At the church where I serve as Children and Family Pastor, we recently built a new stage for kids' worship and other activities.
It is a Clubhouse theme. Below are some pictures. The wrapping for the stage came from our friends at Wacky World Studios. The wall and the trim were done by some of our volunteers.
I always remember this...
A good environment will make your children's ministry seem better than it is. A subpar environment will make your children's ministry seem worse than it is.
The physical space you create is important and is money well spent. It might even be more affordable than you think. We have around $5,000 in this stage area. That includes building the frame and all the attachments you see on the wall. There are holes for puppets in the tree and the far left window. The other two screens by the door are televisions.
We will be bringing our 3-to-5-year olds out here for their chapel time. We will have puppets, storytellers, and kids' worship leaders.
Whatever budget you have is not the biggest factor. You can do a lot with kid-friendly paint colors and there are probably people in your church who could help build your vision.
Another plus in spending money on kids' theming is the statement it makes to parents. It says to parents that you care enough about their children to invest resources in creating an environment with kids in mind.
I remember one of the first areas I built for kids. It was when I was first starting out in ministry. The church where I was serving didn't have a children's ministry area. The only space available was an old, musty room downstairs in the basement. We only had a few kids coming. I had no budget whatsoever. So I decided to use what I could. I went out and found branches, tree limbs, etc. and turned the room into a tree clubhouse feel. The kids loved it and we doubled in the number of kids who started attending.
The point is this - do something. No matter what your budget is, you can create a fun environment for kids. Even if you have no budget whatsoever. What are you waiting for? Go for it.
