Do you have children and are wondering how to help them understand their time in church better?
I know I have asked myself that question many times and have wondered how much they are really taking away.
With nine children and over twenty three years of humbling parenting experience I have experimented with all sorts of methods to help them understand the sermon better. Some worked while others failed and not everything work for every single child since each child is unique and might learn more effectively a different way.
As I share this with you, I want you to know that we are not a perfect family. So don't think for a minute that we have it all together all the time. I remember there were times we would even forget to bring our Bibles to church while rushing to get ready when we had many young ones. We later remedied that by putting a big bag of Bibles that always stayed in the car called "the Bible Bag". And even then there were still times we would still forget to bring it into the church!
Now they are all older and they are in charge of bringing their own Bible in and I have learned a few things along the way that might help you too.
Some of the things that we did to help them learn better was:
--Pray for them - I believe that prayer is powerful so I make sure I am praying that my children will learn something special for them that day and that God will help them to understand and receive what is being taught and that He would work in their hearts. He loves them more than I ever could and wants them to love Him with their whole hearts.
--Learn together as a family - As a family we prefer to sit together for church and that makes it easier to be on the same page of what they taught that week. Children are amazing and learn a lot by being in a worship service observing everything that takes place. It is also another great way for mom and dad to show by example how they worship as well. It has even been a blessing to be able to answer their questions on the spot too.
--Discuss it at home and help them to apply it through the week - Whether they are by your side or in the children's area, be sure to find out what they learned that day. We often like to discuss the day during a meal. It is so neat to see how they are processing everything and what they understood. God is good and will help you guide them through it. You could even plan fun activities around what they learned or print coloring pages if they are small. If they are older you could write they key verse somewhere in the house (like on a chalkboard, dry erase board, print for the fridge) for them to memorize or reflect on throughout the week.
Another thing that might help is having your child take notes while he is listening. You could have a special notebook for this or journal. My children have benefited from doing this in the past and enjoyed looking back at what they had written and learned.
One resource I really like is the Busy Books: Sermon Notes for Kids:
Here is the description from Amazon:
Church just got a lot more Exciting! Have you been looking for ways to capture your child’s attention and turn their minds toward Christ? Are you ready to get them excited about going to church?BUSY BOOKS: SERMON NOTES FOR KIDS provides children with a fun and exciting way to learn, take notes, and ask questions. A weekly point system makes learning fun, while encouraging children to come prepared and be prepared to listen. In this book kids will find:
- A section for sermon notes
- A Sunday morning checklist
- A keyword checklist
- A place to write their favourite song
- A section for questions they might have
- An area for prayer requests
- A spot for extra notes or doodles
And they even have one for young ladies:
Whatever you decide to use--be sure to take an active part in helping them grow in learning about the Lord!
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What do you do to help your child learn better in church?
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