Noisy children and quiet services – thoughts from our Children & Families Worker

Many parents worry about bringing their children into a church service due to the potential for them to be noisy, cause a fuss, not stay in one place or even have a tantrum – this can become a reason why parents don’t come to church. Please DO NOT let this be your reason! We understand that children are not mini adults, they are not designed to be quiet or still or understand that shouting out “whose that man on that cross up there, is he dead?” halfway through prayers may not be the right time to ask that question (yes it’s happened, yes it was my child). We also understand that as parents you are doing your absolute best! We have a Sunday School during term time and a children’s corner filled with resources for smaller ones and school holidays. We can also livestream the service into the hall if your child needs to take a break. The only thing we ask is the same thing we ask of all our congregation – be respectful of those around you, allowing them to worship and meet with God. If you’d like to chat before joining us on a Sunday please email our Children & Families Worker.

What we offer on a Sunday morning for under 3’s

We have an informal approach to our under 3’s on a Sunday morning, recognising that most children of this age are too young to go out to a group without their parent. So parents can choose on a Sunday morning whether to either accompany their under 3 out to Sunday school in the hall or whether to keep them in the service and make use of the children’s area or do a combination of both. If you have a 3yr old who is confident to come out to Sunday School without a parent present they are welcome – this is decided on an individual child basis.

In the main church we have a children’s area with quiet activities, including baby toys, play food, busy boards, fidgets, colouring, stampers and books. This area must be supervised and is available for quiet play throughout the service. In this area you will also find a table and chair and sofas. You may also find this area comfortable for feeding young children during the service.