WHAT WAS THAT??? Did you hear it? Shhh! Listen again. Hear it now?
Maybe you heard your own heart beating, or birds outside your window, or the buzzing of your computer, or if you’re lucky—the sound of coffee brewing.
Sound is a powerful element. It can be used to draw to and distract from, to make grown people move, and to calm busy babies. It can be used to sell, cajole, shock, soothe, and teach.
And it’s this last one we’ll focus on today: sound as a teaching tool.
Whether you’re a Sunday school teacher, children’s minister, or children’s worship leader, you never know what you’re going to walk into during services—you may be greeted by an excited bunch of eager balls of energy, or you may face a row of droopy, sleepy faces. No matter what kind of mood your group is in, sound can be your best friend. Here are 5 principles of using sound that can help your kids tune in to the message about Jesus you want them to hear today.
1: Create a Zone
If your kids can’t hear you, you’ll hear them. Create a zone in which you can be heard. This can be built into your ministry time right from the beginning by greeting every child as they enter the room and offering a glimpse of what you’re about—“Good morning, Alex and Katie and Ryan! So glad you are all here today to find out about Jesus’ love!”
Follow this up by reminding kids of your “family rules.” This is a very brief and simple list of behaviors that are acceptable in this space—develop these with your kids at the beginning of each year of ministry so everyone has ownership of them. “Hello, everyone! I’m so glad to see you! Let’s remind our neighbors of some things we do here to help us hear what God is saying: sit up tall, hands in laps, eyes on teacher, don’t take naps! . . .”
Then draw your kids in with a sound cue—perhaps an instrument that makes a distinctive noise, such as a bike horn, a wind chime, a kazoo, or a whistle. Or it could be a special song that you sing at the beginning of every time you have together. Choose what works best for your kids.
2: Find the Balance
Observe how sound levels affect your kids. Many kids, particularly those with special sensory needs, become overwhelmed, anxious, or more distracted when sound gets too loud or busy. As Malcolm Gladwell revealed in The Tipping Point, “Kids don’t watch when they are stimulated and look away when they are bored. They watch when they understand and look away when they are confused.” Likewise, kids will turn their ears away when they are confused by the sounds they are hearing. Too much noise from you could actually cause more noise out in the room!
So if you are used to being loud to be heard, try the opposite. Try sitting closer to your kids’ level and using a soft, calm voice instead. Try out different spots in the room to see where kids can hear you the best. And be aware of those kids with hearing challenges—either those who can’t hear very well or those who are very sensitive to sound. Allow kids with sound sensitivity to wear headphones or ear plugs that can help them to focus. Privately invite children with hearing difficulties to be your helpers and sit close to you—or move to where they are in the room instead. Speak clearly and slooooow down. Repeat important points and specific parts of a story, and have the kids repeat them too, to make sure every child is understanding.
3: Set the Mood
Sound, especially in the form of music, can be a powerful tool to produce a desired emotional or even physical response. Playing an upbeat song or rhythm as your kids enter the room can help to put them in happy moods. Playing a quiet hymn or piece of classical music at the end of your time together can work to keep kids settled as parents arrive for pickup.
The type of worship music you use with your kids can also help them to focus on God. Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us to “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Energetic songs can help even the most reserved kids to move and get involved in praising God. Quieter, simple music can lead kids to listen to the Spirit, and you can teach them to copy the type of calm, reflective posture that can be helpful for focusing on worship.
Find out which songs your kids are most familiar with and use these to encourage everyone to participate. Help the non-readers to learn the words of the songs too, so they can fully join in. And don’t forget that kids often love to sing the songs the grown-ups are singing—many praise songs have simple, repeating lines and catchy melodies that kids love too. Kids’ worship doesn’t have to mean kiddie music. If you expect your kids to just stand and sing, then that may be all they do. Expect and reflect more, and you’re likely to see more sincere worship happen.
4: Practice Sound Routines
Use sound cues to help maintain order and keep to your schedule. Even if you’ve never used them before, you’ll be surprised to see how quickly kids pick up on the meaning of particular, relevant sounds or songs.
There are often little, familiar tunes used with wee ones (“This is the way we clean the room, clean the room . . .”) to help them do tasks, but music (or sound effects) can be helpful with older kids as well to serve as a wordless reminder of what they are supposed to be focusing on. You might have welcome music, clean-up music, say hello to each other music, prayer music, and good-bye music. Or replace some of these songs with sounds—ticking of a clock or speedy violins for clean-up time, sound of a crowd cheering for offering time, chimes for prayer, and a gong to announce the memory verse of the day. You can even invite kids to come up with their own songs or sounds (but be careful on that one—you never know what body sound they’ll come up with!) to go with different parts of lesson time.
5. Remember Less Is More
Finally, recall that sometimes silence is your best friend. That doesn’t mean standing in the middle of the room with a finger to your lips (although that might work too). It could mean using acting methods. For example, to introduce a lesson on the parable of the lost sheep, you might start off with no words. Just walk among your kids as if you are searching for something. Keep muttering, “Where is it?” as you work your way around the room, looking under chairs and peering into corners.
It could mean using visual attractions. For example, to introduce a lesson on Joseph, stand at the front of the room wrapped in a blanket. Wait till kids notice you standing there in the blanket and begin to ask questions. Then whip off your blanket to reveal a crazily colored coat and model your fashion apparel for the kids as you start talking about the Bible story for the day.
Replace shouting, demanding, and lots of talking with visual cues such as a stop sign for quiet or a green go light to move kids into their small groups. Maybe you always start a lesson with a story hat—a big, impressive hat that kids can’t miss. Or whisper the message of “When you get this message, be as still and quiet as a stone” and let that message travel around the room until all your “stones” are ready to pay attention.
Remember to ask the experts too—talk to your kids’ teachers and find out what sound cues they use to get kids’ attention. If you use what is being used in the schools, kids often will sit up and listen just out of habit!
God has given us such an amazing range of things we can do with sound. Don’t limit yourself! (And don’t lose your voice!) Reach beyond the familiar and do something extra special to grab your kids’ ears and tune their brains to catch the most dynamic sound they’ll ever hear—the life-giving Word of God.
