We have all been launched into an unexpected and difficult time. Our ministries are scrambling to come up with ways to keep ministering to and connecting with the kids and families in our churches. I have seen lots of creative and innovative ministry ideas in this season already, but also know there are ministry leaders who are intimidated by the idea of doing “virtual ministry”. They are afraid that the videos they’d post aren’t good enough and the content they’re using isn’t perfectly polished. While I believe in striving for excellence in everything we do, I think the kids and families in our ministries prefer authentic connection over polished production. Okay, okay, I’ll get off my soap box now.

Let’s talk about some easy ways you and your team can minister to kids and families virtually during this time!

Early Childhood Ministry Ideas

  • Daily/Weekly Bible Story Time – Post a video of you or one of your leaders reading a Bible story to the kids on Instagram/Facebook Live.
  • Facebook Group/Instagram – Create a Facebook Group and Instagram just for early childhood kids and families to post helpful and fun resources just for them.
  • Pinterest Board – Create a Pinterest board with coloring sheets, activities, and games for early childhood families.
  • YouTube Videos – Recommend worship/verse music and videos for early childhood kids.
  • Spotify Playlist – Create a Spotify playlist with music like Yancy’s Little Praise Party, Miss PattyCake and JumpStart3.
  • Mom’s Bible Study – Choose a devotional or book to study and discuss with early childhood moms over Zoom.

Elementary Ministry Ideas

  • Scripture Memory Challenges – Create Scripture verse challenges for kids based on your current series. Have the kids record themselves saying/singing the verse in creative ways.
  • Daily/Weekly Devotions – Post a 2-5 minute video of you or one of your leaders giving a short encouraging devotion for the kids.
  • Zoom Interactive Services – Use Zoom to connect with your older kids. Give a casual message or devotion, have a discussion, and pray with your kids. Get leaders from your team on the services to stay connected with the kids.
  • Theme Days – Have theme days for your Zoom services or have parents post pictures/videos of kids on Facebook and Instagram. Theme Day ideas: PJs, Messy Hair, Favorite Snack, Favorite Color, Bring Your Pet, Mismatch, etc. Get creative and have some fun!
  • Make Fun Videos – Allow the teenagers and older kids in your ministry to make fun skit and game videos to share with the other kids. Screen them first to make sure the content is appropriate.
  • “Live” Services – You may not be able to actually create a full service “live”, but you can record a service ahead of time and post it at the same time as your services would normally be for everyone to watch together. Don’t sweat it if you can’t record a full service!
  • Adapt Your Curriculum for Families – We have made it easy for you by adapting our 6-week Followers Series into a Family Edition for you to download and use for FREE. It’s not perfect and the videos aren’t super high quality, but we wanted to put a resource in your hands to use as soon as possible! We have another 6-week series already in the works that’s perfect for the state of the world today — Fearless! If you already have curriculum you’re using, you can adapt it yourself to make it more family-centric.
  • Facebook Group/Instagram – Create a Facebook Group and Instagram account to post helpful and fun resources just for elementary kids and their families.
  • Pinterest Board – Create a Pinterest board with activities and games for elementary families. You can follow my Pinterest boards here. I’ll be putting together boards for early childhood and elementary families this week!
  • YouTube Videos – Recommend worship/verse music and videos for Elementary kids.
  • Spotify Playlist – Create a Spotify playlist with music from JumpStart3, Yancy, Elevation Worship, Hillsong, The Belonging Company, and any music you would normally use in your ministry.
  • Text, Call, and FaceTime the Kids, Parents, and Volunteers in Your Ministry – Make an effort to communicate weekly with all the families and volunteers in your ministry. It’s so simple to send a quick message to let them know you’re thinking about them, pray for their needs, and offer to talk if they need it. It will mean a lot to them.

What creative ways are you ministering to kids and families virtually?

Comment and tell us what you are doing! You don’t have to do it all, but I want to encourage you to do something! Choose a few ideas and start connecting!