Christ Centered Sacrament Meeting

My Sunday's have gotten a little more interesting lately. Instead of my usual 2 kids I have 4. ( a Foster care situation) I have my 3 year old boy, 11 month old boy plus a 4 year old boy and 20 month old girl, whew! This can sometimes make Sacrament meeting easier but most times harder. Especially since my hubby has to be at church at 7:30 for a meeting and it is my sole responsibility to get them fed, dressed, in the car etc. all by 9 am. Here are a few things that I do to keep Sacrament meeting reverent and most importantly Christ and "church" centered.

~ Car ride. On the ride to church (which is at least 10 minutes for us) we have no music, church music or classical music on. I also talk about church to the kiddos and ask questions. Where are we going? What are we going to do at church? Who do we think about at church? Are you excited for Primary/Nursery? What songs do you like to sing at church? All of these questions help get them excited for church and why we go.

~ Prep talk. Before entering into the church house we stop and talk about this being the Lords house and what we can do to show respect and reverence. This usually leads to Brayden (my 3 year old) folding his arms as we entered the building. It was a proud day for Mom when he did this all on his own with out any coaching from me *tear*. Now if only I could get him to walk more than he runs with his arms folded, we'd be in good shape. ;)

~ Seating. This is my husbands responsibility since h

e is there before me. We usually sit near the front giving the kids a clear view of the stands with there being few people in front of us to distract the kids. We also strive to find seats that are notaround any other kids. This is important to me because my kids get less distracted by others and less likely to try to "play" with them during Sacrament meeting. We also try hard to keep the kids facing forwards when on the seats.

~ Toys. We have a special Sunday bag that has toys just for Sunday. These toys are all some how church related. There are some that may seem a stretch but to me it works.

We have books: a Book of Mormon, Kid's Bible, Noah and the Ark, a busy book, The Friend magazine and some books by Van Chadwick Bagley that I and the kids love.

We also have a little magnet pen sketch pad, animal finger puppets, Noah and the ark boat with animals, Captain Moroni figurine, Noah and the ark puzzle books and other things we try to alternate each Sunday to keep them interested.

This is another reason for not sitting by other kids. The tendency for my kids to get upset is when they see someone else playing with cars, or airplanes or other non church related toys. Not because they don't have theres but the other kids will share, my kids in turn get too loud with them, get them taken away and then get upset. (My boys are very passionate about their cars and play cars LOUDLY. Revving their engines and crashing them, etc.) So to eliminate the problem we remove the temptation. Now that Brayden is older he will ask to take certain toys to church before we leave and I ask him if it's "church appropriate" he will look at it and say "no" them put it down and that's the end of it.

~Sacrament. This is something important to me. When we get to church and sit down the toys and snacks don't come out right away. We sit down and encourage the kids to sit reverently until after Sacrament. They are allowed to look at the hymnal, their Book of Mormons or the Little book about Jesus by Val Chadwick Bagley. After the Sacrament prayer we point out the Priesthood and what they are doing, we point out the bread and explain it's meaning, the same for the water. We try to get them to understand what is going on and who we should think about during this time. No snacks, drinks or toys are handed out until after the Priesthood has been excused to sit down. This can be difficult at first but has really made a difference!

~ Hallway = no freedom and no fun. If my boys act up they are taken into the hallway and are to sit either in our laps or we stand up and have them in our arms. They are not allowed to roam or play, it is like a time out. We ask them, "Do you want to stay out here where I hold you? OR do you want to calm down and go back inside where you can play with your toys and sit on your own?" Usually they will calm down with in a minute and then walk back to their seats with their arms folded. We usually don't have to take them out because they realize they have more fun inside.

~Take turns. My husband and I also take turns on Sunday. We switch off who will focus mostly on the lids and who will get to really listen to the talks. We just started this because we realized we were both barely hearing the talks sometimes. This way if one misses a bulk of the talk the other can fill them in after church and so we are both getting spiritually filled. HTe kids also get to see the example of a parent listening to a whole meeting. There are those "special" Sundays where neither of us get to listen at all but that's the life we get with young kids...

~ Ride home. On the ride home I do what I did on the ride there. Ask questions. Find out what they learned about, what songs they sang, what was their favorite part about church and it usually ends in excitement to go again the next week.

My Sunday routine may seem a bit extreme but it is what works for my overly energetic kids. When it is that consistent, they know what to expect and are ready for church. They also learn about religious things with the church centered toys since they are still too young to listen to the talks. Any opportunity we have to point out a spiritual truth with a toy or book or while the Sacrament is being passed we take it. These are things that help put family and I know they really don't differ from everyone else.

Please note, I tend to write too much...

Striving for a Reverent Sacrament Meeting

Like every parent, some weeks are good, some are surprisingly really good, and others… well, you know.  Today would fall under good. We approach Sacrament Mtg with one big goal: Make it through the block without having to leave.  Some days, like today, that goal is achieved.  So how do we do that?

-We arrive to church early. Since our ward meets at 12:30, this step is easy right now. This gives us a chance to snag a good seat before anyone else gets there. This is very critical in our reverence success. There are many places we discovered are bad seats, by experience. We sit where we are not directly below the freezing AC units, not in the overflow where there is NO AC, not by the exits where people are going in and out (and where we can trip the Aaronic priesthood doing Sacrament…{guilty}) and not by the many, many curtains that are fun to twist in throughout the mtg. We also use the time prior to get drinks, go to the bathroom/change diapers, and get some wiggles out.

- Snacks. We try to limit them to anything that would not cause a mess should they fall on the floor… and this even rules out the favorite: Goldfish. One little misstep and they are powder. Our snacks vary among fruit snacks, mini marshmallows, pretzels, wheat thins, raisins, and today I tried cheese cubes. (Success!)  I also usually make them wait until after the sacrament, mostly so we don’t run out too fast.

-Since our church is so late, we do a “clean lunch” in the car. This ranges from slices of bread, crackers and cheese sticks, granola bar, dry cereal, water, etc. Something to fill their tummies.

-If we do go in the hall, we try to make it not be any fun. I just stand there until they stop screaming and go back in as soon as it’s appropriate to do so. Unfortunately, when one parent/child combo leaves, the next follows because the child still sitting wants whichever parent just left. Go figure.

- Bag of tricks. This bag has toys that are not played with outside of Sacrament mtg, making them a special novelty and keeps their interest longer. We also rotate them every so often to add to the interest. These are the items in our bag right now:

   *Board Books

               *Bag with crayons and coloring books 

(and pages I copied out of Behold, Your Little Ones)

*Noah's Ark Pillow playset

 *Reverent File Folder Activities

(Courtesy of Grandma)

-Set an example. The girls are getting better at being still for longer spurts during the prayer. They whisper better when we whisper. They will sing occasionally (in their own way) as we sing. Some things we can ask them to do so many times, but seeing us do it helps them get it faster.

We still have many meltdowns and non-ideal moments, but these things have helped to smooth the rough edges J

Toddlers and Sacrament Meeting

What ways do you try to keep your child reverent during Sacrament Meeting?


Let me first start by saying that if you have a child who is "active" (ie: almost every little boy from the ages of 18 months to... oh, wait. They will always be that way!) then bless your heart for sticking it out through Sacrament meeting! This is the hardest part of Sunday for us and there are many days where all I have thought was "Is it time for nursery YET?! Is this speaker REALLY going 20 minutes over? Can't he hear all the kids crying?!" BUT... There are so many ways to make the meeting go smoother. Attitude is everything for me. If I can stay positive and not let my crazy children get the best of me, my children are almost always better behaved. Pack your diaper bag the night before. Wake up early and have a nice breakfast as a family. Try your best to not rush! Our kids can feel our stress level and it affects them in ways that we may not always realize.


Right now, we use a lot of books and puzzles. I also let M bring one "special" car to church that he gets to bring every Sunday along with some little dinosaurs or small toys that don't make noise. We also found an amazing sticker book that I keep for emergencies. I think that's a big ticket. Have your emergency toys, books, or snacks that you know your kid will LOVE, but don't show them until they are at their wits end. M will enjoy everything I bring for him (small snacks and a sippy cup, books, etc.) but then he gets so bored and try as he may, his energy gets the best of him. I try my best to keep him in the chapel and for the past 6 months have very rarely had to take him out. When I do, we go into a quiet room for a time out so that he doesn't think it's play time.

A Sprinkle Sacrament meeting

How I approach things such as sacrament meeting are shaped mostly by 3 things: my husband and my philosophy, the children with emotional disturbances I work with, and the class of all boys we had in primary for a year and a half. One thing it has taught me is that kids need to be able to wiggle and expend their energy in one way or another before being required to sit quietly for an hour or more. Another thing I have learned is how to take care of the problem before it becomes a problem.

I don't recall the last time I took little Sprinklet out of sacrament meeting crying. That isn't to say we don't leave. Before becoming a walker, Bromus did rather well in sacrament meeting. She was easily entertained with books and toys and food. Since walking she is harder to corral, but it can be done in small spurts. Bromus makes it through the sacrament portion every Sunday by bringing books for her to read, helping her turn pages in the hymn book, and providing small snacks. She can last about 30 min. Then come the ants. In her pants. When this happens we go out into the hallways and walk, then try again for a little bit. She is a little wiggly girl and has a lot of energy to expend. This helps her be better behaved and can make it through short stints in sacrament.

My goal is to create a little book with pictures of the Savior that I can use and whisper to her about during sacrament.

Sacrament Meeting Wrangling

What ways do you try to keep your child reverent during Sacrament Meeting?

My daughter is just 13 months old, and while she isn't talking yet, she can still be pretty vocal when she wants to. I've found that it's very helpful to have some small snacks that she can eat during quiet times like prayers and talks. This doesn't mean I bring our entire pantry, or a meal for her, just one small snack, like cheerios, that she has to concentrate to pick up and put in her mouth and that she will enjoy for a few minutes at a time. I also bring a few small toys that are fairly quiet so that she can have something to keep her attention. Either my husband or I usually hold her so that she doesn't escape underneath or crawl along the pews. She usually gets hungry for a bottle about halfway through the meeting because of the timing, so I have a small thermos of hot water, and formula portioned and ready to dump into the bottle. This makes it so much easier to feed her, without disrupting those around us by getting in and out of the pew a million times during the meeting. If I do have to take her out because she's being too noisy, I try to take her to a quiet place, either an empty classroom or a quiet hallway. I know that the foyers can turn into playtime when there are a few kids that need to be taken out. I try to avoid these places because then, rather than being a place to stop crying and get quiet, it becomes a fun place that kids want to go to. If they think it's going to be fun out in the foyer, they tend to consistently act up during the meeting so they can go out. I want my daughter to learn to enjoy the meetings, and learn that she can enjoy some quiet activities when she needs a break, rather than playing with toys out in the foyer. I'm definitely not perfect at keeping her quiet and entertained, but I try to at least keep her quiet so those around me can enjoy the meetings. If she does need to be a little louder, I try to have it happen during the songs, since those are pretty noisy times anyway. She likes to "sing" along, and I definitely encourage it, because she does better during the rest of the meeting.

(I'm adding my name as a label so that later I can find the posts I've done)

Topic: Oct. 10 week

What ways do you try to keep your child(ren) reverent during Sacrament Mtg.?

(remember the label, please)