summertime

Swimming pools. Popsicles. Flip flops. Fireworks. What’s not to love about summer? With Memorial Day on the horizon, families get ready to shed the backpacks and welcome those lazy (or not-so-lazy) days of sunny skies and beach sand in your toes. Whether your family takes it easy in summer or packs the schedule with activities from morning ‘til night, we at Faithgirlz want to encourage you to invite God to be a part of your everyday fun. Here are some ideas how:

Summer small group! Grab some friends and their moms to do a mother-daughter group Bible study. Spend a little time exploring the “secret power” of God’s Word in one of our made-for-tweens Bible study books, then feed the kids snacks while the moms enjoy some fellowship time of their own. It just might become your favorite activity of the summer!

Beach reads! Summer is a great time to catch up on all the fun reading that didn’t make the syllabus. Travel the world with Glimmer Girls, reach for the stars with Lena in the Spotlight, follow the clues in Boarding School Mysteries and so much more. Faithgirlz has captivating stories for every beachgoer, camper and rainy-day lounger in the house.

Explore creation! Sit down with your kids and write a list of landmarks you can visit within an hour of driving or biking distance, such as state parks, beaches, lighthouses, walking bridges and so on. At each site, take pictures of at least ten items God created. Then at the end of the summer, make a video of all your findings. Set it to music (like your favorite Christian radio song!) and post it to social media for others to enjoy.

The gratitude game! Think of something you enjoy about summer; for example, seashells. Then say, “I’m grateful for seashells!” Invite your kids to respond with their own statement—“I’m grateful for swimming” or “Praise God for bike rides!” Make it a game. See how many “gratitudes” you can list in a row.

Bible verse challenge! Encourage your kids to memorize one Bible verse per week during the summer months. Reward them for their success with a weekend getaway to celebrate a fun and faith-filled family summer.

From all of us at Faithgirlz, we hope you will enjoy a safe and sunny season. We’re grateful for you. And—praise the Lord for ice cream!