Family Worship With Kids Who Won't Sit Still

Family worship with kids who won't sit still is still family worship. Keep the time short, give the children small jobs, let them move a little, and expect some noise. The Bible is being read, God is being prayed to and a hymn is being sung, even when a child is under the table.

If your children wriggle, interrupt, drift off and need to be called back, you are not the only one. God's Word is still being read, and He uses it. These ideas can make it calmer and happier for everyone, with some words of comfort for the tired parent. The Lord is patient with us, and we can be patient with our children.

What to expect from kids who won't sit still

A restless child may still be listening, and a quiet child may be thinking of something else. Do not judge the success of a session by how still the room is. David wrote, “Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13 to 14). The Lord knows how we are made, and we can know how our children are made.

Give small jobs

A child with a job has somewhere to put their energy. Ask one to hold the Bible, one to turn the pages, one to choose the hymn and one to say the amen. Rotate the jobs from day to day, so that nobody is left out.

Shorten, and let them move

Five focused minutes are better than fifteen restless ones. Stand for the hymn, and clap or sway if the tune is lively. Let a child sit on the floor or stand beside you. If one is very restless, ask them to act out a part of the story quietly, such as the disciples in the boat. Keep your own voice calm, and read with expression, because a child who hears the story told well will often come close.

Hymns with movement

Singing gives wriggly children something to do with their bodies. Choose a hymn with a clear beat and a refrain, such as “All Creatures of Our God and King,” “Trust and Obey” or “Joy to the World,” and find them in the hymn library. Sing one a few times. The movement helps the child, and the words still go in.

Start with a story that moves

Some chapters of the Gospels are full of action, and children follow them easily. The session for Mark chapter 9 has Jesus shining on the mountain and then healing a boy whom a spirit had troubled. Pick a passage with a clear event and read it briskly.

Protect your own patience

A parent who is tired may speak sharply. Paul says, “Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged” (Colossians 3:21). If you lose your temper, say sorry, and begin again. Your children will learn from your repentance as well as from the reading. Paul also says, “Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Pointing them to Christ

We bring our wriggly children to Jesus because He welcomed children and calls sinners of every age to Himself. He died for sinners and rose again, and He says, “Repent, and believe in the Good News” (Mark 1:15). Tell your children that, as simply as you can, even in the middle of noise. We cannot make a child sit still, and we cannot make a heart believe. We can read, pray, sing, call them to Christ and ask the Lord to give them new hearts.

Tonight, shorten the session and give each child a job. You can choose a chapter here, and if the site helps your family you can give here so more families can use it. May the Lord give you patience, and may your noisy table be a place where He is honoured.