Help! My Kids are Bored at Mass!

Bringing kids to Mass is often a sacrifice of praise in and of itself. Even when tantrums and bathroom breaks are avoided, there's the threat of "boredom."

Children have a relatively short attention span as it is, but when they’re bored… Prepare for the whispering, “Are we almost done?”  to repeat steadily until the end of Mass.

This is natural and understandable. It also offers us an opportunity to train their attention, patience, and understanding of the importance of being at Mass (even when we're bored).

Combat Boredom at Mass

So what can we, as parents, do to combat boredom?

Preparation

A worthy investment is preparation before Mass. Not all of these may be possible every single week, but some combination will certainly help kids (and parents!) have a more attentive mindset before stepping through the doors of the church:

1. Talk about Mass and the major "mile markers" along the way (especially for younger children who are still learning the rhythm of the Mass).
2. Read and discuss the readings for Mass. Then, while there, see if they remember them!
3. Spend some time in prayer and reflection. Think about what you're bringing to Jesus at Mass this week. (To help you through the process, we created a free printable that helps your child prepare their heart for Mass each week. Sign up below and print as many as you need!)

Activities for Kids at Mass

Once at Mass, attention is key, so taking measures to prevent boredom is the best way to make Mass an enjoyable experience.

• Pack small snacks. Opinions differ on this point, so feel free to do what is best for your family. While you don’t want your child to associate Mass with snack time, children are usually hungry and this is probably the easiest way to solve the problem. This is mostly reserved for babies and toddlers, any older than that and it could form into a habit that you’d rather not encourage.
• Don’t like bringing food into Mass? Sometimes bringing a snack into church is messy, so if your child is complaining about being hungry, try feeding them right before Mass, or even packing snacks for the car ride.
• Bring books. Packing board books and small picture books makes it easy to keep children content during Mass. Any of the Carry-Me-Along Board Books are perfect for toddlers, Our Friends the Saints is a good starter.
• Give them a Mass guide. Not only toddlers have trouble sitting still in Mass! For children of reading age, a Mass guide helps them with following along in the Mass, keeping their minds and hands busy. A Missal for Children by Magnificat is a wonderful option for young readers. For younger children and toddlers, such as 3-6 year olds, My First Catholic Mass Book is a great go-to.
• Bring coloring books. Coloring books are a great option for little ones. Keeping an eye on children while drawing is a must, you don’t want them to color on the pew. A great option is “mess free” coloring books which comes with markers that can only be used on specific paper.

Keeping little hands busy during Mass is hard, don’t overthink it! Following these five simple steps can help Mass attendance more smooth and pleasant all around.

If you have older children struggling at Mass...

Often times tweens and teens need to deeply understand things to really appreciate them. Mass is the greatest gift we have as catholics and we want to make sure they understand the Eucharistic Miracle, that they find the Sacred Scripture alive in the altar every Sunday, that they grow in awe as they contemplate the sacrifice of Jesus in the cross.

We have a unique Mass Unit Study that is perfect for them. Ideal ages for this resource are 7–15-year-olds but it can be used for First Holy Communion prep, whole-family catechesis, during Morning Time, or for your family devotional time. 

I am praying for you as we build day by day the legacy of faith in our homes...

Ready to dive deeper? 

Here are 4 ways to fill your nets... 

 1. Memorize Bible verses with your children easily with our FREE guide: Stocking the Storehouses

 2. Make your dreams of family prayer a reality with The Daily Feast framework, making it possible in just a few minutes a day. This free guide shows you how.

 3. Want to steward your own prayer life? Check out this Scripture prayer journal we made just for you.

 4. Looking to level-up in your family faith formation? Join over 10,000 families that use our resources. We make open-and-go, family-style resources to make your role as primary catechist easy AND delightful. Click here to browse!