Why do Clubbers Quit- Part 2

My last blog post, I gave 5 reasons why clubbers quit, talked about the importance of consistent attendance and gave possible solutions to keep clubbers coming back. 

Here are 5 more reasons as well as ideas on heading off problems that may cause clubbers to quit.

1. "They didn't give me all the awards I earned". 

• Attitude- Awards are a great incentive for kids not only to attend club, but also to work in their handbooks. If it's important for kids to get their awards on time, it has to be important to us.
• Action-
• Use either the record keeping cards from the Awana Catalog  or third party software and stay current.
• Have a plan.
• Keep records not only to see who is progressing in their books, but also who is not progressing. Kids who are not getting awards may need extra help.
• Connect with parents of children who are not progressing and earning awards, find out why and offer help.

2. "Large Group Time was boring".

• Attitude- Awana should be fun and exciting, not only in game time, but in all segments of club.
• Action-
• Keep large group time "time appropriate". Recommended time is 1 minute of Bible lesson for every age of the child.
• Break large group time into smaller segments, and keep things moving. Not all of these segments can be done in one night...use two or three different ones each week to keep your Large Group time fun and exciting. 
• Bible Lesson
• Kids worship
• Youtube or other video content
• Special speakers, ie your pastor or a missionary
• Bible Review Games
• Object lessons
• AwanaGO Missions lessons
• Review Books of the Bible
• Talk about Bible Characters
• Review Sparks Code
• Review TT Characteristics of God

3. "Club was boring- we never did anything fun".

• Attitude- Make sure you give kids a reason to come back
• Action-
• Have something special every week as a reason to come back.
• Use theme nights every week. All theme nights bring extra fun and excitement to club, but not all theme nights have to be difficult to execute. Examples of theme nights that don't require a lot of preparation:
• Balloon Night- Play games with balloons.
• Shoe Fly Night- Kids play games with their shoes.
• Mustache Night- Kids wear mustaches. For those who forget, bring some electrical tape to help them make their 'stache. 
• Cookie Night- have cookies for clubbers at the end of club night.
• Backwards Night- Do club backwards, ie closing ceremony first, etc.
• Caution- Don't do too many dress up nights. Moms with 3 or 4 kids might not appreciate having to dress up 4 kids every week.

4. "I was bullied at club"

• Attitude- Your Awana Ministry should be a safe place for kids. Don't allow bullies to scare away kids who want to come and hear about Jesus.
• Action-
• Have regular leader meetings talking about the importance of club discipline.
• Use 5 count, 3 count and positive points consistently.
• Have a plan to handle bullies in your club.

5. "I was a baseball/ soccer/ dance practice and couldn't come", ie spiritual training was not a priority to parents. 

• Attitude- Some parents feel like their children can get a scholarship if they are a good athlete, or if good enough can go pro and earn a lot of money, or they see Awana as just "another activity" for their child to be involved in. As a result, they make their children's relationship with Jesus a lesser priority. 
• Action-
• Have a parent night at the beginning of the club year and in a gentle way, remind parents to make their child's relationship with Jesus a priority. 
• Ask your pastor to preach a sermon series on the importance of making their child's relationship with Jesus a priority.

Your discipleship of children can only happen when they are actually at club. Being aware of children who quit coming, finding out why and then looking for reasons to keep them coming back week after week will build a lasting and healthy ministry, and produce lasting results for the Kingdom. 

Why do Clubbers Quit- Part 1

Week after week kids come into our Awana clubs. Some kids stay, finish the year and earn our Awards. Alternatively, some kids quietly just fade away. Understanding why and finding ways to keep these kids coming back week after week is what this blogpost is all about. Here are some reasons why kids leave, what our attitude should be about these clubbers and some ideas on how we can prevent this from happening. 

1. “Nobody called to say they missed me.”

• Attitude- We should have a heart for these strays.
• Action-
• Secretaries take attendance to see who IS there so we can give our attendance awards. Attendance should also be taken to see who is NOT there so that we can follow up, find out why, let them know they were missed and invite them back. Secretaries can provide a list to the club leadership of who has not attended for a follow up phone call, text, email, postcard or home visit.

2. "All we ever did was memorize stuff"

• Attitude- We should be enthusiastically sold out on the importance of scripture engagement and memory and make sure our clubbers understand the value in memorizing scripture. However, we should also recognize that despite our best attempts, some kids do not want to memorize scripture and we should look for ways to help these kids succeed.
• Actions
• We should be constantly talking about the importance of knowing what God says.
• We should be memorizing scripture ourselves.
• Make scripture memory fun with scripture memory games.
• Find alternative ways to help kids pass sections who have learning disabilities or who don't want to memorize scripture.

3. "I don't like Dodge Ball" (playing the same games every week)

• Attitude- Variety is the spice of life. Not all kids like the same games or are capable of succeeding in all types of games.
• Actions
• Find games that all kids of differing abilities can win at. Mix running games, agility games and thinking games so that all kids have the ability to play and win. 
• Don't be predictable- keep kids guessing with what is coming next.

4. "The leaders were mean"

• Attitude- Be kind and patient
• Actions
• Be aware of how you come across to kids (your voice and manner may be misunderstood by sensitive children)
• Speak kindly and not loudly
• Smile

5. "My mom said I couldn't come back"

• Attitude- It is important for children to know and understand God's word, therefore it is vital to build a strong parent/ church partnership. 
• Actions
• Work with parents to help them understand the importance of developing their child's relationship with Jesus. 
• Have a good parent meeting at the beginning of the club year. Explain to these parents how they can best help their child succeed at club this year.
• Connect with parents throughout the club year by phone, email, text or personal visit.

I'll cover additional reasons why clubbers quit in my next blogpost.