Sometimes kids of younger ages or people of differing abilities have trouble keeping engaged with the worship service.  Worship bags allow them to use different tools to access worship in their own context.  Worship bags are not meant to replace purposeful engagement in the service – they are meant to enhance the experience.

Worship bags can look different every church you visit!  The great thing is they are so adaptable to the needs and engagement of the people you are serving.

We have created the following worship bag as an example of what you can pull together. We have even included where we purchased the components.  We would love to know what ideas you have that have enhanced your bags!

We created these bags with the kids at Assembly in 2025.  The kids loved it!

Which bag to use?

We found these canvas bags and they come with a zipper pouches (pencil case size) that are handy for containing loose items in the bag.

Kids can decorate their bags in so many ways!  We found these cool paint sticks – no mess!  A great addition to your craft cupboard, and so easy for young hands.

Consider all kinds of crafty ideas to decorate!  Stamps, splatter painting, markers, iron-on decals…  So many ways to make these bags colourful and joyful!

Worship Flags

These worship flags were so easy, just needs a grown up to help with the glue gun.  We used dowels and bought a selection of colourful ribbon.  Cut the ribbon to the desired length.  Using a glue gun, attach the ribbon to the dowel.  Kids loved using these with our worship songs.

Bible Characters in a Tin

This was so much fun to make and the kids were so thrilled with them! Print off the printable of the characters.  Purchase magnetic sheets with a sticky side.  Stick the character page to the magnet sheet, and cut out the characters.  We found the small tins at a dollar store.  The tins are great to store the magnets. Use the lids to create the bible story being shared.  You might also consider a small cookie sheet to put the magnets on for storytelling.

Flat Jesus

You might remember Flat Jesus from our Take Out Church initiatives!  The idea of Flat Jesus is that he can go with you anywhere you go, and have adventures with you. A great addition to our worship bags.  You can download our Flat Jesus here.

Markers

You always need a great set of markers to interact with the service! Drawing the story or prayers, markers can help process worship in a very meaningful way.

Journal

We gave the kids a fine CBOQ Kids journal at Assembly, and it was a huge hit!  Journals can be found at low cost from dollar stores.

WikiStix

Have you heard of WikiStix?  WikiStix are pieces of string coated in wax.  They can twist and bend into all kinds of shapes and come in fun colours.  They are a quiet way of creating and interacting with worship.

Activity Book

An activity book can challenge kids to engage with Scripture in new and exciting ways.

Bendable Jesus

Often people find praying with something in their hand to be a meaningful way to engage with God.  These Bendable Jesus characters are fun, friendly and a great tactile object to hold while kids pray and think about Jesus.

Identity Wheel

We found this identity wheel and the kids loved colouring it and spinning it to see who they are in Jesus.  Here is a wheel similar to the ones we found.

Bookmark

We included a bookmark in our worship bag, with the books of the Bible on it.  Maybe you have a church bookmark that you can include.  These can help mark a page in their bibles, and inspire a love for the Word. Here is a similar bookmark.

Cross

Similar to Bendable Jesus, a cross is a great tactile item for prayer and contemplation.  Depending on the age of your kids, they could try making an oragami cross.

Blessing Cards

Blessing Cards hold all kinds of blessings that can be spoken over someone.  These are fun to look through with a parent or caregiver, but are also great to look at to be reminded of God’s immense love for us. Download and print these Blessing Cards we’ve created.

What else to include?

This list can be as vast as your imagination!

Encourage kids to keep their bible in their worship bag for church.  They may also wish to include a bible story book.

Snacks!  A small snack might be just what a little tummy needs to thrive in the service.

A sermon notes page!  Check online for all kids of sermon notes pages that might fit your context.  Here’s one I like.  Which one do you use?

A comfort stuffy would fit perfectly in one of these bags!

Making Bags with Kids

At Assembly, we created these bags over several sessions.  We would start each time together with prayer, and follow that with a bible story where we saw moments of praise, worship and prayer.  Some of the stories we covered were:

Daniel in the Lion’s Den – Daniel 6

Paul and Silas – Acts 16:24-36

Jesus healing the lame man at the pool – John 5:1-13

The Little Boy with loaves and Fish – Matthew 14:13-21

After discussing where we saw praise, worship or prayer in the story, we used the contents of the bag. We discussed and practiced prayer, praise and contemplation.  It was joyful and so much fun to add to the bag session after session.

Following are some further resources for creating effective and intentional worship bags:

Worship bags that equip and engage – Joy Wendling

Engaging Toddlers and Preschoolers in Worship

Praise Packs