Five opening activities that work for ages 4 to 84

The first five minutes of an all-ages lesson set the tone for the next thirty-five. Start with something only adults can do, and the kids check out. Start with something babyish, and the adults fold their arms.

The best openers have three things in common. Everyone can take part, no matter their age. They get people moving or talking right away. And they point toward the lesson's big idea. Here are five that work in almost any room.

1. The rainstorm

Time: 3 minutes. Supplies: none.

Tell everyone to copy your hands. Rub your palms together for wind. Snap your fingers for light rain. Pat your knees for heavy rain. Stomp your feet for thunder. Then reverse it, and when you raise both hands, everyone goes silent.

Works well with: Jesus calming the storm, Elijah and the still small voice, Noah, or any lesson about God bringing peace.

2. Stand on the side you'd choose

Time: 5 minutes. Supplies: none.

Point to one side of the room for "this" and the other side for "that." Then call out simple choices: "Summer or winter?" "Pancakes or waffles?" Finish with one that connects to the lesson: "Would you rather be the one who helps, or the one who's helped?" Ask a few people from each side why they chose it.

Works well with: choices in Scripture, like Joshua's "choose this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15), Ruth staying with Naomi, or the two builders in Matthew 7.

3. Interview the oldest and the youngest

Time: 5 minutes. Supplies: none.

Invite the oldest and the youngest person in the room to the front. Ask each the same two or three questions: "What's your favorite thing about our church?" "When were you brave?" "Who taught you about Jesus?" The answers are often funny, and sometimes deeply moving.

Works well with: faith passed down (2 Timothy 1:5, Lois and Eunice), courage, or any lesson about God's faithfulness over time.

4. What's in the bag?

Time: 4 minutes. Supplies: one paper bag and one object.

Put an object connected to the lesson in a paper bag: a stone, a piece of bread, a lamp, a small boat, a seed. Pass the bag around and let people feel it without looking. After a few guesses, reveal it and ask, "What do you think this has to do with today's story?"

Works well with: David and the stone, feeding the five thousand, the lamp on a stand, the mustard seed.

5. Draw it in 30 seconds

Time: 5 minutes. Supplies: paper and something to write with.

Give everyone 30 seconds to draw a simple prompt: "Something you're afraid of," "A place you feel safe," "Someone who helped you." Let a few people, young and old, show their drawings and explain them. No one has to be an artist, which is the point.

Works well with: fear and trust, the Good Samaritan, the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23.

Tips for any opener

• Go first. If you're willing to look a little silly, everyone else will be too.
• Keep it short. Five minutes, then move into the story while the energy is still high.
• Connect it out loud. Say, "That's a little like what happened in today's story," so the opener doesn't feel random.
• Let kids answer first. Adults often open up more after a child has gone before them.