Remember.....children are children.

Most will be squirmy to sit through an entire sermon.  It's ok!  Their endurance will grow as they mature.  Your child doesn't have to soak in every single sermon point to grow in his understanding and application of God's Word.

It's sometimes tricky to find the balance between not expecting enough out of our kids and expecting too much. But don't forget that it is a process.

One way to balance your expectations is to not compare one child to another. Each is so different in learning styles, abilities, desires, and how God may be working in his heart. Work with each child where he is at and with realistic goals specific for him.

When the discouragement comes, look through the frustration and see the deeper purpose and goal - to direct your child's heart toward Christ. This takes time.

TIP: Inform some of your "pew mates" that you are working to engage your child(ren) in the service.  Ask them to compliment your child if they notice your child doing the right thing and putting forth effort. Such as:

 "I saw you taking notes. I'm impessed!"

 "You did an extra good job sitting quietly and listening this morning. I know it can seem like a long time to sit but you did great!"

"What kind of notes did you take today?  Will you be willing to let me have a sneak peek at them?"

I remember the first time an adult complimented my son when he was still fairly "new in the pew".  His eyes lit up and I saw him stand a little taller!  Who knows...maybe it helped him try a little harder the next week!

So go ahead. Don't feel awkward to ask others around you to compliment your kids.  Your kids need it!

If you haven't picked up a copy of Sermon Notes for Kids, consider doing so. It can help tremendously with engaging your child in the sermon.
If your child is already using SNFK, and you find they have lost attention or are unusually squirmy, it can be helpful to have them switch to a different note-taking activity.

What to Do with Squirmy in the Pew (Part 2)

We had just arrived home from church.   Everyone began piling out of the van,
except for my 9 year-old daughter; she held me back.  For the next 30 minutes,
she and I sat in the van as she told me how the morning sermon had revealed the
ugliness of a habit of sin that had comfortably settled in her heart.  She
repeated to me all the parts of the sermon that had spoken to her listening
heart.  The Holy Spirit was speaking in a gentle voice and my daughter received it.

 Oh, how my heart swelled with joy!  We had been trying to reach our
daughter’s heart for a couple months in regard to this particular sin.  We had
been frustrated at the lack of response on her part.  And now here it was – a 
moment of breakthrough!

 I realize that it didn’t have to be a Sunday sermon that God used to reach
her heart.  The point I am trying to make is that a preacher’s sermon is no less
understood by a child.  He may be preaching to adult ears but the Holy Spirit
will take that message and meet me, you, or even a child, exactly where our
heart is.  The Holy Spirit gives us understanding.  It’s not necessary for a
preacher to dumb-down a message in order for it to be understood by a child.

 What a privilege it was to have been sitting beside my daughter in the pew 
and together receive the Word of God!

Sermon Notes For Kids is now available!

It's full of a variety of note-taking activities designed to engage kids ages 6-11 in worship. It contains 7 different activities for sermon note-taking and 4 bonus sections (Missionary Moments, Prayer Meeting, Communion, and a Guest Speaker Log).

Each section begins with an instruction page for the parent on how to best direct your child and making the most of each activity.

The Contents page as well as a video tour of the inside pages can be viewed here.

Sermon Notes For Kids is available at this Truth Steps Publishing and Amazon.com.

Page Count:  142 pages
Cover:   Softcover / Spiral
Size:  6" x 8.5"
ISBN:  978-0-9859876-0-2