When I first began working in Christian ministry fifteen years ago, I had never worked with puppets before. Our small church had a rickety plywood puppet stand and a few worn puppets but honestly, I didn’t really use them.
As a matter of fact, I promptly got rid of them and introduced some other ministry tools like a DVD player. However, over time and after a few kids’ ministry conferences, I began to recognize the power of puppets. Now, these fluffy guys are invaluable tools for ministry. I use them often for the following five reasons.
- Puppets allow you to introduce a new cast of characters to your kids. Let’s face it, getting a variety of volunteers flowing into your kids’ church is a challenge, no matter what your ministry style. With puppets, you only need a handful of faithful folks that are willing to try different voices. It’s also a lot cheaper to dress a puppet than a real person.
- Puppets allow more creativity in your teaching. I love the versatility of puppets. With these make-believe buddies, you can add skits, demonstrate teachable interactions and puppets give kids relatable characters.
- Puppets make a good vehicle for getting kids involved in ministry. Kids are always asking me, “Can I help?” With puppets, I can say, “Yes!” We have a few inexpensive puppets that have made the rounds to a few houses. Kids take the puppets home with a short script to practice with. They love showing off their puppeteer skills on special days.
- Puppet ministry allows shy leaders an outlet for ministry. Some volunteers aren’t comfortable in the spotlight. For these volunteers, puppets make the perfect spot for ministry.
- It’s another way to present a lesson or memory verse. Repetition, repetition, repetition! That’s what kids need to learn. Reinforce a verse or a concept by adding puppets to your lesson program.
Kids love knowing what to expect and will look forward to seeing their favorite puppet characters every week.