Creating a summer routine

Summer has finally arrived! Hopefully that means some sunshine and warmth, but it definitely brings time off school for the kids, and more time with their parents. If you scale down your children’s work over the summer maybe this could be a great opportunity to encourage families to include some intentional time with God as a family. Take a look at these ideas.

“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Ideas this month

Prompt
There’s a great campaign that runs all year from Share Jesus International (SJI) called ‘Prompt.’ The idea is that you ask God a question, and see what happens next. We love the idea of asking God to speak to you each week in the summer, to see what he says. It works for individuals, families or whole churches. Find out how your church could get involved now!

Talking Faith
Have you seen our new interview series yet? We’ve started by talking to Anna Smith about how she and her husband Martin have tried to nurture their six children’s faith, from the early years and into their teens.

Keep an eye on social media for upcoming interviews with Ali and Gareth from Rend Collective, Andy Frost, Chip Kendall and more.

Involve others
We’re very excited that Chip Kendall has created a video of the Toothbrush Song, written especially for the Kitchen Table Project. It’s all about bringing God into everyday life.

It also provides a great game of trying to find things that work as single words, or that you can put together to create a new object. “I’ve got a tooth, I’ve got a brush … yeah, toothbrush!” Your kids will love it!

So maybe part of your routine this summer could be listening to some worship music each day – why not start with the Toothbrush Song?

Reflection

It can feel overwhelming sometimes for parents and children to be faced with six weeks of what feels like a distinct lack of routine. Most will enjoy the break, but finding things to occupy the time can be quite a challenge. But maybe there’s an opportunity for parents to create a unique summer routine. This could include going out for a walk each day, reading a story together or playing a game. It might be having lunch or breakfast together at a particular time.

It could also be a great opportunity to encourage families to include some intentional time with God as a family. Is there one small slot in a week when they can read the Bible together? Maybe they can pray before heading off on a new adventure? Just something small that becomes an opportunity each day or in the week to make God a regular part of family time in the summer, which could be something that continues into the rest of the year too.

Why not encourage the parents in your church to try and set aside some time to invest in their children’s faith journey this summer and see what happens? Take a look at the ideas above to get you started.

Becky and the Kitchen Table Project team

Please send us your stories of inspiring faith at home – good and bad – we know it’s a rollercoaster! We’d love to include them in our emails and on the blog.

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