Father's Day Ideas for Church: A Free 25-Minute Kids Program

Looking for Father's Day ideas for church? This free program is ready to use: about 25 minutes, every child gets a part, and it needs only two short rehearsals. The children recite short poems, a child and a dad read Ephesians 6:1–4 together, the kids act out Jesus' story of the father who ran to his son, and the whole church prays over the fathers.

The program at a glance

1. Welcome poem by a preschooler, then This Is My Father's World.
2. Reading: Ephesians 6:1–4. A child reads verses 1–3 (to children), a dad reads verse 4 (to fathers).
3. Poems: "Thank You, God, for Dads", "D-A-D" and "Grandpa's Crown" from our Father's Day poems for church.
4. The play: our prodigal son play, The Father Who Ran (6 minutes).
5. Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling, first verse and chorus.
6. Poems: "Thank You for Caring", "F-A-T-H-E-R" and "The Father Who Ran".
7. Devotional: our 4-minute Father's Day devotional, "He Saw, He Ran, He Gave".
8. Prayer for fathers: every dad, grandpa and man who cares for a child stands while four kids read our Father's Day prayer cards.
9. Finale: "God Is a Father to Us All", then every child says Joshua 24:15 together, and the kids hand each man a Father's Day verse card at the door.

The printable planner has the order of service with minutes and who does what, a three-week rehearsal plan, a parts list to fill in, and a cut-off note for families.

Tips

• Honor every man who cares for a child. Not every child has a dad at church. Ask dads, grandpas, uncles, foster dads and teachers to stand for the prayer, and let any child give a card to the pastor or a teacher.
• Few kids? One child can say two poems, and a teen or adult can narrate the play.
• The reading: practice it once with your dad reader so he knows when to start.
• Keep it on God. The play, the devotional and the memory verse all come from Luke 15 and our prodigal son story set (memory verse 1 John 1:9): God is a Father who is ready to forgive.