Christmas Eve is a big deal in the church world.
As far as services go, Christmas is one of the most significant of the whole year.
Sometimes, we spend so much time planning our services that we forget the families that will be joining us. No matter where you are in your Christmas service planning, here are some tips to make your service family-friendly.
Use a simple printable to get kids involved!
Sometimes, kids’ pastors don’t have a seat at the table for planning services. That doesn’t mean your service can’t be welcoming to families!
Instead of just keeping kids “occupied”, consider getting them involved with printables that could keep them engaged in the service. Check out our free Christmas Printable pack or my personal favourite, the Church Search: Christmas Edition.
Don’t just keep kids “busy” – these sheets can give them a great way to pay attention, get engaged in the Christmas story & feel like the service is for them too!
Consider changing up the format!
Several years ago, we changed up the format of our Christmas Eve service. Instead of having a chunk of “worship” and a chunk of “preaching”, we changed up the service so there was a little bit of singing & a little bit of speaking.
Each segment of speaking was about a certain theme; for example, a couple of years ago we themed everything around the message from the angels – “Good News of Great Joy.”
Changing up the format made it easier for families – especially with young children – to stay engaged! It was fast-paced and constantly changing, even people without kids enjoyed it!
Include an interactive segment!
Adding a segment that’s interactive for the kids (and everyone!) is a great way to make the service family-friendly. Here are a few ideas:
- Invite kids to act out a small portion of the Christmas story spontaneously during the service! You could do this by inviting a few of them to join you on the stage, or by having the audience say certain words or animal sounds as you read a portion of the story.
- Include an interactive video for kids to watch! WorshipHouse Kids, KidzMatter or Deeper Kidmin have great options for the Christmas story.
- Sing a song that kids will be familiar with! Whether a song that your kids sing in your kids’ program, or something really simple (“Away in a Manger”), make it work!
- Play a simple game! In our Good News of Great Joy service, we included a simple game about “Signs.” Kids had to call out what different signs stood for – and then we transitioned into talking about the sign that angels told the shepherds to look for – a baby in a manger! Want to use the game for yourself? Download it here!
Whatever you choose to do this Christmas Eve, let’s make it family-friendly.
There are so many “fun things” for Christmas for kids – parades, breakfasts with Santa and parties. Those are great things, but kids shouldn’t think the only “fun” or “exciting” parts about Christmas are outside of church.
The birth of Jesus – and the fact that He came to save us! – should be the most exciting part of Christmas for them too. We should make Christmas Eve services feel important and interactive – so they’ll know that Jesus is the reason why we really celebrate!