Tips for Student Participation in Large Group

Tips for Student Participation in Large Group

We all like the idea of getting students to participate actively in the large group time, but actually doing it might not always work out as easily as imagined. If you’re like me, you may have had a bad experience in the past. Maybe you’ve called up that student to help lead music who just wanted to be the star of their own show . . . or maybe you’ve chosen an eager volunteer to act in the Bible skit who ended up being totally stage struck. Here are a few “do’s and don’ts” for effectively encouraging constructive student participation in the large group time.

Music

Do’s Teach motions and practice them Model motions during the song Select song helpers after they have learned the songs well Encourage adult leaders to actively participate

Don’ts Feel like you have to be good at singing/dancing – just have fun! Draw focus to lyrics (paper or powerpoint) Pick volunteers at random to help lead Give too much attention to kids who don’t want to dance/participate

Read our related article here: 3 Myths to Leading Worship in Kids Club.

Large Group Story

The key to making a large group skit or drama go well is that all the lines and actions should revolve around the narrator! Always choose an adult leader to narrate a story, and prepare a script that facilitates the following “do’s.”

Do’s Have students repeat simple lines after the narrator Prompt actions/improvisation Incorporate simple props when possible Use name cards/tags to identify characters

Don’ts Give students scripts to read Do anything that needs prep or practice beforehand with students Rely on lots of props