First Day School for Children

First Day School at Merion Meeting

Children and their families are a vibrant part of the fabric that is Merion Meeting. Introduction to Friends practice and belief, and the ability to participate, contribute, and share in the joys and responsibilities of a Quaker journey can begin at any age. We invite the opportunity to foster the spiritual growth of any young person, in an open, safe and tolerant environment.


Our First Day School (Sunday School) meets in the Activities Building 11 am from September to June. Children from ages 1+ are invited to join us.

Parents and guardians drop off children from 10:45 onwards at the Activities Building, and then walk up to the Meeting House so they may worship during First Day School.


A typical session:


15 minutes - greetings and the week's highs and lows


2 minutes - silent worship


30 minutes - lesson, picture book


15 minutes - head up to the Meeting House, join families for silent worship


Examples of Past Lessons:

  • Commitment to nonviolence
  • Setting Goals
  • Old Testament versus New Testament stories
  • Moses and Passover
  • Hindu Gods and Goddesses
  • Islam and Mohammed
  • Consensus
  • Quaker testimonies: Simplicity, Integrity, Peace, Community, Equality, Stewardship
  • Pollinator gardens
  • Equality and Equity
  • Quakers and social Justice
  • Junior Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
  • Monthly Service Projects
  • Quakers in the U.S Today
  • Examining the Good & Bad of Quakers' Influence in U.S. History
  • What Quakerism Looks Like Around the World


Our First Day School is led by Magi, a Quaker student at Haverford College. They are assisted by Grace and Wren, two alumni of Merion's First Day School program.

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