Tips for MCing at Kids’ Church
Different Kids’ Church groups deploy the role of MC quite differently. I tend to use the MC as the person who does the following stuff for Kids’ Church:
Create the slides
Welcome the kids into the room
Remind kids of why we’re there (the vision)
Lead the up-front prayers
Lead some songs
Teach a memory verse (usually with a song)
Run a short game or challenge
Introduce the person on talk, and the person running the craft.
You could potentially have a different person take on each of these responsibilities, but I find it heaps easier to coordinate just having one person do it all each week.
At one level, this is one of the easiest jobs to do. If you have a good system going, you can prepare it in 10 minutes. But it’s also one of the hardest jobs to do as it involves a lot of up-the-front stuff.
Here are some tips on how to do it well.
1. Be prepared!
I strongly encourage using slides on a screen to run Kids’ Church. I also encourage using Google Slides as they are easy for multiple people to edit. I reckon it’s best for the MC to prepare the slides. If you get things finely tuned, the only thing they will have to do each week is duplicate the slides from the last week and change the songs and the game/challenge. You can get it to the stage where it only takes a few minutes. But to get to this stage, you need to be prepared and organised!
2. Make sure the tech is working
As MC, if you’re using tech (and I reckon you should), it’s your job to make sure that the tech in your room is working. This means make sure that:
there is a computer (doesn’t have to be yours, but you want to be sure that there is one there)
it is fully charged/or plugged into power
you have access to WiFi
there’s a TV or screen ready to go
there’s a speaker ready to go (even if it’s the TV speaker)
the sound from the computer is playing through whatever speakers you’re using and can be heard
the microphones are working and audible (if you’re using mics)
There’s no better way to lose the attention of a crowd of kids than spending 5 minutes trying to fix the tech
3. Sit ‘em down
Sounds easy. But it actually requires some thought. Where do you want the kids to sit? Are there things within reach that will distract them? Do you want them on the ground or on chairs?
Getting the right seating arrangement will make things work well. Know where you want your kids and get them there. And do the same thing every week.
If you are running Kids’ Church on the church site, consider using a mat for the kids to sit on or drawing up some rectangles with masking tape, directing them where you want to go.
If you’re at a school, consider using the room as it is set up. Last year, I was in a kindergarten classroom that had coloured dots on the carpet. I used those to seat the kids where I thought they would best learn. (We even had a song about the dots, called Dots of Fame, to the tune of the song Hall of Fame)
As MC, its your job to make sure the kids sit down where you want them.
4. Welcome warmly and enthusiastically
Greet the kids warmly with a smile and use some of their names if possible. Make them feel valued and excited to be there. Show them that you are excited to be there too.
5. Preview what you’re doing
I like to preview what we’re doing, to set expectations and avoid surprises for the kids. I find that this is especially helpful for kids with anxiety or special needs. I display a slide that looks like this:
The first week you display a slide like this, it might help to explain it for a minute or so. But week to week, you can just say something like, “Here’s our plan for today at Kids’ Church. It’s going to be a great week. I’m excited. Are you?” You want to avoid spending too long on this. You’ll lose the attention of the kids.
5. Explain the vision
Remind the kids why they are here. This doesn’t need to take long. Often I just say something like: “Hey everyone! Remember what we’re here for at Kids’ Church? At Kids’ Church we want to see the hope of Jesus in every home in Sydney's new South West.” It’s just something simple that reminds the kids why we do what we do. It doesn’t need much time. Be careful. If you go on for much longer than this, you’ll lose the kids! But I reckon it’s still worth setting the vision each week.
6. Outline the Rules
Quickly remind the kids of the rules and consequences of not following said rules. I usually go with the three P’s and the three R’s.
The three P’s: respect People, Property and Program. If they don’t, they’ll encounter the three R’s. They’ll get a reminder (or two reminders) to follow the 3 P’s. Then they’ll get relocated to another part of the room (or to another group). If they continue to misbehave, we’ll ring their parents.
Each week I like to do the 3 P’s, but only sometimes will I do the 3 R’s. You don’t have to use these exact rules. But I think it’s important that you have some rules, and that the kids are clear on them.
But remember, as with the vision and the plan, don’t take too long explaining. Be concise. If you take too long, you’ll lose the kids.
5. Prayer
Pray a short and simple prayer with child-friendly language, asking for God’s help as we learn about Jesus. I use the exact same prayer every week , displayed on the screen.
6. Songs
Songs are heaps important for helping the kids learn stuff. Although I can lead songs playing guitar, I usually embed the songs into Google slides. I have a set of about five songs, but I “unskip” the slides for the four songs that I’m not going to use. I do this because it means non-guitarists can easily lead the songs as well.
(This means that the person who’s on MC next week can “unskip” the slides they want for the next week. Each week, I duplicate the slides from the previous week and then update accordingly).
If you use Google Slides, it’s heaps easy to embed videos from YouTube too.
I recommend getting the kids to do actions. Partly because it helps the kids remember the words, and partly because a number of them won’t ever sing! (When there’s a tech fail with the song, I tell the kids it’s happening because they’re not singing or doing the actions)
I also like to invite kids up the front to help with the actions. I call them “action heroes”. This is a good way to give the kids some ownership.
I normally can’t be bothered making up my own actions to new songs. So I get the kids to help me do it instead. Then the next week I’ll get them to remind me what the actions were. (The actions they come up with will probably be fairly obvious/generic e.g. “God” = point to sky; “cross” = arms crossed, but sometimes they’ll come up with a great/totally random idea that you just cannot not do).
Be thoughtful about the songs you choose. Certain songs will be too “kiddy” for the upper primary kids. Other songs will be too complicated for preschoolers or lower primary. Use your discretion. Upbeat or reflective is good.
Make sure that the song is set to “play on click”. That avoids the awkwardness of the song not coming on when you want it.
7. Memory Verse
I’m also a big fan of doing memory verses each week. I usually teach it for a whole term. There are various ways you can teach the memory verse. You can do it through games or activities. Personally, I’m a big fan of songs. You can usually find something pretty good by Colin Buchannan, or something on YouTube, or even, dare I say it, something by Martin E. Robinson (if you can handle excessive levels of autotune). If you do a song, bear in mind the above comments on songs, including use of actions etc.
8. Challenge or Game
I like to have a challenge or game. Recently I’ve been running a “Minute to Win It” challenge each week. These are good because they are quick, fun, easy to run, and there are cool videos for them on YouTube. My Kids’ Church classes have been a bit too big for a bigger/longer game. It can also be complicated if you have a number of kids with special needs. But depending on who is in your class and the class size, you might like to run something a bit bigger.
9. Clear transitions
Make sure you provide clear transitions from one thing to the next. After the challenge or game, I’ll usually transition to the talk. After the talk I’ll jump back up and pray the Lord’s Prayer with the kids. After that, I’ll introduce and get the kids psyched up for the person who gives the craft explanation. (I recommend doing the craft explanation before you go to discussion groups, while you still have the whole group’s attention).
Then, it’s the MC’s job to send people off to their groups. I recommend sending them off group by group with their leaders. This minimises chaos. This is the point where you want to be as clear as possible.
10. Keep adjusting
Work out what works for your kids and keep adjusting stuff.
