Children and Their Families
At Highland, we strive to create a sacred space where families with children have opportunities to experience God’s love and encounter the stories of Jesus that form and transform, while participating in the creation of a world where love and justice abound. We also work to provide parents with tools to nurture the faith lives of their children, as well as their own. Our hope is that families are actively exploring together what it means to be faithful followers of Christ in their daily lives.
Knowing that childhood experiences of God are incredibly formative, we invite children to wonder about the biblical story and what the most important parts of the story might be. We make space for children to ask big questions, even when we don’t know the answers. We work to be curious—discovering and working out our faith together—through conversation, movement, singing and playing instruments. Even our children’s space (renovated in 2014 to embrace natural light, color and openness inspired by the approach to learning practiced in Reggio Emilia, Italy) reflects this commitment to encouraging children to encounter God through imagination, curiosity, and discovery. Children at Highland are leaders; they listen for God, and we practice listening to, and learning from, them.
Preschool Ministry
Preschool ministry at Highland includes children ages birth through pre-kindergarten.
Sundays
Bible Study
Bible study classes are offered for infants and toddlers, twos, and preschool children.
Infants, toddlers and twos engage with the biblical story in ways appropriate for their stage of development via the care of a loving teacher who embodies God’s love through their kind spirit and actions.
Children ages 3, 4 and pre-kindergarten participate in Godly Play (click here for more information on Godly Play), a way of engaging the stories of our faith by bringing our wondering and curiosity to the text. Children can be found working with the 3-dimensional story materials, sharing a feast together, and wondering about what their favorite part, or most important part, of the story might be. Based on principles of Montessori education, the engagement of the stories of our faith is open-ended and imaginative.
Worship Care
Worship care is provided for infants through pre-kindergarten age children during both morning worship services at 8:45 and 11:15 am.
Wednesdays
Carol Choir is our choir for children ages 3, 4 and pre-kindergarten and meets from 6:00-7:15 pm. Children gather to learn of God’s love while discovering their singing voices and finding the steady beat in every music activity.
Cherub Choir welcomes walking toddlers and 2s and a parent for lots of movement, singing, stories and silliness from 6:00-6:30 pm.
Childcare is provided for infants, toddlers and twos from 6:00-7:15 pm.
School-Age Ministry
School-age ministry includes children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Sundays
Bible Study
School-age children participate in age graded classes from 10:00-11:00 each week. Our classes typically combine two grade levels (Kindergarten and 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 4th and 5th) and meet in classrooms off of the Children’s Commons.
Worship
School-age children attend worship with their families during the 8:45 am and 11:15 am worship services. It is here that children participate in the important communal practices of our faith like communion, baptism and congregational singing that can only be witnessed in the context of worship.
We offer a variety of items on our Worship Cart, located in the Commons, that aid in the worship experience for children and their families: coloring pages about the day’s scripture passage, children’s bulletins, fidgets, books, finger labyrinths, and more. During the school year, Kindergarten-2nd grade children have an opportunity to attend Children’s Worship during the second half of the 11:15 am service for worship education and exploration.
Wednesdays
School-age children participate in our Choristers Choir on Wednesday nights from 6:00-7:15 pm, gathering in the Children’s Commons or RM 202. 4th and 5th graders have the unique opportunity as part of the Choristers Choir to participate in handbell choir from 6:45-7:15 pm. Children are invited to play and learn of God’s love through music.
Summer
Children have opportunity to participate in several summer camp offerings, PassportKids, Discovery Camp and Advocacy Camp. More information is available here.
