Wiggle Worship for reception-age children, toddlers and their families is having a wonderful impact in Bolton.
The reception class at St Bartholomew's CE Primary School in Westhoughton enjoyed meeting Wiggle the Bible book worm, and engaging in worship that was fun and accessible for both them and their families.
What is Wiggle Worship?
- It aims to encourage or begin the faith journeys of younger children and their families in a fun and fresh way.
- It builds relationships between church and school.
- It supports school transition activity, welcoming children from Early Years into mainstream primary school.
- It creates an opportunity to develop a relationship with associated church-based toddler groups by inviting them to join in.
- It forms a new kind of worship and brings communities together.
Wiggle Worship was created by Steph Openshaw, our Children Changing Places Early Years Worker. She sees it as a new and exciting Fresh Expression of church. Each 45-minute session is full of singing, action rhymes, prayer that includes popping bubbles, crafts, dancing and making a brand new friend in Wiggle Worm.
"The feedback has been astonishing and families have found Wiggle Worship refreshing, reassuring and engaging. What a welcome, to a brand new school, this has been for children and their families!", she says.
Steph is planning to run taster sessions for CE schools across Bolton in September, and is creating a user manual to help school staff and clergy teams lead Wiggle Worship in their own schools and churches.
Please visit the project Twitter page, @placesproject, for more information on Wiggle Worship and the Children Changing Places project as a whole.