If you’ve ever wanted to attend a prayer meeting without hiring a babysitter or thought about bringing your kids to worship with you, you may need a “church bag.”
Not every church has a nursery or childcare throughout the whole service. Some churches allow families to send their kids to “Sunday School” or “kids Church” after the worship ends. Some churches are so small that there isn’t anyone to teach the kids during the sermon. Then there are some families who prefer to sit together in the service regardless of whether childcare is provided. But that leaves some families wondering, what do I do with my kids during service?
Enter the Church Bag.
What is a “Church Bag”?
A church bag is a bag of activities and quiet toys that is set aside specifically for church services. Your church bag should contain items that serve 2 purposes:
- These items should help kids engage in the Sunday service.
- These items should give your children something to do when they are struggling to sit still, need to move, or fidget.
- Lastly, these should be quiet items that allow your child to play/engage in the church service without being too boisterous. (there was a time we couldn’t have cars in our church bag because the noises our son would make could rival those of a muscle car driving into the church building. It was cute – but not overly appreciated.
Why should I have one?
I’ll be the first to say expecting young children to sit through an hour and a half service… or even 45 minutes of worship geared towards adults can be difficult, if not impossible. But Jesus said, “…let the children come to me…” (Mark 10:13-15).
Whether or not your church has childcare. Regardless of whether or not you take advantage of childcare if offered, we cannot hinder children coming into the church services. A church bag gives children a way to engage in the service or stay busy when they can’t.
Let’s face it, the Sunday morning service is geared towards adults, not toddlers. There’s nothing wrong with that (especially when parents are the primary disciple-makers of their children, they need to be poured into in order to be poured out). Teaching our children to be quiet and respectful is a good idea. But to treat them like they have to act like adults in our church services isn’t exactly what Jesus had in mind. The Church bag gives children something quiet to do when they are feeling their age and can’t pay attention or engage in what is going on.
*A quick note for churches:
At one church my husband and I worked at, I created multiple church bags to have available for families coming into service. This was simply a way to say they were welcome whether they kept their children with them or took advantage of the childcare that was offered. Honestly, I think more churches should give families options like this. Creating these bags to minimal work and low costs. If you’re looking for an easy way to make this available to families it can be as simple as dollar store clipboards, a bag of crayons, and some coloring sheets (or this church note printable for older kids).
What should I put in my kid’s Church Bag?
Something to help them engage in worship
My kids love these DIY ribbon wands and we make sure we always have them on hand at church.
This helps them engage in worship in a fun way. Some other options may include a worship scarf or other small piece of fabric they can wave around/hold. Teaching your kids they can clap and sing helps them engage in the more upbeat songs. And when your kids see you engaging in worship they are more likely to grow into engaged worshippers.
A way to color
This could be coloring pages, a coloring book, or a pad of paper and some crayons. (I recommend crayons over colored pencils unless you want to be sharpening pencils every week, crayons are much easier).
For older kids: a way to take notes and some pens/pencils
When your children are in mid-upper elementary you can begin to teach them how to take notes during the service with these “Church Notes” printable. There’s a place to draw, a place to reflect, and a place to write down what you want to remember from the message!
Small fidget toys
My kids love pop-its and small manipulative fidget toys. Wicky sticks are another great option here for older preschoolers and elementary children. An easy search online will bring up a variety of fidget toys for all ages.
A bible based book or a children’s bible for an older kid.
A short bible based book like the ones from Daily Grace Co. is a great addition to a church bag. Sometimes you can even find bible story books at the dollar store if your budget is tight. Even though most toddlers and preschoolers can’t read, they often love looking at picture books.
A Small Snack and water bottle
If you know, you know. Honestly, I like to pack a snack for myself too. There’s nothing worse than being hungry when someone is trying to greet you, talk to you, or pray with you on a Sunday morning.
A word of warning: granola bars are not the best idea to bring to church for preschoolers. Something happens between our home and walking through the doors of the church. Granola bars usually just end up as a sticky mess. So unless you want to be cleaning bits of granola bar out of the carpet or clothing (like, all day long, the stuff is like sand when my kids have it at church), leave the granola bars at home and grab a small back of crackers instead.
Do you use a church bag for your kids? What would you add to the list?
