10 Spring Activities
Springtime always seems to bring out an abundance of energy. It’s like the winter blahs are gone and our ministry kids are ramped up to play! If you’re needing some creative Spring Time ideas, keep reading and hopefully you’re inspired to try out a few! If you have any additional ideas, please post on our Instagram/Facebook pages. We’d love to hear from you too!
Top Ten Springtime Activities
Spring Clean up for your neighbourhood: I just read a great post from someone who witnessed their local school doing yard cleanup in their area. They were so impressed by these young kids AND by their teacher. You’ll need to make sure you have good equipment on hand - gloves, bright vests and heavy duty garbage bags. Another idea could be to help those who attend your church who are needing help this spring. Their yards could need some tender care from eager hands. See if the recipients might be interested in providing some cookies afterwards. This is a great opportunity to create some cross-generational memories.
Plant fundraiser: Learning about plant growth has a whole wack of amazing teachable moments (John 15:5 and 6 I am the vine, Matthew 13:3-8 Seeds on good soil). Perhaps there’s a need in your ministry you are needing funds for - a missions trip, new sporting equipment, stocking up the snack pantry. The dollar store has great planter options as well as soil. Have the kids decorate the pots, fill them up with soil and a plant and keep them well watered. Make sure to announce to the congregation a few weeks ahead so that they can be prepared for your distribution date.
Chalk it up!: Kids love chalk. One of its many benefits is that it is readily available. Unlike pool noodles that are only available during certain times of the year. Trust me on this;) Plus, its easy to clean up. One of my favourite activities is to let the kids do a ‘Welcome Here’ message for attendees. Mark off sections for each child’s ‘canvas’ and let them go to town. Have them choose specific images to draw (like a heart and a cross) and include easily written words (love, God, joy etc). Once they’re done, make sure to take a picture of it. And at the end, grab a hose and wash it off. Easy peasy.
Bubbles away!: Kids also love bubbles. There are a lot of fun games to play (outside) with bubbles. Check out this link for TWO great bubble recipes. And if any of you reading this are surprised at needing a recipe for bubbles, you’re not alone. Turns out though there is a bit of science behind the ingredients! Tie it in with Psalm 136 where God’s Love never fails and you’ve got a great lesson ready to go.
Enjoy the longer days: Where I live, we still do a time change. Seriously, don’t get me started on this but the point of this ministry idea is to tie it in with Psalm 119:105 - Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Have the kids talk about long winter days and what they’ve noticed now that it’s Spring. The sun is up earlier and goes down later, which means there’s more time to play outside right?! But this also means the plants get more sunlight and that means they grow faster and stronger. God’s Word is exactly the same. He’s the lamp, our light. The more we learn about God’s Word, the stronger we will get in our faith.
Paint Night: I’ll be honest, when I first heard about painting rocks I was like ‘is this actually a thing?’ But then I saw my own kids love the discovery and being a part of the hiding process. If the weather is nice, have the kids paint outside. If not, just make sure to have a cleaning station set up beforehand.
Outdoor scavenger hunt: This is SUCH a hit with our kids. It only works when there are enough volunteers to keep their groups close and safe. But, if you’ve got the volunteers, the hunt ideas are endless! Click here for a simple list :) . ALSO, a neat idea is to do number 6 (Paint Night) and then hide those rocks around your property/neighbourhood the following week. The kids loved searching for their artwork outside!
Slurpee Run: This might be a Manitoba thing but slurpees are every kids dream. Frozen sugar water in a range of ‘flavours’. To me, blech. To them, YEAH! Organize a walk (you’ll need enough volunteers to keep it safe) to your local 7-11 and enjoy the field trip. Just make sure to confirm the size of the slurpee before you get there ;)
Church-wide sport night: I grew up with church picnics and still have amazing memories of those church-wide activities. Is there a field close to you? Organize a soccer game with the whole church and enjoy seeing both young and old play together. If funds allow, get some hotdogs and chips and you’ve got yourself a church picnic ready to go! And the benefits of creating multi-generational memories are countless!
Concert goer: This isn’t so much as a kids activity but something you can do for your kids. Is their school hosting a Spring concert? Is there a graduation ceremony you can attend? How about a baseball game or a flag football tournament? I know. Time is so very precious. But, if there’s a way for you to coordinate with your team, try to attend these events. Your ministry kids seeing you support them outside of church means a lot to them. And to their caregivers. One note of caution - do your best to connect with each child. We definitely don’t want anyone to feel left out. If you’re not able to attend everything this year, take good notes about who you did see and ensure others are connected with over the next few months.