Tots Church provides a safe, caring environment for little ones under 4 during the Sunday morning service. Around eight children attend each week. It allows parents and carers to enjoy the service, knowing that their children are being well cared for, and it also provides the opportunity for even the youngest children to feel a valued part of the wider church and to begin to learn about God in a way that is relevant to them.
Tots Church
Who is it for?
Tots Church caters for children aged 0 to 3.
When is it run?
It runs every Sunday morning for the duration of the service.
What about the helpers?
We have a team of dedicated Tots Church workers who have the children’s interests at heart and have all been appointed according to new safeguarding recommendations in line with the Thornhill Church Child and Worker Safeguarding Policy.
What is the format?
Parents or carers bring their child(ren) through to Tots Church, which meets in the Lighthouse Nursery. Parents and carers are asked to sign in their child(ren) and disclose any allergies they are aware of and if they are happy for their child to be changed/ helped with the toilet if necessary. If it is the child’s first visit, we will chat with you about the child’s likes and dislikes and ensure the child is happy and settled before you return to the service. We will also have some paperwork for you to complete, so that we have all the relevant information we need whilst caring for your child.
The children are offered a drink of water and a snack to help them settle in, and a range of age-appropriate toys are put out for the children to play with. Most weeks, we have a theme that we follow and may have a relevant craft or Bible-related activity for this theme. When you collect your child, we will let you know how they have been and what we have done during the session and give you any crafts they have made to take home. We also ensure that each child is signed out at the end of the session.
With your agreement, if the child becomes upset and is unable to re-settle during the session, we will come and get you from the service.
We hope this gives you an idea of what Tots Church is all about. If you would like to know more, please feel free to contact us.