Loving Strength in Story Hour

A new year means welcoming new opportunities and people into Story Hour and Little Lambs. While working on our own fitness can be important, the question we invite you to ask this season is, "How can you be strong for the children who come to learn more about Jesus?"

To better understand how to bring strength into Story Hour, Janice Dykema, Story Hour Leader at Ada Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids Michigan, talked to us about how to exercise the strength of God’s love to each child.

“A Story Hour leader has to be prepared before the children arrive so that each child can be greeted as they come,” said Dykema. “There are times when a child comes through the door and you can immediately tell that their morning is not going well — maybe something happened at home that we are not aware of." 

When children come into Story Hour and have a difficult time with something, Story Hour leaders get the opportunity to exercise their strength. Dykema recommends adjusting a few things to accommodate children when their attention spans run short.

“I try to adjust what we sing or how we sing — get out the instruments and not get stressed about [if] the children are singing the words”

Finally, Dykema gives this advice for Story Hour Leaders:

“I often remind myself that God is at work in each child’s life and I just need to be willing to show the love of God to each child who comes through the door.”

Janice shared that she changed music time to better engage the kids. What changes can you make when attention spans run short?

Besides greeting children as they come to group, what else can a story leader do to show God’s love?