Cornerstone has a high children to adult ratio based on Sunday attendance (approx. 1/3 of the attendance is made up of children). More and more small groups are trying to figure out ways to handle the children situation in small group meetings.
Do we provide childcare for them? Do we offer a separate "program" for them? Do we incorporate them into our group meetings?
There is no "perfect" solution. What you decide will depend on a lot of factors like the comfort/preference of parents, the number/age of the children, the dynamics of your group, etc. There will be advantages and disadvantages to every idea which you and your group will have to weigh in on. You may even need to try a few and tweak them before you end up with a solution that works.
Here are some childcare ideas
- Alternate men and women meetings. On one week the men meet while the women take care of the children, then switch. Add a joint meeting where men and women meet together at the end of the month.
- Have children play together in another part of the house unattended.
- Hire a babysitter and have kids play at a nearby location.
- Rotate small group members to handle childcare (on-site or off-site).
Here are some resources for children's programs or incorporating them into small group meetings
- VeggieTales videos or What's In The Bible videos (www.whatsinthebible.com)
- Books, games, puzzles, colouring and craft activities
- Small group study that features separate complementary study for children (requires children's facilitator) - www.lifeway.com/sgl
- Family small group study that includes children -www.saddlebackresources.com/en-US/SmallGroups/BooksoftheBible/LessonsforFamiliesfromGenesis.htm
- Family Small Group DVD studies (poor quality) - www.smallgroupsmaterials.com
Please comment on your experiences with children in your groups. Also, what ideas have you tried that have worked well or not so well?
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