Important children's church question?

Question

how do you get kids from the ages of 6-9 to calm down, stop playing and listen during children's church. i am about to be the teacher of the class in a few weeks and i all ready have great lessons planned out that they will love but all they want to do is play and run around. i know they are children and they want to play but when it's time for church, it's time for church. how can i get them to pay attention and calm down without giving bribing them by candy to get them to be quiet??

Answer 1

You have to make them understand that they must tough it through for a short message before they can sing, color, or visit. Offer a reward for the best boy and girl.

Answer 2

They are children, of course they want to run around and play.  That's the way God made them.  Bribing a child to behave is the stupidest thing ever.  Why do they HAVE to be quite anyway.  Is God going to come down and destroy the church if they're not?

Answer 3

start off each class with a group prayer, and allow the child who is sitting the most reverently to lead the prayer. Get a big bag of cheap candy (check with parents first), and as you give the lesson pick a kid who is being good and say "look how quietly Johnny is sitting and listening, he gets a reward" Kids will catch on soon and be calm in hopes of getting a treat.

Answer 4

I used to be there early and have a cassete/CD player on softly, playing kids tunes.  I would have coloring/crafts on the table for them to begin as they came in, and as they were starting to draw to the end of that, we would get in a semi-circle on the floor and have the lesson.  I found that sitting that way on the floor kept them paying attention better.  Make the lesson as interactive as possible.  Plan some singing after the lesson, as you often don't know how long the adult's service will last.  It worked well for me for several years, even for kids that had never been in church before.

Answer 5

Whisper and start acting out a skit and maybe bring out a special guest (like a puppet).  Your whispering instead of  screaming for them to quiet down, will catch them off guard and they will become intrigued with the story.

Answer 6

the biggest thing you have to remember when it comes to groups of children is this: 1) you have to be calm if you want them to be calm. if you're so much as tense or frustrated, they will pick up on it. 2) if one kid is acting up, chances are they all will. lol make your lessons short, with lots of breaks, telling them that if they do this first, they will get to do that. everyone has really good answers. i like to see a thread with no slime on it. too many people have nothing better to do than to make stupid comments on posts where someone is honestly looking for advice.

Answer 7

Ages 6-9 seems like they should be able to sit quietly and pay attention for a church service, it's not like they're pre-schoolers.  You don't say how many kids are in the group or how long the service will last.  Can you get a teacher's aide or two to assist you in getting them attend to the service?  I personally do not believe in food rewards, kids should learn there are times and places that they need to be quiet and listen without any sort of rewards.

Answer 8

By not telling them all this god c**p! he is NOT real! Simple!