Teaching Kids Worship:  Everyday Moments That Honor God

Want to know how you can start teaching kids worship? As believers, our worship should be a recognition of God and His Glory; who He is, what He has done, and faith in what He will do. Many kids, and even adults, are under the impression that worship is just something we do in church when we sing together for an hour, but true, biblical worship is so much more than that.

Here’s how to start teaching kids worship and how to have fun worshiping God through everyday activities in their life.

Teach Kids What Worship Is

Before we can get into teaching kids the different ways they can worship God, we first have to make sure they understand the concept of worship. That’s why teaching kids worship starts by asking them what they think worship is, to help give you insight into their understanding and get the conversation going. 

Some common misconceptions you should be ready for include the idea that it’s only about singing or that it only happens in church. While music is an excellent form of worship, teaching kids worship means teaching them that worship is simply the act of praising, noticing, or meditating on God’s glory, creation, or character. Even simple, everyday thoughts or actions can be an act of worship when you appreciate God through it. Our level of gratitude is a very practical indicator of how much we worship God in our life because you have to recognize what God has done, AKA worship Him, in order to be grateful. Even a very simple definition like, “Worshiping God is showing by your words, thoughts, and actions how great God is” can help you get the point across.

Use Scripture for Examples on Teaching Kids Worship

After you’ve helped kids understand what worship is, help them to see worship the way God does and as an essential part of being His creation by using Scripture verses as examples for teaching kids worship. For instance, you can share 1 Corinthians 10:31, which says “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”, or Romans 12:1, which is all about how offering our bodies as a living sacrifice is an act of worship. Another important verse for teaching kids worship is Matthew 5:16, which highlights how our good works can also be an act of worship when it says, “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.”

Examples of How Kids Can Worship

We recently had a fun time asking kids between the ages of 7-12 what their thoughts were on worship and on these same Scripture verses. Most of the kids were stumped. They had no idea how you could give God glory when you eat or do other things, and most had no idea how you could give your body as an act of worship.

The best answers, however, actually came from 7-year old Autumn. She quickly expressed in her own words that it has to do with our attitude, being grateful for food and having good table manners. She had just been swimming, so we asked how she could glorify God with swimming. She recognized that God made the wonderful water and was grateful her parent let her swim. Another child identified that good manners with the other children and not doing harmful things (like pretending you’re drowning) was swimming in a way that glorified God. Then, Autumn talked about how she doesn’t like brushing her teeth and we figured out how you can brush your teeth as a way to offer your body for His glory.

The bottom line is, teaching kids worship doesn’t have to be this big, theologically complicated conversation. Often the most innocent, humble actions of a child, as they enjoy life and the world God gave them, can be the biggest acts of daily worship.

Practice Teaching Kids Worship Daily

Last but not least, help the concepts stick while teaching kids worship by encouraging small, daily practices throughout everyday tasks. To do this, pick a Saturday and say, “Today, each time we do something, let’s talk about how we can worship God while doing it. We can be miserable and say ’I wish I were doing something else’, or we can turn everything we do into worship.”

You could make a list of God’s attributes to help with teaching kids worship. You could also use these examples of ways you and your family can start worshipping around the home:

Ideas for Teaching Kids Worship

• Listen to worship music and sing along during many activities. Rather than the music being background noise or entertainment, intentionally praise God with it.

• When putting laundry away, say, “Thank you God, for these clothes. You are Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.”

• While washing the dishes, praise God by saying “Thank you for the food we ate on these dishes, and holy God, you see the dirtiness of my thoughts, words, and actions. I submit my life to you; show me what to confess and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.” Then, have a quiet time afterwards to listen to the Holy Spirit’s answer.

• Before playing a game with your family, you could say, “Thank you God for fun and laughter. Help us to honor You and each other as we play this game together, while we celebrate the joy of your creation of family.”

• When driving around with your kids, play a game of 20 Questions but with a Thanksgiving twist. Say, “I’m thinking of something I’m thankful to God for. Can you guess what it is in 20 questions?” The first question could be “is it an attribute of God, a thing, or a circumstance?” Continue the game each time you get in the car until everyone has had a turn to come up with something they’re thankful for.

These are just a few examples of ways you can build a heart of everyday worship in your children; teaching kids worship is more than just singing in church, but daily, fun celebrations of who God is and what He has created—you!