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Expectations for Toddler During Family Bible Time
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Just about three months ago, my husband started a family Bible time with all of us right after dinner every evening. He’s been going through Leading Little Ones to God. He reads the book, asks questions, reads a short passage of Scripture, sometimes we sing, and finish with prayer. The whole thing is about fifteen minutes–twenty minutes at the most.
My children are five, almost three, and eight months. The five year old is very attentive. The baby usually nurses or plays quietly with a toy on my lap.
The almost three year old is a wild man. 🙂
The content is mostly above his head, though my husband tries to ask him simple questions. He only JUST began sitting for short picture books unlike his older brother who would sit for book-reading as an infant.
Is it too much to expect a child with an active personality who isn’t quite three to sit (relatively) quietly for fifteen minutes? Should we alter the content for his sake? But his older brother is truly enjoying the content and I don’t want to shortchange him either.
Suggestions and thoughts are most welcome.
No it’s not to much to ask. I expect my 3 yr old to sit for an hour at church every Sunday. To sit for our 45 min. family school time. It is something that you have to train them for though.
Start with 5 minutes of sitting, now it’s up to you if they will be allowed a toy or not. If not continue, but if so you have to decided how many, the rules of what kind of toys, what happens if they become interrupting, there are no bathroom breaks, no drinks of water, what ever you want them to be able to do or not to do. Set rules for him/her. Practice 3-4 times a day just 5 minutes sitting (for us we do it with nothing so that they learn exactly what I want). Let them master this for about 2 days, then up it 2 minutes. If it’s really to hard bring it down to 2 minutes to start with. The idea is you want them to feel like they have really done something for Mom and DAd to be proud of. And of course PRAISE THEM! Love them, Kiss them, and show them how proud you are that they could do this. You should not nor do you have to sit with them. Just be in the kitchen making lunch or snack (something you can stop to correct the child in a loving and happy manner.)
Then continue practising it till you have what you want them to do. Still we practice this daily almost for all my children. There are so many times in life that they need this other than church, attending someones home, dr. apt, etc. There is always a time to work on sitting quietly.
Hope that helps. And the as far as the 8 month old, at 6 months we start blanket time. They get a blanket about 3 toys and every time they move off the blanket we say “No, blanket time” and a little pinch on the thigh, hand what ever nothing hard just to re-enforce the no. Just a little side not, this will make sit time later for that child much easier.
Misty
I have 4 kids – 9 yo girl, 6yo boy, 2.5 yo girl, 3 month old boy. All 3 (I don’t count the baby yet.) are very different with the 2.5 yo the most active of the bunch. However, even she can sit through an hour long church service quietly so, no, I don’t think it is too much to ask. However, you may have to work up to it by starting small as Misty suggested and starting at home. Have him sit quietly for 5 minutes beside you. If he doesn’t then treat it as disobedience for that is what it is. You will do him a great service by training him to submit to your authority in all situations, even when he would rather wiggle around.
After teaching pre-k and k kids in church and co-op for about 10 years, I’ve only had 1 kid who didn’t succeed at learning this and he was autistic.
Be encouraged, you are doing an awesome job of being intentional with the raising of your boys! A book that has been a great help to me and has been mentioned here many times is Raising Godly Tomatoes by Elizabeth Krueger. It is the clearest book for child training that I’ve read and I’ve read many! You can read the entire book for free online, too.
Blessings,
Christie
We always had our little ones draw pictures of the Bible lesson while they listened to the story. It helped keep their attention and the noise level down so the older ones could concentrate too!
I like the idea of drawing or something along those lines. And the idea of “practicing” sitting still.
Easybrizy, I forgot to add that we also keep colored clay on hand. In addition to drawing they also love to sculpt the Bible characters and ‘props’ for the lesson. Just watch your carpets! 😉
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