11 Ways to Welcome Kids to Sunday School

Back to school activities work well for Sunday school and children’s church. This fall, plan to incorporate some fun back-to-school lessons, games, and crafts into your kidmin programming. To start, check out the 7 great ideas below.

School bells are ringing! Tap into kids’ excitement, and give them practical faith activities to transform everyday life into higher learning.

Many children are excited to join new classes and make new friends. Others may face the school year with anxiety. You, too, may feel a quiver in your stomach as you try to think of great new ways to engage with kids.

Step into back to school activities with these seven ideas for Sunday school.

7 Back to School Activities for Sunday School Students

1. Lifelong Bookmarks

First, start your back to school activities by building community in your congregation. Have kids create bookmarks using 2×6-inch pieces of cardstock. Attach one child’s photograph and write the child’s first name on one side of each bookmark. Have kids each decorate their bookmarks and write the following poem on the side opposite their photo:

Pray for me in what I’ve sown. Pray for me until I’m grown.
In what I do, in what I say, Please pray for me every day.

Laminate the bookmarks so they’ll last for years.

Ask congregation members to become a lifelong prayer sponsor of a child in your ministry by choosing a bookmark. Instruct them to keep the bookmark in a Bible or devotion book and to pray for that child every day until the child reaches adulthood. This is a great way to support the children in your ministry and keep them in the hearts and minds of congregants.

2. Lion Locker Magnets

Starting the school year can be scary for kids. But you can help them learn to rely on God for strength and confidence by having them make these reminders. They recall how God protected Daniel in the lion’s den.

You’ll need:

• felt
• scissors
• fine-tipped permanent markers
• glue
• magnets
• a Bible

Have kids cut out a sun-shaped piece of yellow or tan felt for the lion’s mane. Then have them cut out a face shape from a lighter-colored piece of felt. Glue the face shape onto the center of the mane and allow to dry. Then have kids draw eyes, a nose, mouth, and whiskers on the face shape. Finish the lions by gluing magnets to the back of the felt.

Read aloud Daniel 6:16-23 and 1 John 4:4. Ask kids to brainstorm times they’ll rely on God to protect them.

Kids can use their magnets inside their school lockers or as refrigerator magnets at home.

3. Labor Day Sunday

A couple of weeks prior to Labor Day, ask everyone—kids and adults—to wear the clothing they’d normally wear to work or school on the Sunday before Labor Day.

Encourage conversations about careers and education by hanging posters with question prompts such as, “What’s your career? What school do you attend? What do you want to do when you grow up? How do you like your job? How does God use you in your job or at school?”

Coordinate with your senior pastor to incorporate lessons about being a laborer for God in the sermon and children’s message. After church, have your children’s ministry sponsor a special greeting and snack time with the Labor Day Sunday theme.

4. Do-It-Yourself Choice Maker

Use back to school activities to help young children, or kids with special needs, choose self-directed activities.

You’ll need:

• a large poster board
• cardstock
• markers
• clear self-adhesive vinyl covering
• self-adhesive Velcro strips
• a large resealable plastic bag
• scissors

Cut 8×8-inch pieces of cardstock. On each piece of cardstock, use markers to draw a simple drawing of an activity kids can choose, such as puppets, beanbag toss, music, blocks, crafts, reading, or puzzles. Cover the cards with clear, self-adhesive vinyl covering.

Place 1-inch self-adhesive Velcro strips 10 inches apart on the poster board in rows. Place the corresponding 1-inch self-adhesive Velcro strips in the center back of each activity card. Attach the cards to the poster board.

Give kids the option of choosing one or two of the activities. Use the large resealable plastic bag to store choices that aren’t available on certain days.