Get Them Involved: Don’t Just Talk — Engage!

Learning sticks best when kids move, participate, and experience the truth for themselves.

Want kids to remember your lesson long after Sunday? Then stop aiming for their ears — and start aiming for their hands, feet, hearts, and imaginations.

There’s an old idea — often presented in various charts and pyramids — that says people remember more of what they do than what they simply hear or see. While the exact percentages vary (and aren’t always grounded in research), the underlying truth is rock solid: passive listening leads to forgetfulness, but active participation creates lasting learning.

In kids ministry, this truth couldn’t be more important. If your teaching style is mostly “sit still and listen,” you’re not just missing an opportunity — you’re missing the point.

Even adding visuals on a screen isn’t enough. Sure, it enhances your message, but what kids really need is to be brought into the experience. I want to get kids out of their seats, involved with their hands, laughing, thinking, solving, moving, and most of all — engaging.

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.”And that’s the core of this secret.

When I teach, I ask myself constantly: How can I include the kids in this?