17 Ways to Walk the Line

I remember sitting in a college children’s ministry class talking about facilities needed for optimal ministry. I thought about that the night I was teaching a class of fourth graders while sitting on the stairs. Even that was a move up from the furnace room where we had met the week before.

The truth is most of our churches don’t have all the facilities and space we desire and we sometimes find ourselves moving our groups from classroom to gym or from gym to auditorium so everyone can space to do all that they need to do.

Moving a group of children – especially little children – can be a challenge for any leader.

But have you thought about doing this …

Short distance (from one room to the next room)

1. Call out questions. “Do you have a brother? You may go.”  “Do you have a dog? You may go.” “Do you live in a house with two floors? You may go.” This way you can move small groups of children rather everybody.

2. Tell children to close their eyes. Tip toe around the room and tap children on the head. As they feel the tap, they can open their eyes and move to the next room. Children tend to stay quiet because the teacher moving around the room is rather mysterious and they’re anxious to know if they’re next.

3. Say a birthday month. If a child’s birthday is in that month, they may move. (Beware that younger children won’t always know their birthday month and they’ll simply go when they feel like it.)

4. Instruct the kids to “fly,” “skip,” or “gallop” to the next room.

5. Lead the kids in a favorite song. You can also do this with a longer transition, but make sure your singing won’t disturb classes you pass.

6. My personal favorite (and an original with me – I think), when I was Cubbies leader and we had to get the kids to the next room I would say, “If you had pizza for dinner,” you can go. Pizza was always the big favorite on Awana night and most of the kids would go. Then I’d say “hamburgers,” or “hot dogs,” and more would go. If I saw that too many kids were moving at once, I’d something like, “If you had oysters for dinner,” just to slow things down.

This got to be a game and they would purposefully have something for dinner that they didn’t think I could guess (and sometimes I didn’t). We all enjoyed the dinner game.

Longer distance

7. Have a quiet march. Kids like to march. Tell them you’re on a secret expedition and need to quietly march through the building.

8. Put imaginary food in your mouth. One teacher tells the kids to put imaginary food in their mouth. Imaginary marshmallows are good as are imaginary apples or bread. Kids have to keep the food in their mouth and not swallow so they get to where they’re going. (Again, the food is imaginary.)

9. Play giraffe. Kids need to pretend they’re giraffes as they walk through the hallways. Giraffes have no vocal chords and though they do make some low mooing sounds, they are not known for making any noise at all.

10. Hold on to a rope. Have very young children hold onto a rope as they walk down a hallway.

11. Beware of distractions. Do your preschoolers do fine on the way to the gym except when they pass the T&T clubroom? You always seem to hit the T&T doorway just as the clubbers are singing some song full of activity.

12. Tiptoe. Show the children how to walk on tiptoe. They’re less likely to make noise if they’re paying attention to where their feet are going.

13. Play “I spy.” Tell the children to watch for something special as they’re walking. “I spy a picture of our class.” “I spy a green light.” Kids who “spy” the object (and don’t talk) receive a sticker when they get to their destination. To make it even more fun, you could even temporarily attach a picture to the hallway wall for them to find.

14. Tell them to use their imaginations and pick up a heavy brick or a 10 layer cake. They have to walk carefully and quietly so as not to drop their heavy load.

15. Put a piece of tape down on the floor which they have to follow. Or put down two pieces of tape and they have to walk in the space in between the two pieces.

16. Play follow-the-leader and lead right out the door and to where you’re going.

17.  And another favorite – tie whatever you’re doing to the lesson. “Let’s pretend we’re going through the Red Sea,” or “marching around Jericho” or “going on a missionary trip with Paul.”