• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

VBS SHOP

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed
  • Events
  • Training
  • Curriculum
Kids Ministry

Kids Ministry

Dedicated to helping Kids Ministry leaders in their mission of making disciples

  • Team
  • Podcast
  • Blog

It’s Family Time!

October 21, 2011 | Kids Ministry

klista2BWSmall.jpg

Wow! October is almost over! I don\’t know about you, but it seems as the holidays get closer, the time goes faster! This is my favorite time of year with so many fun things to look forward to — Fall Festivals, Thanksgiving meals, Christmas parties, and even more Christmas parties!

And, although I love Christmas and everything it means, I have to say that I love the fall holidays on a completely different level. Fall Festivals and Thanksgiving just seem to be a time when families can get together, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. I love how churches offer special events that encourage family time. Here are a few of my favorites:

Fall Festivals and Celebrations. These can include anything such as games in a carnival-type atmosphere, blow-up rides, cake walks, chili cook-offs, face-painting, trunk-or-treating, fun costumes, you name it!

Hayrides and cookouts. Encourage families to come dressed in warm clothes (depending on your location!), provide hot dogs and the makings for s\’mores! Hayrides can be elaborate on a hay truck or could be as simple as a child’s wagon filled with hay. Plan fun games that families can participate in together.

Thanksgiving meals. Because we live far away from extended family, this sometimes becomes an opportunity for our family to host others who are also away from parents and grandparents. Love, love, love it! What a way to build relationships! You might plan a Thanksgiving meal at your church where young families can come celebrate together.

Parents Night Out. This time of year also lends itself to being a perfect time for you to offer parents a night out.  They may choose to Christmas shop, have a date night, or get together with other parents for a fun night out. This is a great way to connect young families!  You might even call this a "Kids\’ Night Out" and gear it more to having a party for the kids at church. (This especially helps those school-age kids who feel "too old" to have a babysitter!)

Family Night Out. Host special nights at your church to encourage families to come together to play board games, make crafts, cook together, or play in the gym. These can be some great memory makers! I always LOVE anything that makes good memories – both of being together as a family and of being at church!

So…there are a few of my favorites.  Help each other out…what are some great events that you offer to young families in your ministry? Let us know!

 

 

 

 

Category: Uncategorized
Previous Post: « Framed
Next Post: Kids on Mission »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Luke Alvarez

    October 21, 2011 at 8:27 am

    Great post! Gotta keep those kiddos and parents busy throughout the year! God bless!

    Reply
  2. Corey Jones

    October 21, 2011 at 10:47 pm

    What would a Thanksgiving meals look like? Would you plan any entertainment/message? Any ideas on how to make this appealing to all ages? Ideas? (email cjones@sohillscc.com)

    Reply
  3. Klista Storts

    November 7, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    Just wanted to give a couple of thoughts about a Thanksgiving Feast for young families at your church. I’ve done it a couple of ways. We’ve bought the meat and had the parents bring the sides and we’ve also just provided the entire meal. When we did, we offered chicken nuggets for the children – they seemed to like that better than turkey! 🙂
    One of these meals was for our weekday preschool parents, so we let the children share some songs that they had learned in their music class. You could also do this with Sunday School if you had a song they could all learn and sing together.
    You could have a short message about the true reason for Thanksgiving. These days, especially in public schools, the real meaning gets passed over!
    You could host one large Thanksgiving Feast for all young families prior to the actual holiday, or if you discover that you have just a family or two who have no plans, you could host them in your home or pair them up with other young families that won’t be with extended relatives.
    You could offer projects to work on or games to play, such as making a turkey from an apple or a pumpkin, pin the feather on the turkey; providing crayons and markers for drawing on a placemat; or providing a placemat with word searches that relate to Thanksgiving.
    Hope these were a help. Blessings to you!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Lifeway Kids Newsletter

Get the latest news, events, and announcements straight to your inbox.

Sign Up
Kids Ministry 101 Magazine

Sign Up to receive the magazine for free!

Get The Digital Magazine
Get the Print Magazine
Subscribe to Podcast

Apple

Google

Android

RSS

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved · Lifeway.com

Cleantalk Pixel