This was in the Reformed Forum Spring/Summer 2025 Magazine. I had it in my hand months ago and been waiting to do a review on this until now. I have a digital copy so I will throw out the paper magazine.
Here's the summary:
Marie Valle is wife of a pastor, Angelo of Christ Reformed Church PCA in Central Pennsylvania, with 4 children.
She applies 5 senses: Sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch. In order to engage children in worship. I think this goes with adults as well. But this article is about the less disciplined ones, the children interrupt worship services because they need more sensory interaction, according to Valle.
God used the 5 senses (sort of) in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25-30) by making it tangible. Psalm 141 embodied this worship vividly: 1. Sounds of God's calling, 2. Smell of incense, 3. Feeling of raised hands, 4. Utterance of self-controlled words, 5. Gaze of fixed eyes.
Suggested help for children in worship:
- encourage holding bulletins, hymnals and Bibles with their own hands and follow along with their eyes, as they hear.
- Sing boldly as example of stimulating their hearing and mind with worship.
- Place coin (stimulate hearing) offerings themselves to encourage sensation of importance.
- Listen for specific frequent words during sermon: i.e. God, Bible, etc.
- The Lord's Supper: all senses but taste (until they are old enough to participate).
I would say though this doesn't go against parenting in the pews, it also does not discourage a separate children's church (that is, during adult's sermon session).