Your turn: What have you done to teach children how to worship?
Scott AniolWe’ve been discussing the topic of teaching children to worship here for some time, and now I’d like to get your feedback.
I’ve offered suggestions and examples of things I’ve done both at home and in our church to encourage God-centered worship among children, particularly with helping them learn and love classic hymns.
What are some things that you have done, either in your home or in your church, to teach children how to worship?
I’m not sure if you just mean–what have we done to teach our children hymns? If so, we have bought numerous hymn CDs and play them at home and in the car…I try to make sure some of the same hymns are included cross-CDs so they can hear various renditions. Outside of hymns, our family has what we sort of think as a culture of “stones of remembrance.” We often recount things God has done for us and also what He has done for our children’s grandparents. We regularly share a lot of family stories of God’s faithfulness to us, even in the little things. We also spend a lot of time around various holidays–Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holy Week, etc.–doing special worship-oriented activities around that time. It doesn’t have to be “big” or involved either–though some of the activities are. For example, a small thing we do is wake everyone up on Christmas morning by singing Good Christian Men Rejoice, until we are all singing it around the Christmas tree. THEN we can open our presents.
Is that the kind of thing you meant?
Thanks, Alice. I’ve always been impressed by the deliberate ways you create spiritual times for your girls. Your home, unlike many Christian homes unfortunately, is deliberately CHRISTIAN!
Thanks! And…we unashamedly stole that Good Christian Men Rejoice idea from the Hughes family…