Surviving Sacrament Meeting & the Sabbath Day

I’m posting this basically because I need help!  I want to brainstorm with you about how you survive church & Sunday with toddlers – so please comment!  If I don't know you yet, just introduce yourself.  Now that my children are getting older, I feel like wow, I need to get my act together to try to teach these kids!  We all want our children to learn reverence and to also learn to love church and grow closer to Christ.  We also want to personally get something out of the meeting too.  Our ward has sacrament meeting for the third hour, so our little ones have a hard time.  It seems like we have to walk out of the chapel at least once every week.  I walk into sacrament meeting with my game face on and my bulging diaper bag full of tricks.  And, as soon as we hear the final “Amen,” we’re absolutely exhausted!  Steve and I then smile at each other with glazed eyes and feel a great sense of relief :)  I think the only time I have been early to church as a mom was last week - and that's because the kids stayed sick at home and I had to teach the lesson!  Man, I learned SO much those three hours and I actually listened and even made lots of comments and got to share my testimony :)

So after lots of research, here’s a concise list of helpful ideas:

Saturday IS a Special Day. When I actually get out everyone’s clothes and find all matching socks and shoes on Saturday night it saves so much time on Sunday.  If I try to pack the diaper bag too (It helps me to have a certain Sunday bag) I find it’s a little more possible to maybe be on time :)  Also, getting the children involved in preparing and the parents showing excitement for the Sabbath I imagine is a positive influence. 

A Little Earlier.  I re-learn the same lesson over and over again.  I have to leave for church way earlier and also wake up a lot earlier to make it on time!

Set Clear Expectations.  Before your children step a foot inside the chapel, they should know clearly what is expected of them.

Make the Pew More Fun than the Foyer.  If we misbehaved, my parents would take us into an empty classroom and hold us firmly on their lap.  Be consistent and follow through as you explain that you will hold them until they are ready to behave in sacrament meeting. 

Pew Near an Exit.  We like a side pew where we can trap them in more easily and also close enough so we can run out easily :)


Walk the Walls.  When my boy was really, really young and got restless, we would walk around the church looking at all the pictures of Jesus. 

Have Activities for Little Ones.

• http://ldscoloringpages.net/ has great gospel related print outs your children can color. 
• A wonderful mother commented that she SIMPLIFIES and just hands out a notebook and pen to each child after the sacrament is over - less mess and works well!
• Create a picture book with old LDS magazine pictures or bring the Friend.

I made our own Gospel Lace-Up Cards using construction paper, colored pictures, hard laminate, a hole punch, and shoelaces.  

I created a laminated Church Flip Book with pictures of Jesus and also of my son that teach gospel principles.  We especially like to look at this during the actual sacrament.

                                                     

                                                   Here are some more example of various pages

Church-related books. One suggestion online was to do a quiet activity like books before taking the sacrament and then bringing out the other activities and snacks after the sacrament. 

I want to try the “Noah’s Ark Magnetic Fun Tin” on Amazon.

Certain Puzzles keep Brayden focused and busy.  I LOVE this Melissa & Doug alphabet puzzle.  After lots of practice, he can now do it on his own.  I'm sure as he gets older, we'll need to stop this, but when they are young it has helped.

Snack Time.  Yes, they can make a mess, so there’s differing opinions on this.  It has become a little tradition for us to bring a mini container and some fruit snacks that my son gets to hold while we look through books. The other week Brayden did accidentally chuck 2 fruit snacks that nailed the elderly couple behind us. Whoops.

Have a Sense of Humor.  My close friend is a beautiful, deliberate mother.  One time in the middle of the silent sacrament her little boy got mad and said super loudly, “I am going to break you into pieces!” Sometimes we are embarrassed by what our children do, but I love how she was so shocked and just tried to hide her laugh!  Try to focus on the child rather than responding to your pride, embarrassment, or frustration. 

Teach How to Whisper.  My little boy hasn’t quite learned yet how to be soft and whisper.  Online it suggests to point out the difference between loud and soft during the week or have special “quiet times” during the week.  When your child is being quiet point it out to him.

Some One-On-One Whispered Interaction.  Pre-school age children need some reverent interaction with a parent.  I like to whisper to Brayden about what the deacons are doing, explain the sacrament, and talk about Jesus. They need to receive a lot of winks, hugs, smiles, and pats during the meeting.

Reinforce Good Behavior.  Thank your child for the times when they are acting appropriately. 

Review Something Said in Church. Talk afterward in real simple terms something that was taught, or have an older child during the talks draw pictures of the topic and hang up at home.

Sunday Box.  Sometimes it can feel like Sunday is just a bunch of can’t dos.  My sister-in-law Michelle created a “Sunday Box” where she fills with special activities that are saved only for Sunday…. Maybe a brownie mix box, special Sunday music, special books, certain crafts, note cards, gospel-related games, dolls to dress up in “Sunday best.”

Sunday Interviews.  My parents were fabulous at documenting our lives on film, especially on a Sunday.  These are some of our favorite home videos to watch.  Some families record an “interview” with each child every Fast Sunday.  Other families I know try to meet one-on-one with each child every Sunday to talk about how they are doing and to even set goals for the upcoming week. 

Journal Writing.  Sometimes I use the Sabbath to get caught up on my kids’ journals or even our “love journal.” 

Sunday Stations.  I watched my sis Michelle once set up stations after church where her kids could rotate through different activities ... like writing a kind note, watching a church video with special treats, calling grandparents, drawing a picture to paste in their journal, etc.  The idea is to make the Sabbath Day exciting for them.

Fast Sunday Tablecloth  To the right you can see my friend Jenn's special table cloth she puts out the Saturday night before Fast Sunday.  This tradition is awesome for reminding children (who don't fast yet) about the purposes of fasting.  Maybe you can get them excited by saying- after you get baptized, you get to fast like Mommy and Daddy.

Sunday Service.  We can’t stand to be stuck inside all day, so sometimes we’ll think of a family member we could visit or someone who could use help. 

Sunday Sundaes.  I’ve heard of families having the same dessert every Sunday as a tradition.  Some families even do “Sunday sundaes” where every time their child misbehaves in sacrament meeting they lose one scoop.  If they are good the whole time then that child earns all three ice cream scoops!   


Family Day.  If an activity is helping our little family grow closer and be together than I think it’s a good thing!

We also like to watch videos like this because they make me cry every time :).  This video is also found under the "Why I Write" tab!

What do you do for Sacrament Meeting & the Sabbath?!