Monday, June 29, 2009

Using Puppets to Minister to Children

By John James

Puppets are a big part of many children's ministries around the world because the can be so effective at entertaining and educating children. Puppets can be a big help to ministry workers that are facing significant challenges in their efforts to minister to kids.

In this article you will see some very valid reasons that you should consider using puppets in your own ministry. We will point out some specifics of how they can help you and the children as well.

Fun

The priority of a children's ministry is to teach and educate, but having fun is not a bad thing either. In fact, if the children enjoy the activities they will be more likely to learn and retain what they are learning.

Children's ministry leaders appreciate the use of puppets because they make it more effective to convey a message to a child, but kids pay more attention to the fact that they are having fun during a puppet presentation. They will still be learning, but their emphasis is usually on the entertainment. If you can create a fun and educational environment the kids will respond accordingly.

Educational

Not only are puppets fun for the kids, but they are also an excellent way to teach and to communicate with the children. Kids tend to pick up the messages that are presented through puppet presentations at least as effectively, if not more so, than they would in another format.

Retained Messages

Kids not only learn a lot through an effective puppet presentation, but they also remember that message very well. The lessons that are taught through puppet ministry are often remembered by the kids months and years down the road, in part because they are so open to what they are experiencing during the puppet show.

Gets People Involved

Getting people involved is necessary for most types of ministries. With a puppet ministry you will need several volunteers, which can be a challenge, but it is also a great way to get many different people involved in the children's ministry.

In effort to find the needed volunteers, many churches turn to a youth group or teens. Teens are more than capable of working with the puppets and it can be an excellent way to involve them and encourage them to serve in the ministry.

Versatile

Puppet ministries are great because they can be used in so many different situations and settings. They can be used at summer camps, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, day cares, and just about anywhere else that children's ministries will gather.

Can be Low Cost

Tight budgets are common for most ministries and churches. Fortunately, puppets can be made from just about anything (with a little creativity) and the need for financial investment is minimal. Pretty much everything you need can be made from things that you have lying around.

Of course, you can always spend the money on puppets, a stage and scripts if it is available, but this is not a requirement to get a puppet ministry off the ground.

You Can Easily Find Scripts

If you're interested in starting a puppet ministry, don't let the lack of a desire to write scripts stand in your way. There are plenty of great resources for low cost or even free scripts available online.

You can find a book of 15 scripts from CCES that is available for purchase online. There are also four free scripts that you can download at their site for use in your own ministry -Puppet Scripts

About the Author:

0 comments: