Benefits of Online Worship with Kids

The benefits of online worship far outweigh the struggles of online worship with kids. Develop strategies to take advantage of the benefits of online, digital church with kids to transform your at-home church experience.

What are the Benefits of Online Worship with Kids?

In my last post, we talked about the struggles of online worship with kids. But now we get to look at the brighter side: the benefits.

In no particular order, here are some of the top benefits you can get from the now ever-present online worship opportunities.

The kids get to be in whole service

Your kids get to participate and be present in the whole service.

I realize it comes with its own struggles… But this can be a blessing if we focus on how we can turn this into an opportunity to teach our kids about what worship is about and why we do it together as the church.

A good thing about being at home is that you don’t have to worry about the kids behaving just right and being quiet

Your kids get to practice passive and active learning (playing or building with something while listening; it’s using their hands, building, taking the story and making it their own; like using blocks to build church building with crosses, etc.)

Here’s another great post about active listening during church at home by Little Shoots Deep Roots.

Don’t need childcare

I mean, childcare is nice and all, but at home, you are it. A benefit is that your kids are with you and they will learn from how you participate.

They may not see some parts of the service for many years if you were in the church building. But with online church, you can bring them into some of the deeper mysteries of the church.

Can Explain and Talk about different parts of service

Another benefit of online worship with your kids is that after the service is over, you have uninterrupted time for them to ask you questions, and you them. You can talk about the service while it’s still fresh.

You might be amazed at what they ask with a little peppering of questions from you.

Interact with What your Kids are Learning in Children’s Chapel

I found that once my church started sending out the children’s chapel lessons for us to recreate at home, that I was much more engaged with the kids learning.

Often, when the weather was nice, we would take a picnic blanket out to the front yard to do the lesson. This way we could be in nature and enjoy the benefits of fresh air.

Because I was now leading the lesson, I knew what they were learning. And this meant that I could reinforce the lesson and retell it throughout the week as the opportunities arose.

This is the very essence of being our children’s teacher. I relished this opportunity, even if it was more work.

Plug into other churches’ virtual VBS

Our church is a small church and we don’t regularly have a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program. Because we were online though, I could join another church’s online VBS. And we could have a week of Christian learning and fun activities to pass the time at home.

As things begin to reopen, we can further enjoy those new friendships and partnerships that we made in that time.

My kids also benefit from a different style of learning and worship from our own. It allows them to experience and better understand that there are many ways to worship God.

I love to open up these doors for them.

Attend More Online Worship Services

A huge benefit for me was that I can attend services that I would never be able to attend if I had to physically show up.

For example, Holy Week services are usually solemn, at night, and have no childcare. This year, they were online and I could watch them in the dark while I sat with my kids as they fell asleep.

I have also been able to now attend some of the daily services our church offers for prayer.

We live some distance from the church, so mid-week services haven’t worked for me at this stage.

But now that we’re having online worship, I can join the live video while driving carpool. I love this!

“Visit” More Churches

Some people may not yet have found a church home that they love.

With online church, parents can now “try out” or “visit” new churches online through their websites. It gives the parents an opportunity to see if the church might be a good fit and one that they could call home when in-person services fully resume.

This benefits the kids because as you, the parents, grow in your own faith, you will naturally be able to share and better nurture your kids’ faith.

Can Watch online Sunday School

A final benefit of online worship with kids is that you can attend online Sunday School times that you and your kids might not have been able to do before.

Our church was having videos for the kids to watch from their teachers at church. It was another way to keep the kids engaged and plugged in God’s work in their lives.

As parents, we were also able to join our communities online to refresh us and stave off isolation.

Watching online Sunday school was another benefit for us and our kids.

How You Can Gain the Benefits of Online Worship

These benefits are great and all, but you have to take some steps to actually gain the benefits in your life and your kids’ lives.

1. You have to show up. Online. Each time a service is going on.
2. You need to pray for peace and patience ahead of time because the online worship struggles with kids are very real. You need help to make the best of the struggles.
3. Reframe your perspective. Online church is different than church in the church building.
4. Recognize that it’s an opportunity for you and your family to grow spiritual through doing something new and different.

Practical Strategies of Making the Best of Online Worship

Before we wrap up, I want to leave you with a few practical strategies for making the best of online worship.

1. Set an alarm for 10 minutes before the service starts as a warning to get prepared and to set up the livestream. Then hit snooze on that alarm and when it goes off the second time, you’ll be ready to start the service.
2. Prepare everyone. Get snacks, drinks, bathroom breaks, blocks for building, paper for writing, anything that will help with active listening. (Again, here’s a great post on How to Engage Your Kids in Online Church in 3 Easy Steps by Little Shoots Deep Roots.)
3. Set up your Social Media notifications to get notified every time your church goes live. Then actually click on the service when it’s live.
4. Pray for God to use this time to grow in sharing your faith with your kids.

Online worship doesn’t have to be a struggle with your kids. You can easily gain these benefits of online worship with your kids through using these practical strategies to make the best of online church.

Other Helpful Resources

• Overcoming online worship struggles with kids.

Could you use a little extra encouragement? I’ve put together 10 comforting verses that have helped me through hard times, such as the death of my dad when I was a teenager, depression, and family mental health issues. You can grab a free copy of these 10 comforting verses here.