Hello all,
My wife and I put our 2 year old in a sunday school class for 2-3 year olds. Our daughter Dalia likes it but she cant sit still she tries to get up and is a little noisy. So we decided that she is not ready for sunday school class yet and plan on putting her in that class next year. At home when we tell her to sit, she sits and when we tell her to be quiet, she stays quiet. Maybe she gets excited with the other children?
Anyways, What do you all think? Any tips on teaching children to sit still in class and to listen? She is also noisy in service so we end up putting her in the nursery. Maybe she is not ready for SS and Service yet. But in the meantime what can we do to prepare her? What do you all do?

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Gregory
Reformed Baptist
Sacramento, California

Take this with a grain of salt, since I don't have kids. (I do have 3 younger siblings and I help care for my cousin's children though)

I think its perfectly normal for a 2 year old to not be able to sit through Sunday School and a worship service. Some children will, of course (I was a very quiet and complacent toddler who didn't mind sitting still), but many (the rest of my siblings, hah) won't be ready until they're a a little older. I wouldn't at all feel guilty about putting her her in nursery and keeping her out of SS.

If you do feel strongly about having her in worship, at least provide some coloring books and know that you'll have to take her out on occasion. Maybe she could stay in during most of the service, but leave during the sermon? Personally, I think its better for parents (especially mothers) to be able to sit under and absorb teaching than having to discipline their child all the way through the sermon. You also run the risk of teaching your child that church is something to be endured rather than enjoyed.

Just my 2 cents - I know lots of others will disagree.

Edit: I just realized that I misread your post and didn't really answer your question. Here are things that my parents did with my younger siblings and that I have done with my cousin's children. Some of them are geared towards older children though, so I don't know how much help they'll be:

- Bible themed coloring books
- having children draw pictures of what they hear during the sermon (Preacher says "Lamb of God," they draw a lamb for instance
- Bible story books - I know they're not listening to the sermon if they're reading a Bible story book, but at least they're learning about the Bible
- if they fidget, offer a diversion rather than just telling them to sit still (for younger children who legitimately need to fidgit, not older ones)
- explaining what worship is and why we do it (this may be harder with a younger one)

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Kathleen M
nondenominational
Montana

If she has trouble in a class of 2 and 3 year olds, the church service doesn't sound like a solution.

I'd suggest leaving her in the SS class for a month or two - and resist all urges to check up on her during the class. She'll soon learn the routine, if the teachers are competent, and the older children model proper behavior.

And if the class is properly designed, they shouldn't spend all that much time sitting without a break.

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Edward
Deacon
PCA
Texas

Gregory,

We have a 3 year old, a 22 month old, and a 7 month old. They join us in Sunday School (which I teach, and my wife handles them alone), and in morning worship. It can be done, BUT:

1. You have to decide that they are NOT going to win.

2. You have to assume that they are capable of obedience (which means they are Christians). If they were vipers in diapers, it would be expected that they can only disobey.

If you don't have either of those working for you, it's a difficult task.

Cheers,

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Adam B., Wine Country, California, PCA

"I fear not to hold with Junius, de Politia Mosis cap. 6, that he who was punishable by death under that Judicial law, is punishable by death still; and he who was not punished by death then, is not to be punished by death now."

Our class for 2s-3s has exactly one kid that seems to get anything out of it. Your daughter is normal and typical. I would put her in the nursery and let her play until she is maybe 4 or 5 and ready for a long, structured class that needs focused attention.

Sing and read bible story books at home, she will be just fine.

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Lynnie

PCA

Central NJ

we taught 2 and 3 year old sunday school. They get up they move around they are little munchkins. you keep the lesson to 2 or 3 minutes and you make it as age appropreate as possible. and we brought our children in worship service with us when they were 3.5 years old. and even then it was a struggle but at two I think that it's not benifitting the child and only frustrating mom and dad. I would let the Sunday School teacher wrok with her for a few weeks and see how it goes and put her in nursery during worship.but that's my two cents.

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Jessica Auner
Wife, Mother,
Garden City, Ga
Ephesus Church
(a Reformed Baptist church)

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Try not staying with your daughter. Kids are sometimes more still and "obedient" for strangers than for mommy and daddy.

My son is in the two and threes SS class, and this year he is he is now three, so he is now one of the older kids. There is a dramatic difference than a year ago--I think you'll see the same thing next year.

We also keep our three year old and our not-yet two year old with us in the worship service. I am not convinced this is the only appropriate way and I don't want to bind your conscience, so I will only say that it is definitely possible. Yes, I have to exit the sanctuary occasionally (and that is an "often" in the beginning of training), but I leave for a few seconds, discipline in some way, and return. It is humbling, but otherwise, not a big deal for me.

How we got to this point? We started at home with family devotions. The kids weren't allowed to cry/make noises, but they were allowed to fidget. We would rock and bounce them, even. Our first goal was quiet. If they would make a noise, you could flick their cheek or cover their mouths, but say, "no-no," quietly while doing it. Both of my children were about 15 months when we actually saw genuine progress at church and when we knew that they could for sure sit through a service. We started training at about eight months--so that is some time. Prior to that, the children did stay with us most of the time, but we (especially my husband) had no problem whatsoever rushing them to the nursery in the middle of the service if they (we) needed it! The only problem with that when the kids are older is they can learn to cry so they can go play there, so we don't do that now!

It helps if other parents in your church are doing the same. I also think it helps if you do not think of it as a moral decision, as in one is sin and other righteous. There is less pressure that way.

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Shalom,
jessi
PCA
Steelers fan exiled to Virginia


“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”
Martin Luther

To my mind, a 2-3 SS class is going to be pretty crazy- more like nursery than a class. I would leave her, but let the teacher know you're happy to get her if she's too disruptive.

As far as training to sit in church - it can be done at 2. How many months is she? I've found the younger twos are harder to train to sit still, but by 2.5 it starts getting through more. I heartily second Jessi - practice makes perfect! Once a week at church is not enough to teach a little on to sit still, it must be an everyday thing. There are lots of variations - you could do it during family worship like Jessi suggested. To start out, I'd suggest having "sit time" everyday where you have her practice sitting still next to you. Start with just 2-3 minutes, and move from there. Correct her when she moves or makes noise, but try to be upbeat (yippee! time for sit time! We're going to practice staying still!) and expect it to be challenging to your patience at first. Good luck!

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Catherine
PCA
Waldorf, MD

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
Proverbs 16:20 ESV

I agree with Catherine.

I teach the 2 & 3yo class at our church which is composed of two little boys, ages almost 2 and almost 3. We are using the PCA SS material for that age but since it's such a small class and since these little boys have such short attention spans I settle for trying to make the Bible lesson as engaging as possible and the rest of the time allow them to play - the class is in the nursery where the toys are. I know it doesn't sound like much but they are being exposed to Scripture and are required to sit while listening to the story and I think they're doing pretty good for their young age. When they turn 4 they will be ready for the more formal beginner's class. What I'm doing is simply getting them ready for that.

So, my advice is to leave your 2yo in the class. I'm sure the teacher is well equipped to handle her and your dd will get more out of it than you realize.

Blessings!!

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Sue Scott
First Evangelical Presbyterian Church - PCA
East Liverpool Ohio

Thanks for all the great suggestions and encouragement. What a blessing! Yeah our daughter is in her early 2's .... 2 years and 3 months. Thank God for all of you dear saints!

Kathleen, I am on the rotation of teaching 2-year-old SS, and so I too know the challenge. I have only taught it for 2 months early this year (I teach again in Nov./Dec.) but usually we can tell how a child will behave as their parents drop them off. The 2 year old SS is right next door to the nursery with a door between them, so yes we have sent some of the younger kids over to the nursery. Usually, though, if they misbehave, they will do it before their parents leave the room. All the parent has to do, usually, is to take their child out of the room for a minute and lo and behold they are calm when they return The parents also have a pager, but it's fairly rare that it has to be used.

One of the first things I was told was that the 2 year old class is a time of transition. And so we treat it as such. We will start with a song (they LOVE "This is the Day"), pray, and then have a short lesson.

We use Gospel Light coloring pages with Bible lessons on the back. I've found it to be easy to use! One warning though- some of the pages have pictures of Jesus, and whenever I am teaching I will find an alternative (a picture of 5 loaves and 2 fishes, for example).

The pattern has been to give them the pages to color while they hear the lesson. While this keeps them from fidgeting, I wonder if it distracts them from the lesson or helps them? I have tried it both ways with different results!

After the lesson, we give them a snack, and then we let them play with (more advanced) nursery toys or they might put together a puzzle. This gives them a break before we do their Child's Prove It Catechism. That's always interesting! Generally, they do a good job. Of course, you'd be amazed at how many questions that "God" or "Jesus" is the answer to!

By this time, it is time for them to help us pick up the crayons and other items, and we put their colored pictures up on the bulletin board (they love being lifted up to hold the page while we pin it!) They also like to be held so they can look out the door for their parents.

It's half way in between nursery and SS, and some days it is more like nursery than SS. But we trust that God can use the lessons that they are taught for His own glory and purposes!

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MarieP
Reformed Baptist Church
Louisville, KY

"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant" (Gen. 32:10)