It it worth my daughter going to suday school?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, my 5.5 year old daughter has been comming to church with us since she was a baby. She has only just plucked up the courage to join the sunday school. I've been with her about 4 times now and each time, there was no talk about god or religion at all. Once they made cakes, another time they played games, built a fort and so on.
My daughter does enjoy the social side now, and is actually talking to/ playing with the other children in the church. It's taken so long for her to sociolise I don't want her to go back to her old ways, but I don't really see the point in the sunday school.
She used to love singing the songs and being part of the survice. I think she learns so much more by being in the church. She knows a lot of the songs and responses off by heart too.
I'm not sure wether to keep sending her to the sunday school just for the social side or keep her in the church with us? I've asked her what she preferes and she's not fussed either way.

Could she go to the Sunday school every other week? Or could she go just after the gospel, before the sermon?

Yes, I suppose every other week would be good. She likes to go at the same time as everyone else goes as she's hoping to be chosen to carry the candle.
I'm sure they wouldn't mind if she did this.

Is it possible that they do more "teaching" as the children get older? Or that they don't do much during August, because people are away?

Our children's groups did a lot of art and cake-decorating during August because several families, including leaders, were away and everyone felt like chilling out! But for the rest of the year we follow a curriculum that is based on the same Bible readings as the adults, so that the children are learning alongside their families.

If the Sunday School is always like this, it sounds like they are treating it as childcare. If that's the case, to be honest, I'd be looking for a church that took the children's spiritual development just as seriously as the adults'.

Hi, I was a sunday school leader for a few years, quite often it's easier to do simple tasks & 'work in' a story as you go along or simply throw in a question that will then lead to a discussion at various levels about the Bible, Jesus, whatever, mind you often don't always get the answer anticipated & can end up discussing this wks Dr Who or the like.
With young kids you really have to go with the flow, I'd still send her, at least she's having fun & socializing.
We don't have a sunday school anymore too few kids come to church now, I'm gulity myself my kids do 'other stuff'

If she's 5.5 and enjoying playing with the other children, then I'd leave her to enjoy herself. It's obviously building her confidence. There's plenty of time to teach her the religious side, but learning to socialise gets harder as kids get older.

Don't they join in the serivce at all ? I recall some churhces take them otu before the sermon , others take them out the whole time but they go to family servies and celebrations like Harvest festival. I'd let her stay with the other children tbh - she's only little and may know the responses but not understand the concepts behind them yet. givne her issues the social side could be very beneficial, she may establish non-school based friendships and not face the same preconceptions. Can she join the choir when older (seem to remember she loves music)?

It might have been summer hols when you experienced this maybe? As someone else mentioned, in the hols many Sunday-schools do lighter stuff - we would do a big collage project (this summer about Gideon), and have a DVD available for any older children who didn't want to glue and stick - something like Narnia or Joseph or similar. But if this is regular Sundays, then I would maybe talk to the Sunday school teacher about bible story input - that you're interested in your daughter learning about God etc and will there be any teaching and lessons on this coming up. If not, it might be worth talking to the vicar, expressing your hopes for a Sunday school with religious teaching in it. Aged 5 is old enough to start learning and talking about spiritual/religious issues in such a context.