Children and Faith, Our Duty as Christian Parents and Grandparents During this Holiday Season.
In the last 30 years Church attendance has dropped significantly. Christians still want to attend services at special times of the year and one of them is coming up very shortly. There are two major celebrations in the Christian community. Christmas being the first. Easter is the Second. Both of these times in the year are Holidays, and important in the life of a Christian community. Christmas we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ and at Easter, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the Tomb. Both of these "Holy Days" are usually marked by increased attendance at your local church's worship services.Easter Church Services
The Question remains, how do we get our children (many of which haven't participated in regular Church Services) to sit quietly at the Services we are attending? Every parent enters the church with trepidation and fear that their little ones will be disruptive during the Easter Service.
I'm here to tell you that with a little planning ahead, children can and will behave in a way that will not put you to shame. But it does take some planning.
So let's get to it. Prepare, prepare, prepare!
First of all let's find out how long the church service will last. Sometimes it will be 30 to 45 minutes and other services may last a few hours. Knowing how long you need to keep your children engaged will help you plan better.
Let's assume that services will be about an hour long. That 60 minutes of quiet time that your children need to get a handle on.
Let's Pack a Church Bag* to take with us to services. Inside will be all kinds of quiet activities that your children can do when they become restless. So these are the things I would take along:
*Contents of a great Church Bag
- Books, depending on the age of your children, they can be picture books or story books.
- Stickers and some paper for them to make their own picture of the Bible story they will hear.
- Coloring books with crayons. (if you have more than one child, make sure you have a book for each one of them!)
- Puzzle books, find the words, or crosswords are great!
- Small soft Easter type toys, stuffed bunnies, chicks or eggs. You can find some really cute ones here at Coastal Crochet Crafts!
There are several available and they will help you to explain to your children what this Season of Easter is all about too! Children learn from their parents and grandparents about their faith beliefs and it is up to us to encourage that faith. After Church Services are concluded, I'm sure there will be time for the infamous Easter Egg hunt. Children especially like this part of the Easter festivities. Dinner on Easter Sunday will be a gathering of all the family at the table to share in the wonderful foods and desserts that have been lovingly prepared for us. After all Easter is a whole season of REJOICING! Everything is new including the seasons. Everything is in bloom or will be soon.
Please know that most Christians are very happy to see the little ones at church services! They are a delight to us older folks who remember all to well taking our own children to Services.
Happy Easter to all, The Lord is Risen, He is Risen indeed!
These are all excellent suggestions Olivia. Our church has a children's church now, but we did not have that available when our children were preschoolers. I remember taking paper and pencils so they could draw during the service. They always enjoyed the music, so it was really only during the sermon that any "occupation" was required.
ReplyDeleteIt's always hard for children to sit still during a long church service, so your suggestions for 'quiet' activities will help both the child and the parents. Thanks much for mentioning the Easter stuffed toys in my handmade Etsy Shop.
ReplyDeleteExcellent ideas! love the book suggestions!
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