If They Can Sit Through a Movie… Why Not a Sermon? Training Young Hearts to Sit Under the Word.

A Common Struggle for Christian Parents

Many parents today face the same struggle: a child can sit through a 90-minute movie, focused and engaged. Yet when it comes to sitting in church for an hour, suddenly it seems impossible!

The issue is rarely a child’s ability to sit. More often, it is a matter of training, expectation, and helping children understand the value of hearing God’s Word.

Scripture places great emphasis on families bringing their children under the teaching of God’s truth.

God Commands Parents to Teach Their Children

The responsibility to train children spiritually belongs first to parents.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 reads:

And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.

We can learn from this text in the Old Testament. Children are not spiritually neutral. They must be taught the Word of God intentionally and consistently.

Bringing them to church and teaching them to listen to Scripture being preached is part of that calling.

Children Are Expected to Hear God’s Word

In both the Old and New Testaments, children were present when God’s Word was publicly read and explained.

Deuteronomy 31:12 explains:

Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the sojourner who is within your gates, so that they may hear and learn and fear Yahweh your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law.

Notice three purposes:

• Hear

• Learn

• Fear Yahweh

  
  

Even the children were included in this gathering.

The expectation was that children would grow up listening to the Word of God alongside the people of God.

The Church Is Where Believers Grow

The New Testament church gathered for instruction, fellowship, and worship.

Acts 2:42 reads:

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

Faithful participation in the gathered church is not optional for believers. It is a normal expectation of the Christian life, as summarized in our doctrinal statement. 

Children who grow up in Christian homes with their Parents (the believers) should learn that sitting under the preaching of the Word is a normal and joyful part of life.

Training Children to Listen

Children do not naturally enjoy sitting still and listening to teaching. This is something they must learn over time.

The Bible explicitly commands this kind of training.

Proverbs 22:6 teaches:

Train up a child according to his way, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Training implies:

• patience

• repetition

• consistency

Children are capable of learning far more than we often expect.

Practical Ways to Help Children During the Sermon

Parents can help children engage with the sermon instead of simply enduring it.

For Small Children - Give them simple listening activities such as:

• Making a mark every time they hear a certain word (for example: God, Jesus, faith, sin, grace).

• Listening for the main Bible passage.

• Drawing a picture of something mentioned in the sermon.

This helps them actively listen rather than passively sit. Reward them for taking part!

For Older Children - As children grow, they can begin interacting more deeply with the message. Ideas include:

• Drawing something that represents the sermon.

• Writing down one truth they learned.

• Writing one question about the passage.

  
  

This begins to train them to think about Scripture.

For Teenagers - Teenagers should begin learning the habit of taking notes during sermons.

They can write down:

• The main passage

• The main points of the sermon

• Key verses

• Personal applications

This prepares them for a lifetime of engaging seriously with biblical teaching.

Children Can Understand God’s Word

Paul reminds Timothy that he knew Scripture from a young age.

2 Timothy 3:15

And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Children are capable of learning the Scriptures. When they regularly hear the Word preached, it shapes their thinking, their conscience, and ultimately their understanding of the gospel.

Teaching Children What Matters Most

If children can sit through long movies, sports games, or school lessons, they are certainly capable of learning to sit and listen to the preaching of God’s Word.

Children quickly learn what their parents consider important. When families treat the hearing of Scripture as something valuable and non-negotiable, children begin to understand that it matters. Over time, that consistent emphasis shapes their attitude toward church.

When parents communicate that hearing God’s Word is a privilege and a priority, children gradually learn to value it as well.

And over time, something remarkable happens.

Children who once struggled to sit through a sermon begin to listen, understand, and even love the Word of God.

That is the goal.

Parents Set the Example

Children learn not only from what parents say, but from what parents do.

If church attendance is treated as optional, children will quickly conclude that it is not truly important. But when parents consistently prioritize gathering with the church - above convenience, sports events, or other activities - they teach their children that worship and the Word of God come first.

Scripture emphasizes the importance of faithfully gathering with God’s people.

Hebrews 10:24-25 reads:

And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

A Final Encouragement to Parents

Training children to sit in church is not merely about behaviour. It is about shaping hearts to love the truth.

Psalm 78:4

We will not conceal them from their children, but recount to the generation to come the praises of Yahweh.

Faithful parents pass the truth of God from one generation to the next.

Bringing children into the gathered church and helping them learn to listen to Scripture is one of the most important ways this happens.