*To read more about beliefs and tenets of the United Methodist Church, please visit Spiritual Development of Children is a guideline that helps parents and teachers disciple our children. Newborn – 3 Months Baby learns to trust caring adults Baby learns that his needs will be attended to. 3 Months – 6 Months Baby responds to happy times at church. Baby continues to trust in caregivers. 6 Months – 9 Months Baby continues to build trust in caregivers Baby begins to associate God and with good feelings at church. 9 Months – 12 Months Baby likes familiar caregivers at church. Baby may try to say “Jesus” or other words heard at church. 12 Months – 18 Months Baby may recognize “God”, “Jesus”, and “Church”. Baby may enjoy going to church. 18 Months – 24 Months Baby may recognize the Bible. Baby enjoys simple Bible stories and songs. 3 – 4 Year Olds Hear and enjoy Bible stories. Recognize own church; develop sense of belonging at church. 5 – 6 Year Olds Understand that God made them. Trust that God loves them. Begin to develop sense of conscience. 1st & 2nd Graders Understand God’s love and God’s world through personal experiences, but does not comprehend the spiritual nature of God. Have a literal and concrete understanding of Bible stories. 3rd & 4th Graders Able to accept that there are some things about God we don’t know. Understand and know and wrong. Can relate to the individual Bible events & to the scope of Bible history. 5th & 6th Graders Want everything to be fair. Want to test what they have been taught about God. Are able to make choices about finding God’s will and following it. 7th – 12th Graders Expect spiritual starts and stops, & unsettling adjustments to new insights. Expect the need for healthy models and idealistic thinking that leads to
For children 4 and older offer the child a “break” to calm down, and then discuss better choices before re-entering the large group. Remove the child immediately for supervised “break” (i.e. walk in the hallway to calm down) If guidance techniques have been utilized and the child/student continues to speak or act violently toward others, a parent conference will be scheduled to help resolve the issue. Acts of violence could result in suspension &/or removal from the ministry In circumstances where guidance is a continuous challenge, servants are encouraged to work with the paid staff and parents to confer as to what may be the best type of guidance for their child or youth. Safety Safe Sanctuaries St. Marks has an approved and adopted Safe Sanctuaries Policy that all servants are required to read and sign prior to serving. To read the policy in its entirety, please visit and go the Children’s & Family tab. KidCheck Electronic Check-in All parents &/or guardians as well as servant leaders are required to create an account on our secure, electronic check-in database. Once this account is created, parents will need to check-in their children upon arrival for child care, Sunday school, Spark Kids, Radiate, and other special events. The check-in stations are located by the Connection Center in the sanctuary and by the entrance to the lounge and child care room in the DOCK. Accounts can be created by going to Drop off and Pick up Children (4th grade and younger) must be escorted at all times by an adult. Please do not drop off a child outside and allow him/her to walk into the building alone. Parents are required to sign their child in and out. Children will only be released to parents and/or authorized adult. Count Responsibility Servants are responsible for knowing how many students are attending and specifically which children or youth are in their care at any given time. Servants should always have their class sign-in sheets with them if they leave the classroom. Please count children often. No child is ever to be left alone! Photography and Video