Purpose-Driven Pew Games

**Our next few postings will continue to focus on ideas for keeping kids interested in the church service. **

Combine a squirrelly child with an early morning and an hour-plus service and it's no wonder a young child can have a hard time paying attention during church. You've probably tried distracting your child with toys, bribing him with snacks, even threatening him with a look that says, "Be quiet right now or you'll spend the rest of your life in your room."

But helping your child enjoy church doesn't have to be difficult. With a few creative worship-related
activities up your sleeve, you can encourage your wiggly one to pay attention to the service and even understand what's happening.

Here are our first "games" to try...

Go to the Head of the Class
To limit distractions, help your child choose a seat near the front of the church, with a good view of the altar and pulpit. This allows him to watch the musicians and feel "up close and personal" with the pastor. Before the service starts, talk about the different parts of the church—the altar, the pulpit, the baptismal area, the communion rail, or anything else that might be interesting to your child. Encourage your child to notice how the pastor uses these different parts of the church during the service.

Bonus Points: During the week, take a field trip to the church. Introduce your child to the pastor and other members of the worship team. Let him explore the equipment and different vantage points in the sanctuary. This cuts down on the squirming involved in a visual exploration of the sanctuary during the service itself.


The Ungame
Buy a notebook for every family member and let everyone personalize his or her own notebook. Tell
your kids they can use their notebooks to record sermon notes, write word lists, and note questions
they might have about the service or sermon. Then, before your family leaves for church, have your
children write out one question you'd like them to answer in their notebooks: "How does the music
make you feel?" "What are three things you enjoy about church?" "If you could ask the pastor one
question about today's sermon, what would it be?"

Bonus Points: During the week, use everyone's notes to review the message. Talk about ways you
can apply what you've learned and discuss questions or misconceptions.

(from article Purpose-Driven Pew Games by Barb Jenista and Sue Miholer, 2006 Christianity Today.)

Stay tuned...more to come!!