
www.barnabasinchurches.org.uk.
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Alison Harris
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