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No matter how experienced we might be, as parents, children's workers or clergy, we can all get a bit thrown when a child asks the big questions about life, death, God, heaven and so on. It can be tempting to rush in with a long and complicated answer, but we might need to step back and give children a space to explore the questions themselves.

What happens after holiday clubs have finished? When all the scenery has been packed away, all the shaving foam wiped up and all the biscuits eaten, what then? It might make us feel a bit over-whelmed to think about what comes next, but don't we owe it to the children and families who may have met Jesus for the very first time, to help them continue on their journey with him?

Few things are more devastating for a parent with a small child than the disapproving ‘tut-tut’ of the unsympathetic worshipper. However, church is for everyone and it’s all about give-and-take, caring for one another and getting the balance right.

Visual aids are a really powerful tool to use around children. If you want a child to remember something, giving a visual ‘hook’ to hang the information on really helps. But how often does the story we're telling become an elaborate visual aid too? Jesus' stories are full of depth and meaning, but sometimes we can strip them back so much that they are merely an illustration for the point we want to make. Is this the best way to help children connect with God?

Why don’t people make time for church? Could it be that people don’t know what it’s about any more?  Do parents or carers not see why it would be worthwhile for their child to go to church? Churches have become much better at making our communities aware that we exist, but are we as good at telling them what we exist for? What would a child gain from coming to church?

Think back to when you were a child. What things did you like then? Whatever you were into, it’s likely that children today will like similar things, yet, the world children live in is different now from the 70s, 80s, 90s or whenever you were a child. How much do you know about the cultural landscape they're growing up in?

Life as a children's worker is often filled with church services, community events and rooms full of children. These are important and exciting parts of our role, but what impact might an intentional connection with individual children and their support network make on their lives?

Is there more to children's tangential questions than we think? How do we allow children to explore their faith more deeply, and discover God truthfully, whilst allowing them to maintain the natural curiosity, naivety and spontaneity of childhood?