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Making Sacrament Meeting Engaging for Kids: Tips and Tricks

Sacrament is the most special and important meeting we go to all week, but it can be a restless time for little ones who might have a hard time sitting still!

 

Here are six ways you can make sacrament meeting more engaging and enjoyable for your kids, all while gently redirecting their attention to the Savior and teaching them the purpose of the sacrament ordinance. 

 

  1. Give Them Responsibility

Let them carry their own little church bag and scriptures! Give them an inexpensive copy of the Book of Mormon and let them fall in love with their scriptures by coloring, doodling, highlighting, and flipping through its pages. Teach them to be respectful of the book, but don’t fret if a page gets torn. The preciousness is in the content, not in the paper. 

 

When it’s their own job to gather materials and carry their own little church bag, they feel excited about how they’ll occupy themselves during sacrament. As a bonus, it’s less for you to carry!

 

  1. Pack Quiet Activities You Know Will Interest Them

If your child isn’t interested at all in board books, don’t waste the space in your church bag. Try bringing different age-appropriate items like real scriptures (just for them), coloring pages and crayons, small fidgets, snack containers, gospel flashcards, or anything else you think your child will love. 

 

And don’t forget that something that works great this week might not always work. Change up the contents of your church bag every couple weeks or months to keep things interesting. 

 

  1. Make Sure Tummies Are Full Before Church Starts

Have you ever noticed how you’re more emotional, tired, inattentive, and sensitive when you haven’t eaten? Now can you imagine how hard it is for a child to be on their best behavior and be quiet and reverent through church if they’re hungry? So hard!

 

Pack a couple mess-free snacks for the car ride to church (or save them for church if needed). That way when everyone arrives, bellies are happy and brains are ready to learn!

 

  1. Don’t Forget the Creativity

Studies show that busy hands actually help children absorb lessons better than making them sit still and maintain eye contact with the teacher! Bring some Happy Notebooks and coloring materials for a quiet and creative way to stay occupied during sacrament meeting. Play connect the dots, draw comic versions of beloved scripture stories, or play squiggle games or tic tac toe! You can also print gospel-related coloring pages at home ahead of time. 

 

Bonus tip regarding coloring materials: Markers and crayons require no sharpening, make nice bold marks, and are washable!

 

  1. Explain the Sacrament Ordinance

Before church, explain to your little one what the sacrament is for, and why we take the bread and water each week. Teach them how the quiet time during the passing of the sacrament is a wonderful time to say a little prayer in our hearts and think about ways we can be kind to others and make Heavenly Father happy. 

 

The Sacrament & Me card set is an awesome way to teach kids about the sacrament in a reverent yet interesting way. Teach and occupy at the same time? Yes, please!

 

  1. Give Them A Break

Don’t be discouraged if you need to pace the foyer together or step out into the sunshine for a few minutes! 

 

It’s so hard for little feet to stay in one spot for a whole hour, so if the kiddos really need to move, take them for a walk around the building. Teach them how they can be reverent while they’re walking, and use the opportunity to answer questions, go potty, get a drink of water, and look at the pictures of Christ in the halls. Take the opportunity to reconnect with your kid and remember that the Spirit can speak to you and your child outside of the chapel, too.