Our church resumes its Jr. Church program this week after taking about a month off. Kids ages four through third grade are invited to attend. But what about the older kids? Should they have to miss out? Isn’t the adult worship service over their heads? Probably not. But they may need a hand in applying it and learning how to tune in to a sermon.

That’s what my friend Becky and I were talking about over coffee one recent morning. How could we train kids to listen while sitting in the worship service? We didn’t want them to just draw or play tic-tac-toe. We wanted them to really worship with us and apply what they heard to their lives. Becky came up with the idea of a sermon reflection page. Over the next week or two, she put one together. Here’s what it asks of the kids.

1. Write the sermon title.

2. What is the main scripture?

3. Write one thing you heard in the sermon that you didn’t know before.

4. What is the main idea in the sermon?

5. List any other scriptures here that you want to remember.

6. The book of James tells us to not just be hearers of the Word, but doers also (James 1:22). Write one thing you can do this week (with God helping you) from what you heard today. Be specific. For example, instead of just writing “love my neighbor,” you might write what you plan to do for that neighbor.

After church, the kids are to show their page to either myself or Becky. Then they’ll be encouraged to put a sticker on a chart. After five stickers, they’ll get a prize. After ten, they’ll get a larger prize. They can keep their sermon reflection page each week as a reminder of what they’ve learned from God.

We’re hopeful that kids will learn important skills during this process. We’re opening it up to kids fourth through eighth grade, though anyone, any age, can use the page as well.

Does your church do anything special for kids who are too old for your Jr. Church program? Tell us about it in the comments.