Reasons First Time Children Cry in Sunday School.
When I first started teaching Sunday School, I faced one major challenge…. ALL THE CHILDREN WERE BEING TAUGHT IN ONE CLASS, regardless of age. Children Volunteers were few and some of my worst days were when my assistant was not around, that meaning I’d have to do everything by myself. Think of handling a one-year-old whilst trying to teach their sister who’s ten years old🤔… those were some of the hardest days but regardless, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger!
My class was full of toddlers, young boys and girls, and teenagers…. the toddlers as expected, would cry a lot and it’d take some time to calm them down and settle for the beginning of class.
I’ve obviously gained experience over time, and grown to realize that kids don’t just cry. They cry for reasons which I’ll talk about in my blog post today. I wish to mention, however, that these reasons are informed by my own personal opinions, observation and research.🤍
✔They are first time visitors.
They realize they’re in a new environment, one that they are not used to. The consequence of this is that they obviously get upset, they do not entirely understand why mommy and daddy have to leave them with other kids in a new place, so it’s very normal for them to break into tears.
✔ Their personality is INTROVERTED.
Introverts naturally like to be by themselves – no chaos, no huge crowds. Whether an adult or a toddler, a personality remains the same. It’s something one is born with and can’t be changed. So when the child is put in an environment with other kids, with lots of noise, and interaction, movement and people, they won’t like that. And the only way to let you know that they’re not happy…. is to cry.
✔ Crying Children tend to be limited in their social interaction.
Maybe they spend most of their time at home, and don’t get to interact alot with other children. So when they’re put in a different environment, it distracts their normal structure. That may be a reason to overwhelm them, hence, they’ll cry.
✔ They are dealing with stress.
Does a child experience stress, really?🤔
Anyway, stress in this case could be for example, a major change or crisis in their lives. This may sound unrealistic, but TODDLERS PICK UP WHEN THINGS ARE NOT OKAY AT HOME.
An example of change could be if such a child’s parents are expecting and preparing for a new born soon, so the toddler feels like they’re not getting enough attention.
Another good example is if the family moved to a different location. The child may still be taking time to adjust to the new environment.
Of course, the easiest or only way the child/toddler could let out whatever emotion they are feeling out… is to cry.
It’s extremely important for a Children’s Ministry Teacher to understand the reason behind the child crying, and from there, see how to deal with the problem.
In next week’s blog post, I’ll be giving some tips on HOW TO DEAL WITH CRYING CHILDREN.
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