No Mess Activities for Children's Church

One of my favorite times in kids’ church is one of the few moments when I get to sit and just hang out with children. With some activities, you can’t help but worry about spills or sharing. However, when you use a no mess activity you have less to worry about–you can just have fun! Best of all, you don’t have to stick around for an hour after church ends to clean up the mess. No mess activities are easy for volunteers to manage too. They are a great alternative to glue, crayons and pens.
No mess paint bags: Well this no muss, no fuss activity is fantastic! Here’s what you do: Squirt water-based paint and baby oil into a plastic storage bag. For a cool effect, add two different colors. You only need about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of each. Sprinkle in some glitter and then close the bag almost completely. Gently squeeze out as much air as possible. Seal the bag then reseal it with packing tape. Kids lay the bags on the table and move the paint around with their fingers without ever touching the paint. (Of course, do keep an eye on kids who may want to poke holes in the bag.)
Snipped straw necklaces: You’ll need colored straws, bowls and string for this activity. Snip the straws into 1-inch segments and pour them into a bowl. For this activity, kids slide the straw segments on to a piece of string, long enough to make a necklace. Once you fill up the necklace, tie it off and it’s ready to wear!
Pipe cleaner bottles: Using floral wire cutters, cut chenille-covered pipe cleaners into 2-inch pieces. Fill an empty water bottle half full of the pipe cleaners. Close the bottle tightly. You can also use a hot glue gun to seal the lid on the bottle. When children slide magnets over the pipe cleaners they move around.
I can’t tell you how much my kids love these activities. I hope you can use them too!
Read more from Mimi by visiting her blog at Tools for Kids Church.