Hello -
I am thinking about starting to go to church with my daughter. I have no experience with church and a child. At her age, will she actually be in a Sunday school with structured activity, stories, etc or will it be more of a nursery/playtime thing? I am sure each church is different, but can you tell me what your 3 year old does in church?
Thanks much!
My 3 year old goes to class with the other 3 year olds and then to a big meeting with family. It really depends on the congregation, I have seen everything from powdered donuts (not my personal recommendation) to sippy cups to puzzles, books and favorite toys. One mom I saw brought a pillow and had her son sleeping on her lap. In one place you'll see kids on the floor with coloring books, in another people will stare if your child makes noise. If my kids get too out of control, we may take them out in the hall for a break. There are a few other questions on here about the same thing. Some people are apalled that children would come until they are able to sit still, but to me this is simply un-Christian, in view of Christ's wards to "suffer the little ones to come unto me". It might make it harder for others to focus especially if she gets out of control, but that's par for the course, and that is part of how we teach our children to go to church and be good people.
Depends on the church. My church has preschool classes and they color, make decorations, watch videos, sing. My friends daughter is 3 and at their church they sing and dance but also read the bible in class. She suggested coloring one day and the teacher said "no, inappropriate". I guess some are more rigid.
In our 2 and 3 year old class, they have music and a bible story and then they do an art project related to the bible story. They may not all have the attention span to listen intently the whole time, but they give it a go!
Our church has bible story time, snack, singing, craft, play time and outside play ground time.
My church has over 500 kids, and when they renovated a few years ago, they put in 6 different room: infants, walkers and ones, two, three, fours and fives, and then school age. Each room is different just based on what that age range can handle. I would have to suggest to try and find a church home that caters to the kids, not treat them as an afterthought. If you child is excited to go, it will make it easier for you to.
My daughter is in our 3 year old class and they sing have story snack they even just performed at our Easter morning service.
At our church 3 is a transitional age. Nursery care is provided for ages 3 and under, and Sunday School starts at age 3. So, you have a choice for that year. At 4 years, in SS they might sing a song, listen to a story, and do a little project. SS is only about 45 minutes at our church.
Hi there! We attend Mt. Olivet Baptist Church - just started last Sept. I believe they have the 3's and 4's together. ( I have a 2 yo and a 4 yo, so just surrounding your daughter's age.) My son, the 4 yo, has some free play time with cars/dolls/etc. and some structured time with a little Bible lesson/story, praise and worship time with older kids, and a snack. I know some churches choose to put 2's and 3's together instead, and then that's probably more play time and singing. If you're interested in trying Mt. Olivet, they offer a service in Beaverton and 2 in North Portland each Sunday. I'd be happy to give you more info if you want! God bless!
We go to Living Grace in Tacoma. My three year old son goes to a Sunday school class for two and three year olds. Most of the time they play but they have a short lesson time (because of short attention span). In my opinion it is the perfect balance and he enjoys going which means I can go and enjoy my lesson.
I volunteer in the 2s and 3s class at our church (Soma in downtown tacoma) and what we do during that time is some free play time then we sing some songs, read a Bible story, talk about it a little and sometimes to a craft or an activity related to the story. At 2 and 3 we just try to balance their need to play and shorter attention spans with a little bit of fun learning! All the kids seem to really like it!
it does depend on the church. Larger churches will have more programming for kids. Even in our small church we have things for my 3 year old. they come into the church service for about 15 min for singing and children's sermon. Then they go to the nursery for playtime. During our Sunday school time they also have Sunday schoo.
We go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have a 3 yr. old as well. During the first hour families are all together, in the second and third hours he goes to his sunday school class with the other 3 and 4 yr olds, and goes to primary with 3-7 yr olds for singing and sharing time. He loves it and we love going to the adult classes without having to worry about him. Visitors are always welcome so feel free to find the building closest to you and go visit. Generally start times are at 9 am or 10 am, but there may be later meetings as well if more than one congregation uses the same building.
Hi Adrienne,
I volunteer in the children's ministry at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond. It's a large church, so the 3 year olds are have a class for just 3 year olds. They have free play, craft, centers, Bible story lesson and worship (in a different room with all 3-5 year olds). They don't go to with the adults at all.
Like you said, every church is different. If you don't currently have a church home, don't hesitate to shop around. Try different places to find one that feels like home for you and your daughter and offers the type of experience youj want for her.
Adrienne - 3 year olds can learn so much about their Savior in Sunday School! It's a great time to teach them the Bible stories as well as how to sit nicely in church.
In our congregation, Redemption Lutheran in Lynnwood, 3 years old is the beginning age of our preschool class. They learn a short Bible story in language they can understand, usually using felt boards or cut outs on popsicle sticks as the characters so they can attach the visual story to the verbal one. Then they do an activity or coloring which reinforces the lesson. Singing is also a large part of the class, because preschoolers retain so much from song.
Don't be afraid to ask to stay the first couple times to see what they do. Hang out in the background so that your daughter can be a "big girl" and not need you there, but it's important to know that there is an opportunity to learn about God, and not just babysitting time.
Blessings to you!
My church has Sunday school and children's church for ages 3 and up. We don't have a lot of kids, so the classes split 3-6 and 7- 11. The little kids do Bible stories and coloring. The big kids do catechism type stuff.
We tried several times before our daughter was 3 and it was heartbraking. Not that most people have that trouble, but she hated the nursery. Once she was moved into the preschool class at age 3, she fell in love with church! It is structured and there is a lesson plan and snacks and colortime and stories, and songs of worship, etc. I think she was just bored in the nursery, she always begged to go in with the "big kids". I would highly recommend you take her! Maybe even call around a couple churches and visit them to see what their programs are like for her.
P.S. my son has no problems in the nursery, but I am excited about him turning 3 and getting to go in the preschool sunday school class.
My 3 year old attends the main part of church in the chapel with the family. Then everyone splits into classes. She has a lesson, with some time for coloring. Then we have singing time where we learn songs about Jesus and stories and ideas from the scriptures. It is not a playtime at all anymore for her. That is standard in my religion, but I don't know what it is like in other churches.
Our church has a wonderful children's program! It's very structured...music, story/lesson time, a craft that ties in with the lesson and even a snack! My son is in the 3 yr old class right now and LOVES it! I know this can vary from church to church, but one of the reasons we chose our church was because we'd heard about their awesome program for kids! If I were you I'd call a few of the churches in your area and ask about the children's church and find out what all they do for that age group. Don't be afraid to try out a couple, too. When you find the right fit for your family, it gives you all something to look forward to at the end of the week!
At my Church (Beaverton First United Methodist Church) There is a 'pre-school' room for children ages 2.5-5. They can be in the room through the entire service, or stay in the service the whole time, or start out in the service and about 15 min into the service go up for 'Children's sermon' where they have a little lesson with the pastor on the altar then go back for Sunday school. My kids start out in the service then go to Sunday School. My 2 kids are 4 and 2.5 years old. In the Sunday School room them have stories, crafts, and mini lessons that follow the scripture lessons, then the rest of the time is just play with the other kids. While they play the teacher does incoporate the lessons they learned that day.
Hope it helps.
Let me know if you want more info on our chuch. I would be happy to share with you