How to Train Young Worshipers

My husband and I just returned from a weekend at the beach with our daughter’s family, including their twins. We joined their vacation and delighted in watching 4-year-olds outrun waves, find mole crabs, and build drip castles. This joyful childhood adventure was made possible by their parents’ careful planning and the packing of beach chairs, umbrellas, sunscreen, and snacks.

I’ve been considering how guiding children to be worshipers on Sunday mornings at church requires similar, if not more, forethought to be successful. Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” Here, God tells us to model worship to young children and train them in it. Forming young worshipers is a long-term endeavor for both parents and churches, and preparation is crucial. But first, we need to remember why it’s so important.

What’s So Important About Corporate Worship?

Our theology of Sunday morning church, and of children, fuels our commitment to participating in worship with our kids. Corporate worship embodies much of what we consider God’s means of grace for us. When we worship together, we read God’s Word, hear it preached, pray, celebrate baptisms, and serve the Lord’s Supper. This is how the Holy Spirit meets us.

Corporate worship isn’t about us; it’s about worshiping God. In his book In Constant Prayer, Robert Benson writes, “The paradox of worship is this: we perform these acts of worship, but they are not actually for us. We do these things for God, and then we are the ones who are changed.”

Scripture teaches that all of us, including children, are made in God’s image and are invited into corporate worship. Jesus also reminded us we must emulate children in how they think about and come to God (Matt. 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:16). Children are gifts. They’re often uninhibited and energetic vocalists when singing hymns. I’ve had more than one Sunday school class bow low to the ground with their heads touching the carpet during prayer. And when a young child asked, “Is God in this car?” I was reminded of God’s omnipresence.

Children have insights and ways of relating that many adults have long forgotten. So we must nurture them in biblical faith and include them in the communal gathering of God’s people.

How Can Children Join Us in Worship?

From birth, children are sources of praise to God. “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise” (Matt. 21:16; cf. Ps. 8:2). My home church embraces the presence of children in the sanctuary, offering a cry room for nursing babies and inconsolable kids but welcoming all children.

Wise parents expose their children to formational experiences before they fully understand them. Sanctuary worship is an encounter like no other; Where else do we sing to God in unison, plead with him in prayer, and sit under his spoken word? Only the church can be the church. As Valerie Grissom says, “Worship is formational. We need participants. If we don’t allow children in, they can’t be formed.”

Checklist for Worshipful Sundays

So, let’s get practical. How can parents in particular make training children in worship a priority?

1. Use family worship at home to cultivate participation in corporate worship.

Start slow by teaching your young ones some standard hymns, creeds, and prayers. Familiar elements of worship like the doxology, the Apostle’s Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer can be touchpoints that help your children connect with and better engage in corporate worship. Times of family worship also help kids to develop the skill of sitting still, listening quietly, and being reverent before God.

2. Pack a bag the night before.

You might need any or all of the following:

• Your Bible (for you) and a children’s Bible for your children. Older children can bring their personal Bible and perhaps a Bible map.

• A journal for you (and for older children). Your children will imitate you taking notes.

• For younger children, a clipboard with lots of paper and crayons or markers to respond to the service.

• Silent fidget toys for children who need help focusing. Examples are clay, playdough, stress balls, or infinity cubes.

3. Cultivate anticipation.

Say, “We’re going to worship God together as a family. We’re going to sing songs to him, pray to him, and hear his words from the Bible. Worship is so important that we do this together.”

4. Employ strategies when gathering with the church.

Think through what challenges your family might face and how you can offset them. Here are some suggestions:

• Sit near the front so your young ones can see the pulpit.

• Allow your children to stand on the pew or chair when the congregation stands so they can see the pastor or minister directing music. If they want to dance or move while singing, allow them to praise God that way.

• When Scripture is read, use your Bible and trace the words with your fingers so your children can follow along. If the sermon is based on a plot-based story and the children’s Bible you’ve brought has illustrations accompanying the passage, open it and point those out to your children.

• If your church uses PowerPoint instead of hymnals, request a printout of the entire service, including song lyrics. Use one of these as a guide for your young worshipers. Usually the church creates these for worship leaders.

Fallback Plans and Special Circumstances

Most children younger than 5 will struggle to sit through an entire sermon. If your young ones have exhausted their limits, it’s fine to exit. Rejoin the service for communion, the closing hymn, and the benediction if possible. These are beautiful experiences for a child to witness.

Neurodivergent children and those with disabilities or other unique needs may also struggle to participate in corporate worship. Some children with special needs make their caretakers’ participation in worship almost impossible. So, it’s important for churches to surround such families and provide discipleship opportunities for their children outside the service

Fruit of Corporate Worship for Children

With guidance and experience, children who participate in corporate worship will catch truths about God and themselves that are foundational to following Christ.

They’ll sense they’re part of the church, free to sing and to pray to God with the adults. They’ll revere God’s Word as the source of truth, and they’ll learn to call on the God who hears for help. By participating in worship, children come to know they’re loved by God and by the people who sit around them. They’ll sense that God is with his people in worship.

We want our children never to know a day without Jesus. God has placed them in our church communities for that reason. With planning and practice, you can train them to worship the Lord with the entire congregation, welcoming them into one of the most beautiful and meaningful hours of the week and, more importantly, welcoming them into the kingdom of faith.

Cynthia Fischer (Covenant Seminary) has been a medical writer, Montessori teacher, and children’s ministry director. She blogs at FaithPassing and has written The Children’s Sanctuary, a worship-based, reformed curriculum based on the Godly Play pedagogy. She and her husband, Doug, attend Restoration Community Church in St. Louis. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.