Singing With Kids

Last Sunday, the kids’ song leader strummed the first chord on her guitar and said, “If you can’t remember the actions, just watch Ms. Jola.” With all eyes turned toward me, my clapping and toe-tapping went more and more off-beat with every quick chorus. Fortunately nine-year-old Samantha stood at my side executing every action with perfection.

Take it from me; you don’t have to love the spotlight to sing with kids! Just keep these tips in mind:

Move to the Music!
Kids express themselves with their entire bodies (do you happen to recall the last tantrum you witnessed?). Young children especially will be more engaged if their hands can move along with their lips. Keep the motions simple (you don’t want more puzzlement than praise) and enlist the help of your music- and body-smart kids to add new actions and help you lead!

Talk About the Tunes!
Walk With Me and Sing With Me songs aren’t just catchy, they’re packed with powerful truths! As we quietly sing, “When I am afraid I will trust in you,” we can talk with kids about what it means for them to trust in God when there’s a big monster under the bed or scary news about Mom’s job. As we shout, “What a mighty God we serve!” we can name the amazing things God did in the day’s lesson as well as the great things he’s doing in our world and our lives today!

Prepare to Praise!
Have you ever noticed that song intros don’t always sound like the chorus? Avoid that awkward is this the right song? moment by writing down the CD track numbers of the songs you plan to use. Take the tunes with you so you can soak up the songs while you sit in traffic.

Disregard Your Decorum!
If David can dance for the Lord like a fool before all of Israel, you can lead an audience of eight year olds! When your off-key voice is the loudest in the crowd, just tell yourself, It’s not about me, it’s about God! As preteens roll their eyes while you dance the Pharaoh’s dance and shout, “LET MY PEOPLE GO!” just remember, they’ll NEVER forget that song or God’s story behind it.

Happy harmonizing!