Teaching Your Sunbeam to Attend Class

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

21 Jul 2008 12:00 PM

I'm a bit worn out from my experiences at church yesterday. I have a three-year-old whose idea of going to church includes running around, climbing on tables, and very loudly protesting the idea of being there. He's just being three, but three-year-olds are old enough to learn proper church behavior. As the parent, you best know your child and can determine what are the proper ways to teach him.

During sacrament meeting, we keep him entertained with coloring books and magnets that he can stick on the chairs in front of us. Usually about three-quarters of the way through the meeting, he gets too restless, so my husband takes him into the quiet room, which has a speaker piped into the chapel so he can still hear the talks. But during Primary is where all the fun happens.

It's a long time from the start of Primary to dismissal to classes. My little guy has to sit through announcements, talk, prayer, scripture, and songs, then through singing time and sharing time before he goes into the classroom. Really, that's a long time to sit and be reverent, especially when you're three. We've found that attending with him and letting him sit on our laps is a good alternative, and we take him from the room from time to time and walk around the building for a few minutes. Sometimes his teacher will let him color. Whatever is done should be carried out with the least disruption to the other children as possible.

Today he decided he wasn't going to sit nicely, no matter what I did. I was helping out in the class today, as the other teacher was out sick. He thought that yelling in the Primary room was a good idea, and I didn't, so we went out into the hall and he sat on my lap. I didn't let him get down to run off, even though he really wanted to - instead, I gave him the choice of sitting with me or sitting with his class. It took him a few minutes to get his mind wrapped around the idea, but then we went back into the room where he was well-behaved until time for class.

Class itself went better - there aren't as many rules and regulations and the children can express themselves more freely. However, he did decide to get up and run around a few times, so we took a little walk. That calmed him down and we were able to return.

Keep in mind, as you work with your child, that his temperament is unique and he might not respond to methods that worked well with your older children. Also keep in mind that we want church to be a pleasant experience for our children, and that while we want them to be reverent, we also don't want them to form negative opinions of church, either.

Work with your child's teacher to find out what tricks they employ when you're not there. Share with them the things you do at home that encourage your child to behave properly. It may take a little time. It will take a lot of patience. But your little child will learn how to behave reverently in Primary, with your help and encouragement.

Related Blogs:

Adventures in Sacrament Meeting

Teaching Reverence to Older Children

Goals for Primary Children

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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