I visited my daughter's local church. They were conducting their regular children's outreach event. It was a pretty simple affair; a jumping castle, some tables with children's activities such as playdough, a WII, some other games and activities.  It ran for 2 hours and had been advertised in the local primary school. Some community children attended, their parents met church parents, a gospel story was shared and offers were made for further ministry and care.

 Most churches could organise something similar. Last year our church had a Sunday games day that we advertised in the local community and two families attended. 

There are many more simple, 'doable' ideas. The following comes from Childrensminstry.com

• Art Day -- Invite a local artist to teach cartooning, color and line, and perspective. Have kids make masks or learn how to mix colors.


• Gym Day -- Rent or borrow a gym if you don't have one on your church campus. Invite a local sports figure to offer a clinic for your kids. Ask a local grocery for free drinks and give a sponsor's award in return with your thanks.


• Game Day -- Have kids bring their favorite table games. Hold a tournament and give prizes in each age category. Or make your own games. How about a huge Twister using various colored paper plates taped to the floor?


• Sidewalk Circus -- Have children make puppets and create a puppet show. Take your puppet team to the city park and hold a sidewalk circus. You can also have circus-type acts, clowns, and balloons. Invite visiting children to come to your church on Sunday.
• Music Day -- Have kids bring their own instruments for a band. Or have a kazoo marching band.

• Ecology Day -- Teach about reuse, reduce, and recycle. Have kids plant trees in your community or coordinate a paper drive. Communicate the ecology message from the standpoint that God created the world and gave us authority over it.


• Kite Day -- Fly high in the spring. After morning worship, supply kite-making materials. Serve families pizza or hot dogs for lunch. After everyone has eaten and made a kite, enjoy flying the kites.


• Celebrate Friend Day -- Encourage each child to bring a friend to Sunday school. Honor friends by having children give their guests a special name tag and a helium balloon.


• Buscuit Bake-Off -- With plenty of adult supervision, have children bake cookies. Use simple, pictorial recipes and premeasure all ingredients. After the cookie party, have kids seal the extra cookies in plastic bags. Take children to give the cookies to a shut-in, nursing home resident, or sick child.


• Animal Crackers -- How about a petting zoo or a parade of your favorite stuffed animals? Maybe a live pet show? Kids could pretend to be animals in the zoo. Or you could re-enact Noah's collection of animals. Set up in a neighborhood on Saturday morning and watch kids flock to you.
• Children's Day -- Use this special day to recognize children. Focus all the music and events around children. Decorate with helium balloon bouquets. Have children assist adult ushers and lead in prayer. Invite parents so they can be ministered to as they see how much your church values their children.


• S.O.K. (Summer Outing for Kids) -- This is a special day in the summer. Charge a nominal fee for these days and encourage kids to invite friends. You can do any of the following:

• Go to the zoo, a children's museum, or a farm.

• Have a cooking day where kids prepare and cook their own lunch.

• Hold a day camp with planned activities such as crafts, cooking, games, and stories.

What ideas have you used? Can you share them?

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