Advent is one of my favorite seasons of the year, and I love finding new and creative ways to teach kids about Advent. That’s why I’m so excited for this week’s guest blog post from Dylan Arms, a worship leader and kids worship music artist (find kids worship videos from Dylan here). Dylan shares practical ways we can use music and song to help kids engage with the Advent season in deeper ways…
Christmas is one of the most exciting seasons of the year in children’s ministry. There are decorations to hang, Christmas programs to prepare, lessons to plan, and plenty of energy in the room. But in the middle of all the excitement, Advent gives us an opportunity to help kids slow down and understand something much bigger: Jesus came. God kept His promise. And because of Jesus, we have hope, peace, joy, and love.
One of the best tools we have for helping those truths stick is music. Kids may not remember every point from a lesson months later, but they will often remember the songs they sang. A melody has a way of carrying truth with us long after Sunday is over.
So as you plan for Advent this year, here are a few ways you can use worship music to help kids experience the story of Christmas in a deeper way.
1) Give Each Week of Advent a Clear Theme –The traditional themes of Advent give us a simple framework:
- Hope — God Keeps His Promises
- Peace — God Is With Us
- Joy — Jesus Is Good News
- Love — God Showed His Love Through Jesus
Rather than treating each Sunday as a separate Christmas moment, let these themes build on one another and tell one bigger story: God promised. God came near. Jesus is good news. And through Jesus, God showed us His love. That gives kids a simple progression they can remember as you move through Advent together. For your week focused on hope, you might read a prophecy about Jesus, talk about what it means to wait with hope, and then sing a song that reinforces the truth that God keeps His promises. For my new Advent project, The Light Has Come, I wrote “God With Us” around this idea. Jesus is Emmanuel, the fulfillment of God’s promise to be with His people. A simple question to ask kids could be: “What is something God has promised that we can trust Him for today?” That helps Advent move from being only a story about something that happened long ago to something that shapes how kids trust God right now.
2) Teach Peace as More Than a Quiet Feeling – When kids hear the word peace, they may picture everyone being quiet or nothing going wrong. But biblical peace is much bigger than that. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Because He is with us, we can trust Him even when life feels uncertain. For your week focused on peace, help kids understand that following Jesus doesn’t mean we will never feel worried or afraid. It means we know who to turn to when we do. That is the heart behind my song “You Are My Peace.” You could give kids a few everyday examples:
- A test at school
- Being nervous about something new
- A friendship that feels difficult
- Not knowing what is going to happen next
Then remind them: Jesus can be our peace in all of those moments. Songs give kids language they can carry with them when those situations happen outside of church.
3) Let Joy Actually Feel Joyful – The Christmas story is good news! When the angel appeared to the shepherds, he announced: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” — Luke 2:10. Sometimes we can teach joy while looking very serious about it. Advent is a great opportunity to let kids celebrate. Use movement. Clap. Dance. Sing loudly. Let the room feel like good news has actually arrived. My song “Good, Good News” was written specifically with that moment in mind: the announcement that Jesus has come and we have a reason to celebrate. This can also be a great week to ask: “If the story of Jesus is really good news, who is someone we can share that good news with?” Joy naturally leads toward mission. We don’t just celebrate the good news; we get to share it.
4) Let Love Be the Destination – The story of Christmas ultimately points us toward the love of God. God didn’t simply send us an idea, a set of rules, or some encouragement from far away. He sent Jesus. As you teach the Advent theme of love, help kids see that Jesus is the clearest picture of how deeply God loves us. That is the idea behind my song “No Greater Love.” And this theme gives us a natural opportunity to move from receiving God’s love to showing it to others. Ask kids questions like:
- “What does God’s love look like?”
- “How did God show His love by sending Jesus?”
- “What is one way you can show God’s love to someone this week?”
When kids understand that they are loved by God, we can begin teaching them to become people who reflect that love everywhere they go.
5) Repeat the Songs Beyond One Sunday
One of the most powerful things about music is repetition. You don’t necessarily need four completely different worship sets for four weeks of Advent. Introduce a song and bring it back.
Sing the Hope song again during Peace week. By the time you reach Christmas, kids may already know several songs that tell the whole Advent story.
Now the songs aren’t simply filling space in your service, they are helping tell the story.
6) Give Families a Way to Keep Singing at Home – What happens between Sundays matters too. To make this easy, I’ve created an Advent playlist you can follow along with and share with families. It includes songs from The Light Has Come along with other songs that point kids toward Jesus and reinforce the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. Then families can keep singing and reinforcing those truths in the car, around the house, or on the way to school. You could even send one simple conversation prompt each week:
- Hope: What promise from God can we remember this week?
- Peace: What can we pray about when we feel worried?
- Joy: What is something Jesus has done that gives us joy?
- Love: How can we show God’s love to someone today?
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes putting a song and one good question in the hands of a parent can create meaningful discipleship moments throughout the week.
More Than Christmas Music
When I started writing The Light Has Come, I didn’t want to simply create another collection of Christmas songs. I wanted to write worship songs rooted in the truths of Advent that kids and churches could sing at Christmas, but also carry with them throughout the year. Because kids need hope in February. They need the peace of Jesus in April. They need the joy of the gospel in July. And they need to know the love of God every single day.
Advent gives us a beautiful opportunity to teach those truths. And when we put those truths into songs, we give kids words they can keep singing long after the Christmas decorations come down. This Advent, let’s help kids do more than count down the days until Christmas. Let’s help them discover the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love found in Jesus.
Author Bio: Dylan Arms is a worship leader, songwriter, and new dad based in Greenville, SC. With years of experience in ministry and a heart for helping families grow in faith, he creates music and resources that connect kids to Jesus in meaningful, lasting ways.
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