Under 5s at Church

It is wonderful to have children in Church and your child will benefit from being part of the adult environment. You are giving them a great gift by helping them understand worship and build a relationship with God and the Church community. Members of a congregation love to see the future of the Church in services, and taking part in activities.

It’s not always easy to incorporate your child into the service. Children may become restless because they don’t understand, so can not engage. Their restlessness can make it difficult for you as a parent to worship, and can make you feel self-conscious or uncomfortable.

Don’t worry – there are some simple and practical steps that you can take to make it easier for you and your child to participate more actively in services.

1)     Sit near the front so your child can see what is going on and therefore engage more fully in the worship.

2)     If your child becomes restless, talk quietly to them and point out what is going on. Restlessness is often a result of not understanding what is happening. Your child is never too young to start learning about how a Church service works.

3)     Your children’s noise often seems much louder to you than to others. As a general rule, happy noises are easy on the ear; unhappy noise is distracting for others. Try distracting your child or taking them out for a quick break to respect others' need to focus.

4)     For young children make sure they have some quiet toys with them. This will allow them to focus on something practical and free you up to listen during adult times. Find soft toys to reduce the sound of banging.

5)     Churches almost always have a crèche or time out space. Know where this is and use it – you won’t disturb others by moving around and will allow your child an opportunity to relax.

6)     Ask someone at what age they can start attending Sunday School. Children under 5 are often specifically catered for in Sunday School programmes.

Children that have been brought up regularly attending church are comfortable in an adult environment and used to communicating with a wide range of people.

HOT TIP: explain what is going on through the service. Your child may not understand everything, but will take it all in and be more interested in what is happening.

• Parenting Courses
• Inspirational Bible Passage
• Spiritual Development
• Baptism
• Under 5s at Church
• Alpha