How to educate children about behavior during divine service?

“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.” (Proverbs 29:15 NASB)

It is important to teach children about the rules that they must follow in church. If they don’t respect them, it is wise to apply punishment to bring them wisdom.

During the service, children should not be left alone. Parents need to keep a close eye on what they are doing. I will share some rules we have applied in our family for our children:

• Before we go to church, we discuss and then recall the rules of conduct.
• When we get to church, we greet all the people we meet.
• At church, before Sunday school, the child will sit next to one of the parents.
• We remind them that they can have time with friends before and after church, but during church time we worship the Lord.
• To come to the Church with the Bible and to follow verses in the Bible.
• At the sermon (if there isn’t Sunday school), to take notes and then on the way home we discuss what they have learned.
• When they couldn’t write, I told them to draw.
• If they go to Sunday school, at the end of the lesson, to come to the teacher and thank him.
• We remind them that we, the parents, will ask them what they have learned and we will discuss the lesson learned after church.
• We remind them that at Sunday school they speak with respect to their teachers and listen to them.

It helps a lot when the parent, from time to time, asks teachers about the child’s behavior.

Before we set the rules, we talked to them and tried to help them understand what is good and what is bad. Just as we defined the rules, so we defined the punishment that will be applied if they are violate these rules.

When it came to punishment, we remembered those rules again to make sure they understand why we are punishing them. After the punishment, I taught them to be thankful for discipline and then we prayed that the Lord would help it not to happen again.

May God bless us to help children learn obedience and respect, reverence for God and the appreciation of His Word.

Translated by Olya Trikolich