No-Prep Activities for When Service Runs Long

Ask a group of children’s pastors about a time they’ve had to think on their feet, and you are bound to hear stories of a service running long and them doing all they can to not lose control or the attention of the children they serve. This is when reality hits. We support our senior pastors and want them to preach freely as God’s Spirit leads, but we also want them to keep it to no longer than 90 minutes.

You can see this scene in your head. You have done everything on your service order; you gave the small group leader more time and extended the prayer request time as long as possible. Every child has prayed for their dog and their grandma. The children are restless and hungry; if you don’t do something soon, they will do something!

Don’t let unplanned time be wasted time. We are accountable for how we spend our time, and while we may not be able to control the service length, we can control what we do with the time we have.

This toolbox is a mental and physical resource that offers pre-planned activities to extend your service with fun and engagement. There will come a time when you’ll need this toolbox of no-prep activities. And having these ideas will be a game-changer so you don’t have to rely on goldfish and a prayer.

no-prep activities for children's ministry

10 No-Prep Children’s Ministry Activities

1. Snacks

I know I just joked about goldfish, but if you are serving young kids, and it is getting close to lunch, a simple snack might be needed. Make sure you let parents know that snacks could be an option, but sometimes carbs just have to be your go to.

2. Worship

A great way to extend your service is with extra worship. Reserve a few extra fun songs with lots of motions and actions for just this time. High-energy songs are a great way for kids to get the wiggles out while they wait.

3. Bible Time

This is an oldie but goodie no-prep activity. Sword drills have been done for ages but saving them for special occasions definitely makes them more of a goodie than an oldie. Have children hold their Bibles. Call out a passage of Scripture—the first child to find it wins. The real win is that you are teaching Bible study skills while having fun!

4. Books of the Bible

This is a fun game for older children. Line up the kids in two lines. Say a letter and see who can name a book of the Bible that starts with that letter. If they get it right, they go to the back of their line and keep going. If they don’t, they are out. The line that empties first loses.

5. Dance Freeze

This is a super-fun-no-prep activity for younger children to have extra worship time and get their wiggles out. Play a worship song and encourage them to dance. When the song pauses, have them freeze. When they freeze, you can use it as a moment to share the big idea from the lesson. Then play again and again! This is an easy way to get kiddos to soak in worship music without even realizing it.

6. Limbo

This is a worship game you can play with older children. Play worship songs and let the children Limbo. While they go as low as they can, they will also learn worship songs that they might sing on repeat at school next week

7. Art Time

If you want to extend your small group time, use art. Lay out plain paper, crayons, colored pencils, and markers. Ask younger children to draw a picture of the Bible story and ask older children to make a comic strip showing their favorite part of the story.

8. Trivia

This can be done in a large group or small group. Every week when you prep the curriculum, add a few trivia questions that a small group leader or stage speaker can ask if the service is running long. Make it super fun by giving the children noise makers, buzzers, party horns, or clapping hands to help them chime in with the answer.

9. Prayer Stations

This is for when you know the service is not over, but transitioning to a fun activity would not be appropriate. This is great for children who understand the power of prayer. You can easily set up different stations.

The first station is for a prayer of thanks, which can be done by writing on a small index card and putting it in a gift bag or box. The next station is a prayer for someone else. Children can write someone’s name on a sticky note and post it on a wall or window.

The last station can be a prayer for themselves. Children can use whiteboard markers to write their name on a full-length mirror. Having these few supplies ready and available for when the Spirit is moving makes it easy to have this in your toolbox.

10. Games

Structured games are a key tool in your no-prep activities toolbox. Whether it’s Four Corners, Keepy Uppy, Rock Paper Scissors, Charades, Cup Stacker, or another children’s favorite, having a back-up plan in place ensures fun is structured.

Regardless of what you include in your toolbox, the key is to be prepared. It’s not a matter of if but when a service is going to run long. No matter how fantastic your service was, what a parent sees at pick-up is what they believe represents the entire service. This is why a structured moment, even an unplanned one, is the best approach. By being prepared, you can take control of the situation and ensure a positive experience for everyone involved.

Don’t let unplanned time be wasted time. We are accountable for how we spend our time, and while we may not be able to control the service length, we can control what we do with the time we have.

By infusing joy and excitement into these activities, we can keep children engaged and make the service a memorable and enjoyable experience for them.

Have fun, build skills, worship in new ways, pray in unexpected moments, and indulge in some animal crackers. It’s all holy, and it is as important as whatever is going on and on and on and on in the adult service.