5 tips for families: Church in School holidays
Over the holidays, Kids Church takes a break, but it’s not just for the teachers (although they do work hard and deserve a rest). This break is an opportunity for Reforming Kids too, and we designed it this way intentionally! We don’t want Reforming kids to reach the end of primary school without the skills to help them engage with and enjoy sermons.
Children are part of the covenant community of the church, and that is why we don’t have a completely separate children’s program. We ensure children are with us as we sing, read the Bible, and pray together as a church. We then have a separate program during the sermon so that they can receive teaching tailored to their developmental stage, giving them the best opportunity to understand the gospel. But we also want to equip them to be great hearers of the Word and to love engaging with sermons. This is the main reason we don’t have a separate children’s program during the holidays—it is a time to practise listening and engaging with the whole church service.
So, how do we make the most of this?
1. Be excited yourself
You will hear this again and again—much of discipleship is caught rather than taught. Children often love what their parents are excited about. So, share with your kids what you love about church. We call Sundays “our favourite day of the week”, and we use that language repeatedly in our engagement with the kids.
2. Be prepared
Bring anything and everything you need to encourage your child to sit with you: snacks, nice pencils, special paper. Look, I wouldn’t blame you if you even threw in a bribe! If you ask my kids, they will tell you, “Mum gives us lollies if we stay and listen to the sermon.” Let’s just say incentives are great—threats are not.
I once saw a family who disciplined their children by pinching them if they were not “well behaved” in church, and I think this is really damaging. Kids don’t have to be perfect, and church should be a positive experience. So celebrate when they do something well and show grace when they struggle.
3. Use the Kids Sermon Sheets
This is a great resource both during the sermon and for your discussions afterwards. You can pick up what they learned, what questions they have, and which words they didn’t understand. Maybe you could both fill one out and compare notes?
Why not also show the preacher what the kids learned? Russ is always encouraged when he sees the kids grasping the big idea, and it can also be hilarious to see what they pick up.
4. Show reverence for the sermon
Model to your kids that the sermon is important. The preacher has worked so hard for just a short moment of your attention. Show your kids that it is worth their attention too.
Here are some boundaries I think are healthy to expect during the sermon:
We don’t talk during it.
We don’t wander around.
We aren’t playing.
We go to the toilet beforehand (if possible).
I think some grown-ups could probably do well to learn these things too. If we cannot live by bread alone, then we desperately need to hear God’s Word preached to our hearts. Show your kids that this is important.
If they aren’t able to sit with you during the service, you can sit with them at the back tables, but it’s not socialising time. It’s listening time. This is good for kids, but it is also honouring to our preachers and to everyone else who is wanting to listen and learn.
5. Ask good questions
I often tell the Kids Church kids, “Listen to this story because I’ll ask you questions at the end!”
Talking about the sermon and the service with your kids is a great discipleship opportunity and would be a helpful practice every week. The simplest question all parents can ask is: “What is one thing you learned today at church?” And share what you learned too.
Other great questions include:
What was your favourite song?
Who did you talk to?
What do you enjoy about church?
Was there anything today that you didn’t understand?
How would you like to serve at church?
Getting kids involved in serving is gold when it comes to helping them feel valued and part of the community. (That’s a whole article for another time!)
I hope and pray that, as a family, you are able to make the most of the next three weeks of sermon practice!
Side note: If you are not in Bendigo these school holidays, do try to find a church to attend. Show the kids that you may be on holidays from school and work, but you are not on holidays from being a worshipper of Jesus.
If you are camping or travelling on a Sunday, think creatively about how you can still keep it as the Lord’s Day: sing worship songs, read the Bible together, or livestream Reforming ;)
