Environments
Environments

There are four different age groups within our kids ministry:

Nursery: 0-24 months

Early Childhood: 2 to 5 years old

Elementary: Kindergarten to 6th Grade*

Real Friends: Special Needs children 12 and under

*6th Grade may be considered Elementary or Middle School based on the primary school district in your community.

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Click here to see what a Sandals Church campus looks like in each environment, including our kids ministry spaces!⁠

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Each age group will have a distinct environment that is developmentally appropriate. Check out the section below to see what a typical room looks like for each age group.

Room Types

Nursery Room

This room is designed for babies and toddlers. Essential furniture items include supply cabinets, rocking chairs, diaper changing stations, baby gates, baby rockers and/or bassinets. We will have an activity mat on the floor and toy bins full of things little ones can play with.

Early Childhood Room

This room is designed for 2 to 5 year olds. Essential furniture items include tables, chairs, supply cabinets and a TV mounted on the wall to run programming. We will have an activity mat on the floor and toy bins full of things kids can play with.

Elementary Room

This room is designed for Elementary kids. It will usually be a small room where kids will spend the last half of service for Small Group time. Because it is only for Small Group, there may not be a TV available. Most Elementary environments will host Small Group time on a themed rug on the floor but there may be tables and chairs instead.

Large Group Room

This room is designed for Early Childhood or ー most often ー Elementary kids. It will be one large room where kids will spend the entire service. Because it is one open space, the only essential furniture item is a TV (or multiple) mounted on the wall. Large Group will happen in the center of the room where kids will sit on the floor. Small Group will happen in designated breakout areas around the room. Small Group spaces may have swinging walls to define their space and limit distractions with other groups. (Some campuses may have a hybrid model where Large Group takes place in this room but Small Group takes place in classrooms.)

Real Friends Room

This room is designed to host special needs children. Essential furniture items include tables, chairs and sensory items. Not all campuses will have the capacity to host a dedicated program with a sensory room but all campuses will have a buddy system in place where kids will be partnered up with a leader who will stay with them the whole service.

Our Model

If you've been around kids ministry for a while, you might have heard of two different models: the Sunday School model and the Large Group/Small Group model. Here's a short explanation of each one:

Sunday School: In this model, the entire kids service takes place in one small classroom. The amount of classrooms will vary based on the size of the kids ministry. In each room, there will be a volunteer responsible for leading the kids in worship, telling the Bible story and leading kids through activities. This model typically involves live teaching in each room.

Large Group/Small Group: In this model, multiple groups will come together for one combined "Large Group" time to worship and hear the Bible story. Afterward, they will break off into multiple "Small Groups" to reinforce what they learned. In this model, volunteers don't have to be "teachers"; instead, they are able to focus more attention on their kids and building relationships. This model typically involves using story videos rather than live teaching.

OUR MODEL

In our ministry, we primarily use the Large Group/Small Group model with a few key distinctions.

Video vs. Live Teaching. We use video to share God's story with kids each week. It creates a consistent experience across all locations and services times. It also allows our volunteers to focus less on teaching and more on relationships.

Small Groups vs. Classes. What we're looking for goes beyond learning. We hope to foster personal growth in the lives of our kids. Our approach is simple: we tell the story on screen and we talk about the story in small groups. After watching the story video together, the big win for a small group leader is to help their kids understand what the Bible story means and how it applies to their lives.

Multipurpose Spaces vs. Classrooms. Our preference is to use a big, open space for Large Group and smaller rooms/breakout areas* for Small Group. However, this is all contingent on the building. Some campuses use a multipurpose space while others use classrooms. Regardless of the space available, our programming stays the same and we try to re-create Large Group in one part of the space and Small Group in another.

Go to the next section:

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Weekend Programming⁠

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EnvironmentsEnvironments

Room Types

Our Model

Environments
Environments