Keep 'Em On the Edge Of Their Seats
Help!
You’re on in five minutes. Kids are pouring in through the doorway, more and more of them. They’re getting their nametags, dropping them, talking, crawling under chairs, laughing, being ultra-cool, and some are quietly looking around, hoping their one friend will arrive soon. A crowd gathers around the air hockey game, watching a boy and a girl slam the plastic puck across the table. One little girl is crying, and a teenage helper is trying to cheer her up. Somebody just spilled a box of pencils. And in five minutes, you’ll be up at the microphone—hope it’s working this time—calling the room to order, getting them seated, and turning the room into a holy place to present the message God has put on your heart. One word rolls gently through your mind… HEEEELP!!!
Have you been there? What do you do when you step up to
12 WAYS TO CAPTURE AND KEEP KIDS’ ATTENTION OR HOW TO REGAIN CONTROL WHEN THEY KEEP TAKING IT FROM YOU!
Are You Made for Up Front, or Behind The Scenes?
Let’s not ask that question. Even if you see yourself as a behind-the-scenes person, at some point, the up-front person will be late, or in Hawaii, and there you’ll be, in front of the kids. And they’ll be looking at you. Or looking everywhere else. Be ready. The verse “Let your light shine before men” has that “before men” part in there, so we’re called to be visible, one time or another.
First Face, First Words
How we start sets the tone for the whole event. We’ve all heard ourselves say something like “Alright. Quiet down!” or “I’m counting to ten, and after that…” Find a positive way to begin. Come up with a smiling face, and friendly words. However it works for you. I come up loud, fun, and in their face. “How’s everybody doing?” Usually about half of them answer, so I do the “Let’s try that again. How’s everybody dooooooooing?” I get a big noisy response, and we’re on our way. I’ve got ‘em. For a minute, anyway.
Break The Ice
Who knows what’s been going on in their lives before they entered the room. And since then, they’ve been laughing and playing and now, here you are, making everybody sit down and be quiet. So, make it fun from the get-go. Have an ice-breaker ready, give away a Snickers bar, or something wholesome, like a Tootsie Roll, to the first person who can name the four Gospels, or do a hand-stand. Or name the four Gospels while doing a hand-stand. Watch out here: it can get crazy, and you’ll have to reign ‘em back in. But it gives everybody a chance to wiggle and giggle without getting in trouble. They need that.
Your Voice, Your Face, Your Body
Kids get bored when a person is talking and talking. And talking. So… you’re going to do more than just talk. You’re going to be animated. And God has given you the tools to animate. You can talk quickly, or slowly. High-pitched or low-pitched. Your face is flexible, made for variety; you have dozens of facial expressions available at any time. Just don’t do them all at once. Or what about your body? It’s made for animation, too. Have enough space, and enough mic cord, to be able to walk around, or run around, or sneak around, or move in slooooow mooootion. Don’t be afraid to be (TAH DAH!) dramatic. Talk plus action equals strong communication.
“OK!” and Other Cleverly Disguised Attention Grabbers
One church I visited has this little game. Any time the leader says the word “fun,” the kids jump up and say “Praise the Lord!” They’re on the edge of their seats, listening for that word. What they don’t know, is that they’re listening to all the words in between, too. (Tricky, eh?) I use the word OK. When I say OK, the kids say OK. Every time. OK? OK! Then I forget about it, and, since I say OK (OK!) on a regular basis anyway, I keep hearing OK (OK!!) throughout my whole presentation. It interrupts me, but that’s OK. (OK!!!) It keeps pulling their attention back to me, and that’s—OK! (OOOOH KAY!)
Tell Picture Stories
Jesus told picture-parables, two-story stories, short/simple narratives with images His audience could relate to easily. And a higher meaning they couldn’t forget. Consider these two openings: “Children, you’d better keep your rooms cleaned up.” Or this: “One time I took off my socks, and started looking for a place to stuff ‘em.” Grab their attention with the socks, then use the story itself to teach them to keep their rooms clean. As you tell the story, quickly, almost secretly, weave in the moral of the story, and sprinkle in funnies to keep the story bright and positive.
Stay One Square Ahead
Imagine that your up-front time is like a game of hop-scotch. You’re always jumping ahead to the next square. Or across to the next square. Or, surprise! Back two squares, and forward five squares. Here’s why. Kids are conditioned by the internet: they look at dozens of messages and images at the same time. When we’re limited to simple, up-front message-bringing, we’ve got to stay one jump ahead. And yet, not lose ‘em. In fact, it’s smart to do some of the same things week after week, so they can rely on consistency. It’s a balance: children need the expected, but not the predictable. They rely on routine, but the routine needs to be peppered with surprises.
Reach One Kid at a Time
You’re not speaking to a crowd, or a group, or a class. You’re speaking to one child at a time. Many are listening, but you speak as though speaking to the individual. The boy in the basketball jersey. The girl in pigtails. One at a time. My loud opener, “How’s everybody dooooooing?” works as an opener, but right after that, it would change to something like “How do YOU feel this morning?” I want each child to come away thinking, “He was talking to me.”
Bring Bible Stories to Life
The Bible contains more stories than instructions. (I think because the Lord wanted to keep grabbing our attention!) Bring your Bible stories to life by living them, right in front of the kids. Fire up your imagination. Don’t just talk about Goliath, step into his big, heavy sandals. Describe him picking up his spear, and slamming it into the ground with an earth-shaking thud. Imitate his gravelly voice, yelling insults at the children of Israel. Then take them down to the brook, as David dips his fingers into the cold water, feeling for smooth stones. Live the story, with all of it’s textures and temperatures, sounds and smells, and they’ll be right there with you.
Keep Kids INVOLVED
This is one I keep forgetting about. I’m kind of a one-man-circus-guy, but week after week, even the circus gets hum-drum. Suddenly I say, “I want two volunteers to come up here. I’m looking for one bouy, and one gull…” KA-POW! The hands fly up, “Pick me, pick me!” They’re on the edge of their seats again, and what do I have? Their full attention! Or most of it. When it works, and it usually does, it’s a double-win situation, the kids going up front are involved; the kids in chairs are busy watching, and hoping they might be next.
Hey, Look at This
There you are, facing the kids, and you’re holding a flashlight, two bananas, and a ten dollar bill. Why are you holding them? I have no idea. Neither do your kids, but they really want to know. (So do I.) Behold the power of props. Holding up an object they can see, and relate to, will keep their focus on the object, and more importantly, on you, as you reveal the purpose behind it all, and they see how it ties into the lesson. Sometimes keep the props hidden until you pull them out, sometimes have them waiting there in open view to stir up anticipation. P. S. Remember I need that flashlight back. Thanks.
Keep It Short, Wrap It Up
Remember Statler and Waldorf, those two old Muppet-men who sat in the balcony, heckling the other Muppets on stage? One time Statler poked Waldorf and said: Statler: Hey, I know how we can make this show better. Waldorf: Oh, yeah? How? Statler: Put the end closer to the beginning. BOTH: Hah, hah!
Short shows last longer. Speaking to children is like using soap, the more you use it, the less you have. Keep track of your time, and try not to spend too much of it. Remember the wacky old proverb: Blessed is he who is not long winded. For he shall be called…back.
So, you’re on in five minutes. The room is going crazy. Or you’ve got a bunch of empty chairs, with one little boy in the back, trying to untangle his yo-yo. If you’re new to this, or if you’ve been up in front of kids for 27 years, you probably have butterflies dancing in your stomach. You may get off to a slow start. There may be awkward moments, a fumble here and there. It happens to all of us. Amazingly, God has chosen to use ordinary human beings to do extraordinary things. So be encouraged, be enthused. When you get up there, you’ll keep ‘em on the edge of their seats. They’ll be looking at you, listening to you, sitting there like neat little gardens, receiving the good seed, and growing into the strong oak trees God has destined them to become.
Rod Butler, also known as Bongo Rod, hosts “The Coconut Hut Radio Show,” Saturday mornings, 8 to 11AM CST, a nationally syndicated program with music, games and prizes for kids of all ages. www.coconuthutradioshow.com. He recently helped write the Resource Kits for Integrity Music's Shout Praises! Kids series.
Originally published January 23, 2007.
