Worship music is such an important part of our kid ministries. Whether you begin with music, find time in between lessons and activities, or end with worship, it is an exciting time to share the joy of Jesus and praise God for what He is doing in our lives. Some large churches can have their own children’s ministry worship band. The majority of churches, however, typically only have a worship ministry for adult and youth groups. If you are like most churches and don’t have the capacity to create your own worship band for the kids, there is an abundance of worship music available to play by video or audio. If you do have enough volunteers for your own kid ministry worship band, there is a lot of music to choose from. Today, we will give you some great tips on how to find the right type of music for your ministry!
Music Videos and Motion Pictures
Beginning with churches without a children’s ministry band, we have a lot of advice to help you on your journey to creating your worship ministry. The first step is to search online for the right type of music you want. Some search topics include: “kids worship music”, “kid’s praise songs”, “hand motion kids worship songs,” and “fun Sunday school songs for kids”. All of these searches will lead you to some excellent choices. A few YouTube channels we recommend are Kids Worship Motions with Lyrics on CJ and Friends and Hillsong Kids.
We also have a great selection on Children’s Ministry Deals. When creating a worship ministry around music videos, the bigger the screen, the better! We recommend using a large TV for a small classroom of kids and a projector screen for a large group. Songs with hand motions gives kids the chance to get more involved in worship and participate whether they like to sing or not. It’s a great way to get kids moving and allow them to express their love for Jesus through praise! There are music videos available for purchase, however there are also a lot of free videos available online.
Worship Band
If you have put together a worship band, you have two options. One option is actually to continue to use music videos in the background and have your band and singers join in the music and lead it. In this case, kids will have the best of both worlds. They will have the music video to watch as well as music leaders on stage. The other option is to purchase your own music along with the lyrics and perform the music on your own. Often times, having a guitar, drum, piano, and a few lead singers is all you need to create a great children’s ministry worship band.
Here are a few tips for finding music for your worship band to play. Worship House Kids is an excellent resource to help you find song tracks, videos, and more. Family Worship Seeds has great worship music that can be streamed from Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music. If you are looking for sheet music with lyrics and chords, Hillsong Kids Sheet Music is an excellent resource for that.
Choosing the Right Music
When picking the right music for your ministry, here are a few things to consider. Ask yourself these questions: What age is this music meant for? Be sure not to play preschool videos for elementary-aged kids. It won’t be long before they lose interest and feel like the music is for “babies.”
What message am I giving today? Some songs are great as theme songs that you can use for an entire curriculum. These songs are great because kids will learn them for several weeks and enjoy the repetition and familiarity. Other songs have a very specific message, and as you search for worship music, be sure to type in words like “forgiveness,” “peace,” and “grace” to find the right song you are looking for.
Often times songs that come to mind that you sing in the adult service will have a kid version online as well. If a song comes to mind that goes well with your lesson, do a search for that song for kids.
The final question you will want to ask yourself is, “Are these songs aligning with the scripture that I’m teaching?” More often than not, worship songs are Biblical. This is just something to be aware of as you search for music. Always listen to the song in its entirety before choosing it for your ministry to be sure it is the message that aligns with God’s truth in His word!
Planning Ahead
Simplify your music planning! Choose theme songs for the season, weekly tunes, and specific ones for lessons. Save time, build familiarity, and bring joy with well-loved melodies. Rotate occasional new songs for freshness. Streamline your playlist to create a harmonious and impactful musical journey for your kids. As they become familiar with the tunes, it enhances their engagement. Remember, occasional surprises like revisiting favorite songs from previous seasons can add a delightful touch to your music program!
Making It Meaningful
What makes worship music meaningful is the fact that kids are practicing what they are learning. Kids can sing what was taught and begin putting the words they are learning in the Bible to memorization. Providing a kids choir at your church will give kids the opportunity to sing more often and serve God and others in the church through song. Encouraging older kids who have been involved with kids' ministry for a while to help lead worship through singing and playing instruments is another great way to make worship more meaningful to children. We recommend pumping it up with extra cool ways of worshiping during special holidays like Christmas and Easter. During Easter, you can add palm branches, shakers, or dances for the kids to celebrate! At Christmas time, bells, fun familiar Christmas Hymns, battery candles, or a Christmas kid’s choir are all wonderful ways to worship.
As you choose the right type of music for your children’s ministry, you will begin to see the kids looking forward to worshipping! The message we send when we make worshiping God a priority in our ministry is that God is good and worthy of all of our praise! The message we are sending when we make worshiping fun and exciting for kids shows children that there is a joy we get from worshiping God!
