But don't we need craft?

Before I begin this post, you have to understand that I love craft! I knit, sew, crotchet, quilt, papercraft, I even have been known to do craft with my children. That being said, I want you to think about whether you could run your preschool ministry without craft.

I can hear you say it now, 'But don't we need craft?'

Here are the benefits of craft:

• The kids love it
• The parents like that you've organised it, not them!
• You can use the craft to reinforce your Bible teaching points
• Craft is good for the development of fine motor skills - key school readiness activities include using scissors, gluing, and holding a pencil or crayon
• Craft can also help kids learn to follow instructions

So craft can be an amazing addition to any playgroup or Music class. I would like to suggest that a music class does not need a regular craft component and perhaps it would be working against you and making it harder to sustain the ministry.

Everyone is busy, and craft preparation takes time. One of the benefits of running a music class as your preschool ministry is that it is a Music Class. You are wanting to develop music skills as well as create a community and share the good news about Jesus. To that end I would say, don't make your life harder and add more preparation to the class. Music classes can themselves develop fine and gross motor skills, as well as social, emotional and cognitive skills.

I think one of the most compelling reasons church playgroup ministries have for doing craft is being able to send home a Christian activity, to remind the families of the Bible story at home. Instead you could create a free Spotify playlist which includes all the songs you sing at your music class, including the Christian ones. This serves two purposes: firstly it helps the children and parents benefit from the activities in the class as they are familiar with the music; secondly it helps them continue to enjoy the activities and the music at home, including the Christian songs.

Here is an example of the playlist we are using for It's Music Time this term:

Me and My Teddy playlist