Every Children’s Ministry Department is a vital part of the church that requires thoughtful planning, creative design, and intentional safety precautions.

When families search for a new church to call home, one central element they will focus on is how safe, welcoming, and engaging the Children’s Ministry Space is. When the parents and guardians feel confident leaving their kids in the Children’s Area, they can more fully enjoy and absorb the sermon and fellowship in the main service. In the same way, when kids feel comfortable and engaged in the Children’s Area, they will look forward to coming back week after week. So, Children’s Ministry Spaces don’t just benefit children—but benefit the entire family!

In this blog, we will identify key elements that every children’s ministry needs to consider and look at best practices for designing effective, safe children’s ministry spaces.

Understanding Your Church’s Needs

Every child has different personalities and needs, but every child wants to feel welcome, loved, safe and connected. There are foundational pieces that will ensure your children’s ministry space will be an exciting and functional area that will continue to serve your church family for many years to come. But before you can start planning on how your children’s space should function or what it should look like, you need to identify your church’s specific needs.

Five ways to help determine the unique needs of your children’s ministry space:

Consider what is and isn’t working for you right now.

There may be some things that immediately come to mind when you consider what is and isn’t working in your current children’s ministry space. Start by making a list of obvious pain points your children’s department consistently experiences. Also, make a list of all the factors that are working well in your current space that make each program or service run smoothly. Maybe foot traffic flows easily before and after the main service when congestion is at its heaviest. Or perhaps you feel like your children’s space isn’t as visually engaging or child-friendly as you want it to be. Making a list of what is and isn’t working will clarify what your church needs to address, improve, or continue with as you prepare for your new children’s ministry space.

Allow for honest insight and feedback from your children’s ministry staff and volunteers.

If you want a true insider’s perspective of your children’s ministry space, ask the staff and volunteers working there. They will have invaluable, firsthand insight on everything from a lack of classroom storage, to adjustments needed to the check-in desk, to helpful elements utilized every week that can integrate into your next space. These insights will give you clarity into the many working parts within a children’s ministry space, allowing for a customized, successful planning process.

Determine your growth rate.

Understanding your church’s growth rate will also help you better predict your church’s future needs. Recording attendance and membership numbers over time will give you a clearer picture of your growth projections, allowing you to plan for the future. In addition to the number of people within your church, other vital signs of growth also include your church’s impact and engagement, financial health, and ongoing commitment to the community. If your church is growing rapidly or steadily, you can foresee and plan for more extensive, changing needs as your children’s ministry space grows. If your church has steady attendance but isn’t growing, you can use that information to customize and create the space that will best serve your church.

Reach out to other churches and ask questions.

Do you see other churches doing something really well within their children’s ministry spaces? Are you curious about what works for them and what they’d like to modify or change completely? Consider contacting them to see if they’re willing to offer you some insight into how their children’s ministry functions, flows, and adapts to changing needs. Their advice and perspective can provide helpful guidance as you begin creating and planning for your children’s ministry space.

Consult with an experienced church architect who understands the complexity and challenges of children’s ministry spaces.

As a specialized church architect, SPACE understands the importance of a safe, practical space that also provides children with a creative and engaging environment to learn and grow in their relationship with God! Many factors affect one another, so it’s vital to find a church architect with experience in navigating all the intricacies of creating, coordinating, and designing successful, imaginative, and safe children’s spaces.

Key Design Principles

There are numerous things to consider when designing a children’s ministry space. Your church architect will guide you and establish fundamental design principles. While some of these elements are customizable and unique to each church, there are a few fundamental aspects that every children’s ministry space should include.

Safety-focused environment

Safety is a top design principle when planning a children’s ministry space. Not only should the rooms and areas be designed with a high safety standard, but the items, furniture, and decor must also be safe and appropriate for a wide range of ages. Large windows open a space and allow parents and guardians to see into the areas where their kids will be cared for. This transparency helps protect staff, volunteers, guardians, and kids with greater accountability and awareness of what is happening inside and outside the rooms.

Creative and fun design

When children enjoy the space they’re in, they are more likely to learn, participate, and connect with others. They are also more likely to want to come back again and again. Children naturally have big imaginations and creativity stored inside of them! Designing an engaging and captivating space will enable them to have fun while learning about God and deepening their relationship with Him!

Multi-purpose spaces

Whether you are building new Children Ministry spaces or want to utilize the space you already have, consider making certain rooms or areas multi-purpose. A clever way to get the most use out of a space is by creating the area so that it can adapt to various age groups and programs. Will children need to play and eat within that space? Is there an area where additional storage needs to be? Can you adapt a central location to accommodate special events, programs, and services? Identifying who the primary users will be in your spaces and what they will be doing will help you decide what kind of multi-purpose spaces you need the most.

Accessible for every child, including those with special needs

Equally important to having adequate space is ensuring every child has easy access to those spaces. No child should feel like an afterthought or inconvenience. Tables should accommodate wheelchairs. Certain items may need to be stored lower for children who can reach high. Being intentional when planning and creating a children’s ministry space will ensure children with limitations and special needs have a safe, comfortable, and engaging space to build their community and have fun learning about Jesus!

Logical flow and easy-to-navigate layout

The children’s ministry space needs to be designed to maximize the space of the rooms, hallways, and other areas and minimize crowding, confusion, and congestion. Will there be long lines of parents waiting to drop off and pick up their children? Are those lines going to block hallways or other walkways? Do the locations of every room feel disconnected, or do they feel like a natural part of one space? Signage is significant to ensure everyone can easily locate where they want to go and understand how to get there. In addition to helping your visitors feel more comfortable and confident knowing where different rooms and areas are, clear signage will allow foot traffic to flow smoother and quicker before and after services and activities.

Creating distinct areas for different age groups and activities

When designing your children’s ministry space, consider the different age groups and the various programs, classes, and activities operating in each room or area. Creating individualized spaces and rooms geared towards specific ages and activities while keeping the “big picture” in mind will help establish a cohesive, harmonious space.

Budget Planning

Once you identify the goals and needs of your children’s ministry space, you must establish a clear budget to get an action plan running and ensure the project will not cause needless stress or overage for your church. It’s essential to know accurate costs and timeframes so that you can prepare for each financial need that may arise. SPACE can also assist in this stage of your planning, ensuring you stay within budget from start to finish.

Church Growth and Results

When you nurture and disciple a child, you affect their entire family. Creating a children’s ministry space that offers a safe place to learn, have fun, and build community is a significant factor for families wanting to find a church home. When guardians know their kids are safe and cared for as they learn about God, they can entirely focus on their sermon and community. Now more than ever, parents and guardians need a solid “team” as they raise their children in an ever-changing world.

One of the most important “teammates” they can have is their church. When you care for a child, you care for the family. As a natural result, your church will also see exciting growth as your church family expands.

Intentional, creative, professional design, will help establish a successful children’s ministry space—impacting families now and for many years to come!

As a leading expert in the industry, SPACE is experienced in creating children’s ministry areas that flow smoothly, function efficiently and uphold a high standard of quality and safety. Feel free to contact us with any questions or to find out what your best next step is for designing your children’s ministry space!

Designing Children’s Ministry Spaces: Ideas and Best Practices