In kids ministry, we are always looking for fun, crazy, worship songs that the kids will actually like. I have introduced many songs to children in my time in kids ministry. Some, the kids just love, but others, not so much. To be clear, we also have a slower worship time/altar time every week in our services and we do live keyboard-led worship for this time to provide a better transition into our youth and adult services. We do not use videos and and actions during our slower worship time.

So, here is my list (for the time being, of course) of the top 5 upbeat worship songs that are kid-tested and kid-approved. I have also included links to awesome lyric videos to use in your worship service, as well as links to videos of myself doing the actions to the songs (please don’t laugh… too hard).

1. God’s Not Dead – Newsboys

http://youtu.be/w2UErqHfC4c

This is our kids’ favorite song, hands down. We introduced it over a year ago, and the kids still go crazy every time it comes on. The parents absolutely love hearing their kids singing this song. They can usually hear us in “big church” every time. A big plus for families is this song plays on Christian radio stations frequently. A plus for leaders is that you don’t have to jump during this song. 🙂 Check out the actions below.

2. Alive – Hillsong Young & Free

We also introduced this one over a year ago, around the same time as God’s Not Dead. It is still highly requested by all the kids. Fun fact: we introduced this song, then the youth started singing it, and even our adults started doing it too. We are trend-setters in our church! This song also plays on most Christian radio stations and even teenagers like it. Check out the action video below.

3. Unstoppable – TobyMac

We introduced this song at our kid’s camp last summer and used it as our camp theme song. The actions to the verses can take a little getting used to, but the kids really love this song. There’s going to be a lot of jumping so be sure to have your coffee before attempting this one. Check out the actions below.

4. Wake – Hillsong Young & Free

This is our newest worship song. We just debuted it, and the kids are already loving it. It has a similar feel to Alive since it is by the same artist. I was actually “fighting” with our Students Ministries pastor over who would introduce it first. He barely beat me, but that’s ok. Check out the actions below.

5. Nothing is Impossible – Planetshakers

This is definitely the oldest of the songs on my list, but the kids still like it. It has very simple actions, and it can be nice to pair this one up with one of the more complicated songs on the list. It has a great message. Check out the actions below.

Those are my picks, but I’d love to hear what has worked for you in your kids ministry? What are your top 5s?