When Children Are Absent
by Mary Alice Gran

Your Sunday school class probably includes at least one child who is regularly absent from Sunday school.

Look carefully at attendance patterns. Why don't some students attend? Don't make assumptions. Absenteeism may be a result of parents' work schedules, illness, or even a divorce. A telephone call to the parent(s) expressing your concern may provide some important insights.

Here are some ways to keep children who are regularly absent included and involved.

Communicate with parents. Send a note home regularly to parents sharing what the class will be doing each Sunday and suggesting an at-home activity.

When planning class outings or special events, make sure parents know the details well ahead of time. Include each parent, even when one lives in another town. (The resident parent can help you know if that is appropriate.)

Keep in touch with children. Prepare messages, pictures, cassettes, or videotape recordings for the absent children. End each recording with a greeting from the whole class. Notes from other children are also meaningful. Mail or deliver this to the absent child.

Send postcards during the week with a friendly, positive message. Call absent children during the week. Invite them to tell you about their week. Tell the children what happened in class and in worship.

If pictures of children are taken to be used on a bulletin board, plan to take photos over two or three Sundays so that every class member will be included.

Prepare take-home bags. Make a take-home bag for the child who knows he or she will be absent the following Sunday. The bag might contain Sunday school take-home papers and activity sheets, a small Bible story book, a daily activity list, and a note from the teacher.

Give each child a "special something" that will bring to mind his or her friends at Sunday school: a pompon made of yarn, a pocket-size cross, a small New Testament, a photo of the whole class saying "love" in sign language.

Ask older students to "teach" Sunday school to their younger sisters and brothers using the items found in the take-home bags.

Work to ensure that children will remember the feelings of love, caring, and acceptance of the church fellowship. Pray for each child, by name, each day of the week.

Mary Alice Gran (mgran@gbod.org) is a director of children's ministries for the General Board of Discipleship. Her article first appeared in the February-March 1997 issue of Interpretermagazine (published by United Methodist Communications). It is used with permission.

Originally posted in October 1988)


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