This also means being sensitive to kids’ needs. If you’re looking for a volunteer to pray, don’t assign a child who didn’t volunteer; they might have difficulty speaking or praying aloud. Don’t assign new children to read the Bible, because they might have dyslexia. Kids might have disabilities you’re unaware of, so give kids alternatives if they feel uncomfortable participating in a specific activity.
RELATED: 25 Bedtime Prayers for Kids
Also, leverage technology to add accessibility features! Using voice to text to write or offering tablets with digital versions of handouts can help kids participate in lessons. Most digital devices have accessibility features built in, such as font changes or brightness settings.
5. Use Multisensory Learning To Offer Inclusivity in Children’s Ministry
Charla says, “As an occupational therapist, I love the Hands-On Bible Curriculum by Group Publishing because it provides really fun, creative, easy multisensory learning activities for every lesson.”
Group’s philosophy is that when kids have things to touch, hear, smell, taste, and see, that will help them learn! So use all the senses to engage the whole brain for better learning for people of all abilities. We all learn more easily, retain knowledge longer, and can retrieve it better when we learn using all our senses. Multisensory learning also helps the brain self-correct if someone has a learning disability.
Charla notes that MRIs reveal how multisensory learning lights up different places in the brain and makes stronger connections in the brain for improved long-term memory. The research is there—how you teach matters!
Keeping basic supplies stocked—enough for each child to use—makes it easy to give kids multisensory experiences.
For more on multi-sensory ideas, check out this free resource: Over 75 Multisensory Ideas For Teaching The Bible.
Beginning your journey to be more inclusive doesn’t require a big budget or massive overhauls. It begins with a heart for wanting everyone to feel welcome, and a prayerful eye for seeing where there might be barriers for people who want to join your ministry. By making small tweaks, you can begin to communicate a message of acceptance and make people of all abilities feel more welcome in your children’s ministry.
More About Charla Holst
Charla Holst, OTR/L, serves as founder and president of Overcomer Ministries, Inc. where she provides Christ-Centered Occupational Therapy Consultation, training, sensory regulation tools and resources to churches and ministries to overcome obstacles to Jesus. Her vision is for people of all abilities to have access to learn about Jesus, worship with fellow believers, grow in discipleship and serve in ministry. Charla and her husband Dave have two adult children, and they have worked together in ministry for over three decades of marriage. They have taught the fourth and fifth graders at their church for 12 years.
Charla also serves as the Disability Ministry Leader at her local church. During her 32-year career as an occupational therapist, she has authored three books: “Empowering Occupational Therapy,” “All That I Want To Be,” and “Control Is My Goal.” She is currently collaborating to write “Act on His Word,” an inclusive Bible curriculum utilizing the Universal Design for Learning framework. You can find all of her free disability ministry resources here.
This article by Ali Thompson was originally published on ChildrensMinistry.com, © Group Publishing, a division of David C Cook.
