I sometimes dread leading worship during our U12 gatherings each Sunday!
What!!? But you are a kids pastor! How can you feel this way?
Now, before you start throwing stones or whatever you can find at me, hear me out!
Yes, I do dread leading worship during our U12 gatherings sometimes. Not because I don’t love our children, and not because worship isn’t important — but because of the unseen battles taking place in the room. Storybooks stay open, toys sit tightly in little hands, and mobile phones quietly compete for attention.
As pastors, Sunday school teachers and parents, we often find ourselves asking the same question: How do we help our children really worship God?
This question made me think about how we can help our children to be worshippers of Jesus, their friend and Saviour.
Recently, I came across Paul Tripp’s article on worship[1] and it has been especially helpful in the way I think about children, worship, and Sunday services. I’m sharing my thoughts in this week’s perspective in the hope that it will encourage all of us — and our children — to grow a heart for worship.
One of the most important ideas Tripp reminds us of in his article is this: worship is not first an activity, but an identity. In other words, worship is not just what happens during singing on Sunday morning – worship describes who we are as human beings.
Each of us whether child or adult, is created with a heart that loves, values, and chases after something. The Bible does not divide people into those who worship and those who don’t. Instead, it divides people by who or what they worship. We either turn our lives toward the Creator, or toward things He has made.
This is important point for our children. Even when they are not singing, or when they seem distracted, their hearts are still worshiping something. Their distractions over a game or story book (Dog Man maybe?), their strong emotions over friendships they have, their frustrations when things don’t go their way — all these moments reveal what their hearts deeply care about.
Worship, then, is not something our kids do only for 25 minutes each Sunday in Room 201 or whenever they join us in the sanctuary. Worship is happening in our children’s hearts every day!
As parents, we sometimes think of worship as something we need to teach children to start doing. But perhaps, a better way to think about it is this: our children are already worshippers — we are helping them learn who is worthy of their worship.
In the words of Paul Tripp, “You will worship your Creator, or you will worship something in creation.” This insight helps us in what we hope to do, not as starting something new in our children’s hearts, but as guiding what is already there toward the right object.
Our children’s hearts naturally go after created things. Their favourite toys, TV shows, mobile games, books, achievements, approval, and comfort can easily become “big and important” in their hearts. This isn’t surprising or shocking — it’s part of what it means to be human in a broken world.
Helping our children grow, then, doesn’t mean taking away what they love. It means patiently helping them see that these things were never meant to lead their hearts. Only God can do that. Only God is truly worthy of their worship and praise.
During U12 worship on Sundays, I would gently remind our children to put away their toys, story books, mobile phones away so that we can praise and worship God with all their hearts.
While we do this each Sunday, perhaps parents can also help their children know their identity as God’s children even at home.
When we understand worship as identity, Sunday worship begins to make more sense — not just for adults, but for children too.
Without this understanding, church can feel strange to kids. Why do we sing songs we don’t fully understand? Why do we stand up, sit down, and listen for so long? Why can’t we just play? Why can’t we just read our story books?
But when children begin to understand that they are worshipers, Sunday worship becomes a weekly reminder and reset. It is a space where we gather to remember who God is and who we are. It reminds us that we are not self-sufficient, and that life does not revolve around us.
For children growing up in a world that celebrates independence and self-confidence, Sunday worship gently tells a different story: We were made to depend on God.
One of the most countercultural ideas for both adults and children is this: dependency on God is not a weakness — it is how we are created to be.
The world often tells our children to be strong, independent, and self-reliant as soon as possible. While there is wisdom in helping children grow in responsibility, Scripture reminds us that true life is never found apart from God.
Some of you might know the animated movie K-Pop Demon Hunters which is popular among children. It’s about a K-pop girl group Rumi, Mira, and Zoey who secretly fights demons using their music, dance, powers and teamwork to stand up against bad guys who try to spread fear and lies.
They sing powerful songs, learn new skills, and become really close friends as they fight together.
In the movie, there is a song being sung by the team called Golden.
Rumi the main character sings, “I’m done hiding, now I’m shining like I’m born to be.” And she goes on to declare that this is her time now – “no fears, no lies, that’s who we’re born to be ….”
The words describe how she wants to be different from her old self. She wants to overcome her self-doubt with her own strength and will power and have a new identity to become who she was born to be.
That sounds very inspiring, right? But the Bible gives us a different picture: Jesus doesn’t tell us to build our identity on our own.
He says, ‘Come to me like a child, trust me and I will give you a new identity.’
When we put our trust in Jesus, when we say – ‘Jesus, I believe in you’ and ‘I trust you’ – we have a new identity! We become a Jesus kid. That’s our new identity! That’s who we were meant to be!
Our children need God not just because they make mistakes, but because they were made to know Him, obey Him, and worship Him. Worship turns their hearts away from thinking they can live on their own and leads them back to the joy of depending on their Creator.
Sunday worship, then, is the gathering of God’s needy people—young and old alike. It teaches that we are all God’s children, that needing God is normal, good, and life-giving.
One of the most practical takeaways for parents is this: God gives us everyday moments to help our children understand worship.
I was reminded of this recently during a conversation with my 6 year old niece. As we were playing together, she suddenly looked at me very seriously and said, “Guzhang, you must say ‘Your Majesty’ when I ask you to do something, ok?” She kept repeating it, and I couldn’t figure out why — until I realised she had been watching the cartoon Peppa Pig.
In that episode, Peppa visits the Queen at the palace, and everyone addresses her with respect, saying “Your Majesty” whenever they speak to her.
It became a simple teaching moment, so I asked my niece, “Do you know who truly deserves our praise and honour?” When she looked at me, I told her, “Jesus is our Majesty. He is our King—and because He is King, we listen to Him and obey Him.”
That conversation stayed with me, and I later shared it with our U12 kids during worship. I reminded them that if we can learn to give our full attention and respect to an earthly queen, how much more should we give Jesus our full attention—because He is our King, our Majesty, and the One who deserves all our praise. I’m thankful to God for these simple, everyday moments that help us point our children back to Him.
When our children become angry because they lost a game, anxious about fitting in, or overly attached to something they love, these moments reveal what their hearts are holding tightly. Rather than simply correcting behaviour, we can gently ask heart-level questions:
- Why does this matter so much to you right now?
- What do you want this to do for you?
- What does Jesus want us to do in this moment?
These heart to heart conversations we have with our children help them recognise their tendency to chase created things rather than the Creator.
It is also important to remember that worship is not about getting children to behave perfectly during songs. It is about nurturing a relationship with God.
Children may fidget, ask questions, or express their worship differently—and that’s okay. What we hope to teach them over time is not outward performance, but inward affection.
When children understand that God desires their hearts, not just their attention, worship becomes less about “doing it right” and more about responding to who God is.
Parents, this means that the most powerful worship training may not happen on Sunday, but throughout the week. The way we talk about God at home, the way we respond to stress, disappointment, or joy — all of these moments teach our children what truly matters.
One simple way to build this rhythm at home is to set aside a regular time each week with your children for a short moment of worship — reading God’s Word, sharing what’s been on your hearts, and praying together. Get them prepared with putting away distractions – books, toys, mobile phones (including our own) and have everyone sit together.
In that time, you can talk about the day’s activities and help them practice gratitude — thanking God for the good and bringing the hard things to Him too. Over time, this simple rhythm of family worship helps our children learn what it looks like to depend on Jesus in everyday life.
As Proverbs 22:6 reminds us, “Train a child how to live the right way. Then even when he is old, he will still live that way.” (ICB). These small, consistent moments are part of that training, shaping their hearts in ways that last far beyond childhood.
Sunday worship then becomes a beautiful reinforcement of what is already being formed day by day, reminding our children that they are not alone in their faith, and that they belong to a larger family learning to love God together.
Helping our children worship is not about eliminating distractions or forcing enthusiasm. It is about patiently and faithfully pointing their hearts toward the One they were created for. When children begin to understand that they are worshipers by design, and that God alone is worthy of their worship, Sunday gatherings slowly become less strange and more meaningful.
By God’s grace, they may grow excited — not just about singing songs — but about communing with God and His people week after week.
And perhaps, as that happens, our own hearts as parents and leaders will be reminded why worship matters so much too.
[1] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/every-child-worships#:~:text=Prepare%20Their%20Hearts&text=Talk%20to%20your%20children%20about,beautiful%20reminders%20Sunday%20worship%20provides
