Worship extensions for kids

[HelenaZF]

Always looking for ideas to use with kids. It's amazing how freed up a kid (and an adult for that mattter!) can get when you put a worship extension in their hands. They suddenly stop being self conscious and start dancing uninhibitedly, expressing such beautiful pure worship that I know the Lord must be pleased.



What is a worship extension? It's anything thing that increases the height, the range of motion and the colorfulness of what the physical body can do in worship expression. Flags, streamers, hoops, ribbons, scarves...all qualify.



Here's a couple we've used successfully over the years:<LIST>

• <LI>
• ribbon sticks</LI>
  <LI>
• ribbon hoops</LI>
  <LI>
• small flags</LI>
  <LI>
• finger streamers, either tinsel or ribbons</LI>
  <LI>
• scarves, can be reminiscent of water or flames, etc.</LI>
  

</LIST>I like to get some fullness in to ribbon-y things, so I like to add a nice wide piece of colorful fabric in with ribbons, or use metallic tinsel for some flash.



The hoops are a better choice for smaller children as the flags or ribbons that are attached on sticks quickly become "swords" and otherwise lethal weapons!



I like a set of small flags that our church kids use because even though they are small, there has still been some care and thought put into their design. They are made from quality fabrics & trims and have a praise phrase or Name of God on them and are attached to the sticks with long ribbons, so that there is some movement beyond just the flag itself.



We designed a ribbon stick that was a basic dowel with a bunch of narrow ribbons attached to a fishing swivel at the top, but added a 6-inch wide band of silk essence in a brilliant color to give it some fullness. The stick was about 18 inches, and the ribbon length was about a yard.



I'm sure we've done some other interesting things that I'm not remembering now, but I'll add them as they come to me.



What sorts of things have you used with young people? Maybe we can inspire each other.