Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We will be switching from a church with childcare to a church with none. Children stay in the service. While our kids are older (11, 10 and 8), its still new for them to sit and be as quiet as possible for an hour+. Looking for some ideas?? ****NO electronics!!
I did look on Pinterest but busy bags and church bags seem to be geared towards toddlers.
I would suggest that you practice at home so they are ready for it at church. I wouldn't bring them anything to do. Since there isn't any childcare, I expect that the point is to have the kids listen to the service. I say this as a child that attended mass 3 times a week from 4-6th grade. I attended a Catholic school and we went to mass 2x a week and then I went with my mom on Sunday's. There wasn't any childcare.
The 11 year old (and maybe even the 10 year old) should be paying attention, as he/she will have their bar/bat mitzvah in a few years.
Can you take a cue from the other children in attendance? See what THEY are doing for that hour.
I'd bring activities. Our church has goody bags for kids during the service that have things like word search and coloring books, crayons and other small quiet toys. I wouldn't bring a tablet or phone for them though. They'll still listen and take something away from the service.
That said why are you switching? To me having the programs for children would be a reason to switch to that church, not away from it.
Unless they have special needs, they should be able to sit for 1 hour. At my church the younger kids have bags with small toys, books , and coloring. I've never seen anyone older than about 7 with one.
The 11 year old (and maybe even the 10 year old) should be paying attention, as he/she will have their bar/bat mitzvah in a few years.
Can you take a cue from the other children in attendance? See what THEY are doing for that hour.
I'm a Reform Jew myself and I'm with Pitt Chick. At their ages, if they are going to be a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, they should be paying active attention to the service. The only one that might be a stretch and in possible need of some activity while there is the 8 year old, for whom I would maybe suggest a book during the sermon.
Will you be going to services every week? Fri night and Sat morning? If so, maybe you can go less often, or only holidays, family services etc. That's another potential area for compromise if needed.
Pure and utter torture. I remember having to sit through services up until I was 9. I am sure they were only an hour, but I found it to be absolute torture. I could sit through an hour in many other situations...there was something terrible about church.
So I think you should ask yourself if this is the way you want your kids to view your religion? Boring and torturous? And do you want to be spending the entire service keeping them entertained and quiet? Because it seems like you would like to go, not just to fill a seat, but to listen, reflect and recharge.
I just think its potentially a huge nightmare waiting to happen.
Pure and utter torture. I remember having to sit through services up until I was 9. I am sure they were only an hour, but I found it to be absolute torture. I could sit through an hour in many other situations...there was something terrible about church.
So I think you should ask yourself if this is the way you want your kids to view your religion? Boring and torturous? And do you want to be spending the entire service keeping them entertained and quiet? Because it seems like you would like to go, not just to fill a seat, but to listen, reflect and recharge.
I just think its potentially a huge nightmare waiting to happen.
Wow. I sit in a sanctuary for about an hour, at least a couple times a month , with several kids who manage just fine.
These same kids manage to sit in school for several hours every day. I really don't think 1 hour is too much to ask, especially of the 10 and 11 year olds.
My son decided he didn't like Sunday school around age 9, and has been sitting quietly in church ever since.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
