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Little Ways for Little Ones at Mass (and Beyond)
Little Ways for Little Ones at Mass
Introduction
The Earliest Years
Toddlers
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Use Your Hands, Not Your Words
They may surprise you.
Prep for success.
Holy Distraction
Just rewards?
First Child Foundations
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Just rewards?

Donuts after Mass and other forms of bribery.
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I don’t have strong feelings against bribing children. There are certainly times it is efficient and effective.
However, a young child at Mass, particularly before they have reached the age of reason, does not have the executive function to see their actions and relate them to that distant donut. It is a lot to expect that level of mastery over themselves.
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Celebrating a positive Mass experience with a treat is a lovely thing. I think it is especially fitting on feast days and those holy days of obligation where getting the family to church on a week day feels like a heroic effort on everyone’s part. I am just not sure I find actively denying a treat to be a powerful motivator in the moment.
It certainly is crushing at the time of withholding, but I am not convinced the average little one is able to effectively connect that event to their past behavior. Personally, I think its punitive nature is more likely to create a negative association with Mass than it is to encourage good behavior for good reasons. That may not be something we can achieve every week in the moment, but it is the ultimate goal.

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First Child Foundations
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