I still remember seeing someone do a hula gospel dance for the first time. I was probably 6 or 7 years old, and didn’t know that you can combine movement and music as a way to worship God. It was wonderful example of how to stand on the stage with a purpose of praising God. On the flip side, I remember also wanting to be picked for praise and worship time at church so I can be in front of my friends, not to worship or praise… but to lead and be seen as a leader. What was I missing? It was the why and how-to of leading worship.
How-to lead worship for Kid’s Church: know why we worship, how we worship, and how-to lead on a stage.
Why we praise and worship: God commands it.
I’m not going to write a whole paragraph before coming to the answer. We praise and worship God because He commands it. From the person who believes in God, to the athiest, the young to the old, the tourists to the residents, God commands our worship. In the Bible, we see that the word worship is mentioned 8,629 times. We worship God because he commands our worship.
When they were building the tabernacle – God commanded worship.
On a daily basis – God commanded worship.
On holy days – God commanded worship.
At the Feast and Festivals – God commanded worship.
On the Sabbath days -God commanded worship.
How-To Worship God
As far as HOW-TO worship God, this varies. In the Bible, we see that people worshiped God with music, instruments, dancing, giving, their talents, their lifestyle, and lastly; their words and voice.
What’s so beautiful about this is that we can be a child or adult and worship God in all these ways. Age doesn’t matter. Kids should be taught and encouraged to worship God.
How to Lead Praise and Worship on a Stage
1. Be a Christian Yourself
To lead praise and worship for Kids Church you must be a Christian yourself. Worship begins in the heart then spreads throughout our whole body.
Disclaimer and Warning: If you’re going to be leading from a stage, please see this as a teacher role. It’s important to note that if you are teaching kids how to worship God, do it correctly. The Bible says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). I don’t share this to scare you out of leading worship but to encourage you to do it for the right reasons. Don’t do it to stand on a stage, like I wanted to as a kid, but for the purpose of praising God.
2. Be Happy to be there – Smile!
This isn’t exactly a necessity but I have noticed that when it relates to Kids Ministry… smiles are contagious and love can be visibly felt through a smile.
The science between the connection of a teacher who smiles is incredible!
A smile acts as a powerful tool to connect teachers and students, fostering a positive classroom environment by conveying warmth, kindness, and approachability, which can significantly improve student engagement, learning outcomes, and the overall teacher-student relationship; essentially, a smile can create a sense of belonging and comfort for students, making them more receptive to learning.
3. Know Most of the Song and Dance Moves
I love playing the game ‘Just Dance’ with my kids. The dance moves are provided and we have fun following along. If the dance moves weren’t given we would be SO LOST. The same goes with hand motions for leading praise and worship for kids church. Don’t be entirely lost or everyone will be lost with you.
I don’t want to give an unrealistic expectation for leading. That’s why I put down: ‘know MOST of the song and dance moves’ because we will always have a little hand-motion mistake once in a while.
If you’re interested in more tips for worship, head to the TIK youtube chanel or click on any of the ‘worship’ tags on the website.
TO KIDS CHURCH LEADERS: If you’re wanting to train someone to lead praise and worship for Kids church, share this page with them. Have them follow along with this training page located here in our shop downloads. It’s free to you and will help your leaders be trained on what matters!
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