We’ve been in our new worship spaces for two weeks, and I’ve already found my favorite spot to sit. Most people do. It’s been my experience that wherever you sit the first time in a worship space, that’s usually where you end up sitting again. It’s not long before it becomes ‘your’ seat. But, let’s get back to the point.

To be honest, I don’t really sit much during the worship service. I stand. I greet, I smile, I hover. I’ll write notes to the kid next to me on the paper covering the table. I might even play a game of hangman with one of the older kids, using the name of our church or something the pastor just said. 

That’s what happens at the tables set aside for littles on the side of our worship space.

Some churches call it a prayground. A prayground is a special area within a worship space where children of all ages and stages can participate in the service in developmentally appropriate ways. The tables are set to keep them engaged and involved in what’s happening around them. This kid-friendly space is an accommodation no different than a hearing aid or wheelchair ramp to include all ages of our church family. 

We’ve set up four tables, two tables placed together to make two squares. The tables are covered in brown paper. An artistic kid’s champion paints a welcome message on the center of each set of tables each week. On top of the tables are  buckets of clipboards, washable markers, and alphabots available each week. Depending on the service message or sermon series, there may be other special items added along the way.

But these tables are not just for kids. They’re for everyone.

Children learn best through repetition and ritual. They also understand and remember things better when they have something to do with their hands. If their hands are busy, their minds are calm…and learning.

This space rolls out the red carpet of welcome to new parents (1) unlikely to drop off their most precious with strangers-now-but-may-be-family-later, (2) unlikely to leave their little in a room with others who may be sick, (3) uncertain about safety and security protocols, or (4)  just want to stay with their kids and enjoy sharing worship together. This has been a culture shift for quite some time now.

With colorful chairs discovered when we closed on the property, the kid’s tables catch the attention of littles and bigs as they enter.  There are plenty of chairs for the bigs of a family to sit nearby or alongside, guiding children to stand, sit, pray, and participate in the service together.  

Children find plenty to see, hear, touch, and sometimes taste, all that is involved in the worship of our Great God. They pick up the language of worship, the customs of gathering as Christians, and fully join in to encourage one another, just as the Bible teaches in Hebrews 10:24-25 to ‘spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’

In addition to the prayground aka kid’s tables, we also have a nursery for preschoolers and younger littles with activities specifically tailored to their age group, all focused on Jesus. We’re trying out different curriculums to align with what the older kids are learning, based on our denomination’s doctrine, a biblical worldview, and including apologetics. 

How do you welcome littles with bigs into your family worship?