Sunday Ideas for Younger Children

Sunday Ideas for Younger Children

1. Go for a walk as a family, or invite one child to go alone with one parent. Talk about the beauty of nature, but also listen to whatever the child wants to discuss. This is a quiet bonding activity, but still has physical aspects for the restless child.

2. Doing crafts as a family is a lot of fun and is also a good bonding time. A few examples are: decorate special jars for tithing, mission funds or for a special service project (sub for Santa), decorate brown paper bags into a puppet of your favorite scripture character

3. One of my kid’s favorite Sunday traditions is for me to read books while they eat a great big bowl of popcorn. Long after the popcorn is gone they still want me to keep reading. As they have gotten older the books have changed but they still enjoy me reading to them.

4. Have family scripture study. Have younger children draw pictures of the stories they are learning.

5. Decorate a Sunday "Things to Do" box and fill it with ideas. Draw one out each Sunday to do.

6. Let your children listen to primary music and encourage them to sing.

7. Use salt dough or playdough and construct a nativity scene, Liahona, or other Church artifacts. Use your imagination.

8. Make a picture book for each family member. Include pictures of themselves at different ages, other family members, and special events.

9. Make your own family movie with your video camera and then watch it together.

10. Help children write in their journals. If they are too little to write you can jot down a few of their thoughts and then have them draw a picture to illustrate. If they have a hard time thinking of things to write you can give them a topic like “Things I am grateful for”.

11. Keep a box of special books, file folder games and toys just for Sunday. This helps them to look forward to Sunday.

12. Play games, games and more games. Church games or regular games they are a really great way to get your family to associate “fun” with the Sunday and being together.

13. Make puppets and flannel board stories based on scriptures. You can find patterns in the church magazines. Bring these out only on Sundays and begin by reading the story to your child. Then let your child recreate the story with flannelboard pictures.

14. Start teaching your children to cook by letting them help make a special “Sunday Treat”. Then sit down and enjoy it together.

15. Tell children stories of when you were their age and what you were like.

16. Put on a puppet show depicting a historical Church event be sure to let your children participate.