Church Activity Guide: Starting a Children's Choir

There's nothing more joyful than hearing the sound of young children's voices singing songs of praise. Children have an innocence and talent for sharing songs with the family of the church. While they may be nervous to perform in front of us, it is always a pleasure to hear them sing.

It can be simple to start a children's choir for your church if you don't already have one. Having a children's choir also gives young minds something to do and also make them feel more part of the church as well.

When you begin searching for young voices, put an "ad" in the church newsletter or bulletin. Inform the parents that you are looking for children to join in singing on a few Sunday services. You could also place fliers or announcements in the local school chorus (if it is allowed). Perhaps those who do not have a church home would enjoy coming to sing and listen to the service too.

If there is a difference in ages from the response, you could always put together a few different choirs. This will also help with the rate of difficulty. Younger children such as kindergarten through first or second grade could sing easier songs, while middle or junior high students can participate in more complex songs.

Once the groups have been formed, it is important to host plenty of practices. Be sure not to let practices interfere with the children's school work though. Great times for practice can be early evenings so that children can still take part in after school activities or go home and start some homework for awhile. Practice times could begin around 5 or 5:30 in at night. Offer snacks or small dinner meals such as sandwiches or chips before you get started. Host practices once or twice a week. Practice for about an hour so that children will not be home too late. Then before Sunday church service, ask that the children appear an hour before it starts so you can rehearse one last time.

When you are choosing music to perform, allow the children to help in picking too. Allowing them to help pick some of the music will give them some creative control and make them more excited about performing the tunes. Try out a few pieces at a time and take a vote on the ones that the children like the best. Once you have chosen and rehearsed the musical pieces, decide which Sundays to perform so that most of the children can be present to sing. Try performing on the first and last Sundays of the month or every other Sunday so that the children do not feel overwhelmed. Give children the summer off so that they may rest and enjoy other activities that they be a part of. Most families take vacations during the summer as well-so summer could be a hard time to catch everyone too.

Starting a children's choir may take some time to start, but once the interest has grown, it will be fun for everybody. Many children will enjoy singing and sharing their songs with family and friends. It could also increase church attendance as well. Allow children to share their creativity and become a part of the Sunday service by singing-it will bring delight to everybody's heart.

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