Teaching Kids How to Worship Through Music

• Posted: April 10, 2023

The Bible instructs us to teach our kids to live worshipful lives. So, what does living out a worshipful life look like? It’s recognizing God and all of His glory through our thoughts, words, and actions during every part of our day, and with all of our heart. There are different forms of worship: praying, serving others, showing gratitude, sharing our testimony, reading the Bible, etc. However, the most common way is through music! Music is a great tool for connecting with Jesus, especially for children. God uses music to prepare our hearts to receive His wisdom through joy!

Many children do not know how to worship. As Christian adults, we must teach children HOW to worship and give them the tools and knowledge to cultivate a worshipful life. In this blog, we will provide some practical tips on how to walk your children through the act of worshiping God through music.

Since children learn best through exploration, show them different ways to worship by engaging their heart, their mind, and their body. So, push your living room furniture to the side and make an open space for your family to practice these different forms of worship together.

Engage Their Heart Through Reflection & Hand Motions

Choose a song your children don’t know and find a video with the lyrics and hand motions. Prepare them by saying, “For this song, I want you to really listen to the words. You can close your eyes or read the lyrics, but focus on the meaning of the words and how they make you feel. Then halfway through the song, we’re going to start using some hand motions to go along with the words!” If you need a song suggestion, check out Raise a Hallelujah.

Engage Their Mind Through Singing

This time, choose a familiar song. Say, “For this song, I want you to do whatever is comfortable for you — standing or sitting — but I want you to lift your hands up in the air. Sing this song directly to God and focus on the words and their meaning.” If you need a song suggestion, check out Way Maker by Leeland.

Engage Their Body Through Dancing

For the last song, play a song they love and can dance to. Kids tend to worship with their whole bodies — so encourage them to have fun with this one! Remember, even King David loved to worship with his whole body and it pleased God. Say, “For this last song, we are going to praise God and dance for Him because He is our one true God! You can shout, jump, sing, and dance! You don’t need to be embarrassed, because the only one watching you is God!” If you need a song suggestion, check out Good God Almighty by David Crowder or I Just Need You by TobyMac.

Afterwards, discuss the different ways they worshiped and if they have a preference. Remind them that God loves all the ways we worship — except if we do not mean it in our hearts. Explain that God has created us in different ways, so we can express our worship in different ways too.

Remember, the best way to teach this to your child is to model it for them, and not just in church! Show your children that you can worship anywhere — in the car, while cooking dinner, while gardening, and even while hiking! Show them that it can be a natural part of their day.

Need some more inspiration? Listen to a few of our favorite podcast episodes with our friends at WJTL radio show: Kids, The Bible, and Silly Songs and Bible Songs & Kids.

Relevant Bible Verses

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
– 1 Corinthians 10:31

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
– 1 Corinthians 13: 1