Parents are always reluctant to take their toddlers to church. It may be because
bringing your children to church is not the most enjoyable thing you will do on your
Sunday worship.
All the parents often feel like facing a challenging obstacle that they’ve never seen
before. The ambiguity in front of you could be what’s coming up in front of you, or
how you’re going to tackle it. As a parent, you should understand that children
belong to the church’. Here are some reasons you need to keep in your mind, and
why you take your kids to church.
These reasons will help you through those challenging Sundays. Let these benefits
encourage you each week as you faithfully take on the responsibility of bringing your
children to church to hear God’s Word and grow in faith.
1. Children Need to Understand that Church is Important
We give priorities in our lives. Job, sports, hobbies, social media, leisure time,
everything we include in our busy schedules. Among them, the church should be at
the top of the list.
Children are capable of understanding what is important in their lives. Meals, baths,
cleaning their rooms, putting toys away…these are all routine activities that are
consistent in their daily lives. The church should be as well. Attending church
services every Sunday or every day shows your children that this is a prime activity
that takes priority in your family’s life.
2. Children can Memorize Prayers and Songs
Children are endowed with amazing memory power! Parents argue that their children
don’t understand what’s going on in the church and so they wait until they’re older
before attending church service or put them in the nursery.
Children can grasp things in a better way and they never forget what they have
learned at a younger age. When children are in church service every Sunday, they
hear many of the same prayers and songs throughout the service. Over time, they
will start singing and praying along with you and the entire church community.
3. Children Remember what they Hear
Usually, the kids under three are most beneficial to this title. Think about it: if you
promise your child something but don’t do it for a while, do they not remind us? Of
course, they do! Parents can attest that their young children seem to remember
everything…and they say things at the most inappropriate times!
Now use that same memory power in a better way, especially in their spiritual
growth. There are a variety of things happening during the service and their curiosity
is piqued in a church environment. Sometimes we are seeing the kids with their naughty activities at church, but the prayers and activities that happen at church leave an imprint in their minds. Definitely, they are going to remember and ask questions later – much later! This provides parents with wonderful opportunities to talk to their children, bring out the Bible, and water the seeds of faith that have been planted.
4. Children can Learn to Behave During Church Service
All parents work hard to teach their kids to behave well in public places. We do this
by exhibiting ourselves in that particular situation. Church services also demand a
certain behavior that children learn over time. Church does require no priests to
come to warn both kids and parents if toddlers make noise while attending the
church service. You can use your patience only twice or thrice in the pioneer days of
taking them to church.
Children learn proper developmental skills like following directions, mimicking others’
good behaviors, sitting still, listening, and participating along with others. These are
great skills for young children to develop for not only church but also in other settings
outside of the service. Church is a unique environment where children can be
exposed to peer and adult interactions, morals, and role models, and even be able to
practice good citizen skills.
5. Church Attendance can generate a Wonderful Family Atmosphere
“Mommy, how did, how did God create people?” your kid may ask to you just after
return from church.
“God took the dust from the ground, formed a human being, and he breathed into
him…and there was Adam!” you may reply like this. “What about girls?” you may be
hooked by the following question.
That story can take your child into the world of curiosity.
“God took Adam’s rib, and made Eve.” By explaining things from the Book of
Genesis, you can instill faith into your kids. These faith-filled conversations fill our
days and provide wonderful connections that make the Bible come alive for our
children.
Parents can share what they experience during church service and Sunday school.
These conversations can be instrumental for opening up communication channels
for the years to come as children grow and mature.
6. Bringing Children to Church Strengthens Family Ties
“A family that prays together, stays together.”
The old clichéd sentence may wrinkle up your forehead. But it’s not any less true
now than it was then. The united worshiping family's focus is God. The strength to
lead a good family life can be taken from the common daily worship.
There are both seen and unseen benefits in bringing your children to church. Taking
young babies and toddlers to church is not an easy responsibility for parents.
Parents may often feel like the best thing to do is put off church attendance by a few
years, at least. But those “few years”, may affect the children's faith factors in a rude
way. And that is so important in a young family’s life. Whatever age your children
might be, going to church will encourage and strengthen your family now and in the
years to come.