Helping children worship

Several years ago, I was reading an article aimed at helping provide some insight for families struggling with how to lead their children into authentic worship and to help them to see church as an exciting place to be instead of a sentence to be served out. The author was Dr. Todd Capps. Dr. Capps began with Deuteronomy 6:4-9, where God instructs parents to teach their children. The verses teach that spiritual training was to occur throughout daily life. It was the parents’ responsibility to live out their beliefs for their children. It is important that parents model worship for their children at home and in a corporate worship service. How do you accomplish this? Dr. Capp had the following suggestions:

1. Accept the God-given responsibility of guiding your children to worship.

2. Talk with your children about worship. Ask them to define worship. Discuss and expound on your children’s definitions. Talk about how people worship, the purpose of worship, and how your family worships.

3. Children will learn the importance of worship in your life as you model worship for them. Worshiping as a family brings families together.

4. Seek to set positive examples and maintain positive attitudes about worshiping with your children.

5. Maintain regular attendance and be on time to corporate worship services.

6. Participate with your children through singing, reading the Bible, giving offerings, praying, and other forms of participation.

7. Sit where your children can see and hear the service.

8. Pray for and with your children before, during, and after the worship experience.

9. Worship with your children during the week by including conversations about God in everyday life, singing praise songs, and expressing gratitude to God for the things He does.

10. Ensure your children are well rested and eat a nourishing breakfast on Sunday morning.

11. Provide times for your children to get to know the church staff.

12. Allow your children to take a “Big Church” bag (such as, a Bible, crayons, paper, and chenille stems) to worship.

13. Encourage your children to listen for familiar names, words, or events during the worship time.

14. Positively comment on your children’s behavior following the worship service.

15. Ask/Answer questions related to the songs, sermon, and other things the children experienced.

Perhaps, if we follow some of these suggestions, we just might find worship to be our children’s high point of the week instead of something to be dreaded.