Timothy L Brock (2018), public domain
They’re growing up so fast!
If you’re a parent, you’ve heard this refrain, perhaps from an older friend in your life. And there’s a reason you hear it so often—it’s true!
As children mature, they move through learning stages and require different aids along the way. On this blog we’ve devoted many posts to teaching children how to study the Bible, and we’ve given attention to the nuances of different developmental stages. Today we’ll do the same for helping children follow along during the sermon.
A Resource for Older Children
I’ve previously shared the sermon notes sheet I use for my 8-year-old daughter. The space for both writing and drawing helps her to follow along and enjoy the sermon time.
My older daughter is 12, and today I’m sharing the sermon sheet I made for her. It bears many similarities to the earlier document but with a few strategic differences.
I’ve taken away the instructions for drawing. My 12-year-old is mature enough, for the most part, to process the sermon in writing. (Although she occasionally does include a drawing on her notes!)
I’ve also added a few items to help her follow along with the preacher and process the sermon.
- In the instructions that open the area for sermon notes, I encourage my daughter to follow along with the sermon outline in the church bulletin (if one is provided). I also ask her to record the other Scripture references she hears so she can look them up and think through the relationship between different parts of the Bible.
- The middle of the sermon sheet is blank, allowing for as many notes as my daughter needs. But the back of the sheet asks her to write down one or two of the most important things to take away from the sermon. I want my daughter to think about the sermon as a whole and try to summarize what the preacher said. This skill requires some maturity that I don’t expect from my younger child.
- Also on the back page I point my daughter toward application. I remind her of the three spheres of application (head, heart, and hands) and I ask her to think of some applications that naturally flow from the sermon.
Fuel for Good Discussion
The last two items on this sermon notes sheet have been great discussion-starters for our family. If we are able, we will talk about my daughter’s responses to these questions over lunch or dinner on Sunday. The point here is not to grill her or put her on the spot, but her understanding of and reaction to the sermon helps each of us think about the teaching from the Bible we heard that morning. It can make for good discussions as well as good opportunities to train and disciple our children. Of course, the adults often learn much during these discussions too!
Take it and Use it!
Here is the document my 12-year-old is using. You are free to make a digital copy of your own and adjust it in any way you find helpful. (Instructions for doing this are on the third page of the file.)
The document is landscape oriented and is designed to be printed two-sided and folded in half. (You will likely have to choose “two-sided printing” and then “flip on short edge/side” when printing, though your computer may label these options differently.)
We hope this sermon notes sheet is helpful for you and your children as you carry on the task of reading and studying the Bible.
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