I love hearing kids laugh. There’s nothing more precious than the laughter of a child ... especially at church.
Over the years, I’ve found ways to get kids laughing. Here’s 20 of them:
1. Tell a joke. (they love knock-knock jokes)
2. Ask their name and then start saying it back to them wrong. (Example: If it’s Jake, say, “Nice to meet you Justin”) The more times they correct you, the more they’ll get tickled.
3. Get something dumped on you like water, slime, pudding, etc.
4. Fake a fall, trip, run into something, etc.
5. Sing a funny song.
6. Talk in a funny voice.
7. Whoopee cushion app on your phone (Make sure it’s the app ... not you).
8. Sing way off key (that’s easy for me).
9. Wear a crazy costume.
10. Make a funny face.
11. Have a burping contest.
12. Guess their age outrageously high (Example: If they’re 6, ask them if they’re 60, then keep saying it back to them wrong as they correct you—36? 16?).
13. Show a picture or video of an animal doing something funny.
14. Boogers and snot (They love to laugh at gross stuff).
15. Say a word or state a fact wrong and let them correct you. Say it wrong several times before you finally “get” it (Examples: Everyone sit down in your “bears” instead of “chairs;” Noah built a motorcycle to put all the animals in).
16. Have someone pull a prank on you in front of the kids.
17. Impersonate an animal or well-known person. The worse you do, the better.
18. Tell them something really funny that happened to you.
19. Put a big mark or smudge on your face ahead of time and when they start pointing at it, act like you don’t know it’s there.
20. Laugh uncontrollably. It’s contagious.
If kids laughed more at church, maybe they wouldn’t grow up to say it was boring and they were “made” to go. You don’t have to “make” someone go where they enjoy being.
We tell kids to sit still and be quiet and then wonder why they grow up and are sitting still and being quiet ... if they even come at all.
Your turn. How do you make kids laugh at church? Share with us in the comment section below.
Dale Hudson has served in children and family ministry for over 24 years. He is the Director of Children’s Ministries at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach, Florida. He was recently named one of the Top 20 Influencers in Children’s Ministry. He is the co-author of four ministry books, including Turbocharged: 100 Simple Secrets to Successful Children’s Ministry. Visit Dale at relevantchildrensministry.com.
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