Why churches are thinking outside the box to attract kids during the school holidays
Zipporah Nyangara with her daughters Jade Taraji (in blue denim) and Jamelia Taji (in pink).
During the holiday season, many churches have introduced programmes such as Vacation Bible School to keep children busy.
These programmes typically include daily worship, singing, arts and crafts, games and Bible stories.
Zipporah Nyangara tells Mtaa Wangu that she regularly takes her daughters to the church's daily Vacation Bible School during the holidays.
"My daughters never misses the church programmes because they give them a chance to grow spiritually, just like my mother did for me," she explains.
Nyangara emphasises how these programmes help children improve their social skills and expand their social circles.
She says that through these [rogrammes her daughters have developed a deeper understanding of God and life.
"Through the programme, they've also grown emotionally because it teaches them how to express themselves better," she says.
Pastor Charles Onyango of Trinity Chapel says their church has made the Children's Holiday Discipleship Programme a regular feature during every school break.
Pastor Charles Onyango from Trinity Chapel Nakuru.
For a week, the children take part in various activities designed to nurture their faith.
"We have a children's camp every holiday based on a different theme and it runs for a week from 9am to 5pm. This holiday's theme was 'Gifted to Worship'," he says.
The themes, he says, are designed to be easily understood by children, with age-appropriate activities to reinforce the message.
"Activities include singing, dancing, drawing, crossword puzzles and more, culminating in special performances during the service at the end of the week," he notes.
He adds that the programme also includes games to keep the children engaged.
These programmes continued throughout the August holidays, with various churches offering similar activities..
"The church is very important in character development because spirituality, morality and character all intersect at some point. Therefore, churches need to focus on character development," he says.