How can I encourage parents and carers of babies and toddlers that they can help their child engage with God in a service?
Session 2.2 · Note 4
Engaging Babies and Toddlers in Services
Sometimes people assume that babies and toddlers are too young to engage with God in a church service. Parents and carers of babies and toddlers may also be juggling a lot of practical issues - feeding, needing to change a nappy, worries about their child making noise. We can help those parents and carers understand that their child can be part of what’s going on and give them ideas for what that might look like.
Key Ideas
- Use the choices and permissions talked about in the previous question.
- If you can, have baby friendly resources to help them engage - board book versions of the bible, ribbons to wave, instruments to use. Items that don’t make a noise will help parents and carers not feel nervous about disturbing others.
- Encourage parents and carers to explain to their children what’s going on - see ideas from two parents of toddlers here.
- Remind parents and carers that even if their child only engages momentarily, they will be taking in more than you might realise, and you are also building their experience of church and God just by being there.
- Think about the practical things parents and carers might welcome - this post from Parenting for Faith has some great advice about how to be a baby friendly church.
Here are some top tips from other children's, youth and families leaders:
- We don’t open the creche until after the opening worship songs, so that babies and toddlers are present for that with their parents
- We teach the Makaton sign for ‘amen’ so that even toddlers can join in
- We offer colourful scarves to toddlers who are beginning to dance
- We say to parents and carers, don’t worry if your little one wants to move around, that’s fine, and there’s plenty of room at the front if they’d like to see more.
Find out more
- Encourage parents and carers to explain to their children what’s going on - see ideas from
- Encourage parents and carers to explain to their children what’s going on - see ideas from two parents of toddlers here.
- Think about the practical things parents and carers might welcome - this post from Parenting for Faith has some great advice about how to be a baby friendly church.
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