Home Children's Ministry Leaders Are Kids Lonely at Your Church?

Are Kids Lonely at Your Church?

kids lonely at church

Kids who hate going to school are often bored or lonely.

The same could be said about kids who hate going to church.

Boring lessons and no friends are a recipe for disaster at church.

A 2020 survey found that students felt stressed (79.8) and bored (69.5) at school.

And research has revealed that for many kids, school is very isolating. 80% of students say they face loneliness at school.

The same could be said of many children’s experiences at church. It is boring and they don’t have any close friends. This can become toxic and cause children to bolt from church when they are old enough to have a say about it.

So how can we help kids feel loved, accepted and excited about being at church? How can we help them make friends? How can we make our lessons engaging and exciting? Let’s talk about this.

Pre-Service Interaction

This is a critical time. Kids are normally playing a game or talking or doing a craft project with a friend. It can be scary for a new kid to enter the room when this is going on. They are thinking…

Will anyone talk to me?

Will they let me join in the games?

Will they let me help with the craft project?

Will I be able to make a friend today?  

Look for kids who are alone during this time. Introduce them to some of the other kids and help them get involved. Ask your volunteers to keep an eye open for kids who are alone.  Encourage them to talk with new children and help them get connected with other kids.