Here are some suggestions for how to help your child during worship service. Church is a foreign environment for children. They are accustomed to shouting, running, and playing. It is bewildering to them why they cannot do this in the church building. If you wait until they are in the service of worship and correct their behavior, they will conclude that they are being punished for being themselves. They need to know that they have the opportunity to attend a special place where they are welcome.
Of course, the first suggestion is to pray for God to help you to be a loving parent.
Don’t expect your child to magically turn into a saint on Sunday morning. He is the same as he’s been all through the week.
Before Sunday talk to the child for the reasons that the family goes to church. Explain what it means to worship God. Since they cannot see God, they need guidance about who he is.
Teach your child why we sing, pray, give money, and listen to a sermon. Without supporting your child in these matters, he will just think that these are a string of events in the service that simply prolongs his agony for having to sit still and listen.
A good way to help your child learn to read is to help him locate the hymn or the Bible Scripture. With your finger point out the words as they are sung or spoken. Encourage your child by showing approval while he participates with a hug or a pat on the shoulder. By involving the child this way, he will more likely see its importance and pay attention.
Anticipate your child’s needs before the church service begins. Make a pit stop to the restroom and the drinking fountain. Set the example by doing the same thing yourself.
Sometimes your child will want your attention to ask a legitimate question. Let this not become an attention-getting episode. As briefly as possible answer the question or say that you will answer it right after service and remember to keep your word. Praise him for wanting to know more information about the events of the worship service.
Remember that you are the one who is in charge. You are the one who is supposed to be in control, not the child. Expect the unexpected. If the child is truly misbehaving, you may have no choice but to remove him from the service. This does not mean you would spank or otherwise punish the child. Rather, it means in the firm voice that you use it home to discipline, explain to the child that this is not acceptable. Remember that misbehavior can also be a way the child is seeking to leave the church service. Therefore, after talking to the child, take him right back into the church service. You may need to do this several times before it is obvious that you are the one in charge and the one who expects behavior to be proper for church.
Make sure that the child is seated with you strategically in the church so that he can see what’s happening. If he can’t see, he will not care. Not only sit close to this activity but also sit close to the child so that the two of you are jointly participating in whatever is happening at whatever point the service is progressing.
The best way to encourage positive behavior is to praise the child when it occurs. This is true at home, at the grocery store, and at church. As soon as possible without making any disturbance thank him and tell him how proud you are that he acted like a grown-up.
Teach yourself more about your child’s likes and dislikes, interests and that which does not interest him. Use his own inclinations as an encouragement for good behavior. Remind yourself that you are overseeing God’s gift to you.
Christian Writer 