I have the wonderful job of supporting and encouraging the development of church toddler groups all over the London Diocese. I think toddler groups are one of the greatest hidden assets of the Church of England. They are great ambassadors for the church and help make people of all religions or none feel welcome.
I’m always learning myself and love to pass on good ideas I’ve picked up from one group to another. I’ve also led toddler groups myself so I know what it’s like when a crucial volunteer suddenly can’t come in or a mum needs a listening ear (and a cup of coffee) after a sleepless night. Also, how wonderful it is when a parent or carer says, “This group’s such a been such lifeline. I don’t know how I’d have managed without you.” Or when someone comes back with their grandchild and says, “Do you know I made my best friend here 25 years ago!”
For a great guide to setting up a toddler group or for refreshing your ideas, look at The Good Practice Guide to Parent and Toddler Groups, put together by Care for the Family, the Salvation Army and the Mothers’ Union. It covers questions leaders might ask, child protection issues, suggestions about leading a team and creating a successful group. Care for the Family also has excellent resources covering all aspects of running a toddler group.
If you’re already running a group, here’s a first batch of tips and ideas:
1. Keep advertising, keep it fresh
To get more people along try advertising on Netmums, your church website, a dedicated Facebook page, HOOP app, church noticeboards and local shops. Make business cards with meeting dates and times for members to give out to friends. These days everything is highly visual so make it eye-catching and keep the details up to date. Banners and posters don’t cost a fortune. Take down the dog-eared posters and put up new ones. And keep doing it. London is such a transient society that word-of-mouth isn’t always enough.
2. What’s the way in?
It may be obvious but when newcomers arrive, will they find the group? Sometimes there are no signs or unclear directions. Pavement swing signs can easily be put out for the session and look welcoming. Imagine being a nervous first-time mum and not knowing where to go. Are you open term-time only? Parents of pre-schoolers aren’t always aware of term dates so display the dates on your church website and noticeboards.
3. My group is full!
A great problem to have. Some groups, but not many, have the energy and time to start another group on another day. Others deliberately try to keep a couple of spaces for anyone new to the area. They’re the people who are most likely to be lonely and need to belong to your toddler group to make friends and connections.
4. Say hi and bye!
Most churches wrestle with a volunteer shortage and it’s hard to talk to everyone at a big toddler group. However, it’s great to have someone on the door to say a warm hello and goodbye to everyone. Some groups have a register, others take email addresses to keep people up-to-date with dates and other stuff going on. (Make sure you follow your church’s data protection policy.)
5. Can we all hear the story?
Some toddler groups tell Bible stories and some tell secular stories. Some do both. When a story is told sometimes parents chatter over the top. Most adults aren’t familiar with Bible stories these days, yet we have Bible stories which transform lives. So why not buy a mic and an amplifier? Then everyone will hear! You could also try telling the story after a quiet song. Or remind parents to set a good example – after all, when their child starts nursery they’ll be expected to be quiet during storytelling and this is a good way to prepare them.
6. Can we all see the story book?
It’s hard to engage if people can’t see the pictures from books because they’re so small. There so few large books. So if you’re a person who likes to tell a story from a book rather than memory, you could put copyright-free pictures of a story on to large sheets of A3 so everyone can see when you hold them up. Write the words on the back so you don’t have to turn the book round. Laminate them too, so you can use them again.
7. It’s OK to repeat!
Some groups think they need to have a new Bible stories and songs each week and find it a strain to do that. Don’t worry! Why not have six to eight well-known stories on rotation (with additions for Christmas and Easter) and tell them really well. Children love repetition. Puppets and props are great too. Practise at home beforehand to gain confidence.
8. Songs
Whether you sing Christian songs or not, it can be good to have a special welcome song and a quieter final song – perhaps leading into the story. If you use percussion instruments, give them out for a particular song and get them back at the end of that song so the story doesn’t have tambourines and bells to accompany it! If your songs have more words than actions, a song sheet can be helpful, especially for new people so they don’t feel left out. Children often love singing the songs when they get home, so give out song sheets so that they can be sung at other times. Familiar songs give your group identity and children love it when their favourite is sung.
There are more tips to come! These include prayer, toys, faith at home and building relationships. If you would like Tessa to come along to your group for encouragement, to talk through ideas for developing the group or for better connecting your group to Sunday Church, then please do contact her. She’d love to hear from you.