Summer Holiday Activity Book: #GetGoodSummer

The Summer holidays, with children, can seem like a long and rather daunting stretch. How on earth do you keep them entertained for so many weeks?

Summertime offers a fantastic opportunity for purposeful and meaningful family time, and yet so often we just let it go. When I started the #GetGoodSummer campaign, the idea was to try and give some purpose and focus to our summers and it seems to have taken off, thanks to all of you!

When we got the whole thing started, my friend Ali, from church, emailed me a link to this FABULOUS resource that I just had to share with you all...

It's a summer activity book put together by The Village Church in Dallas Texas and its jam-packed full of wonderful ideas for having a fun, family, Gospel-centred summer... The book is split into four sections...

• Set a Rhythm – Your family can do these activities repeatedly and consistently throughout the summer. Some of them will help you put things in place to establish a routine for your family. Others will help you think about ways to be missional – intentionally connecting with people in your community whom you interact with on a consistent basis.
• At Home – Many of these include a devotional at the end that will help your kids make a connection between the activity and a truth from Scripture.
• Out and About – This section provides ways to be intentional with outings around town you take as a family (shopping, going to the park, etc.).
• On the Way – These activities can be done as your family travels long distances or vacations – whether it’s by land, air or sea. (Taken from the Village Church Blog - May 13th 2013)

I love creative ideas for ways to keep the kiddos amused... and this activity book offers something for all ages... and its totally free! Why not click here and download the PDF now!

Here's a little insight into some of my favourite activities...

• Draw your family memory verse on a mirror: Use dry erase markers, or bath crayons, to write the verse on your bathroom mirror. Read the verse out loud every time you brush your teeth.

• Summer Memory Jar: Put an empty jar in a central location in your house. Put small strips of paper and pens next to it. Throughout the course of the summer, write down all the fun and significant things that happen. At the end of the summer, dump your jar and spend time reading through all the funny things that happened, goals achieved, and fun experiences and thank God for his many blessings.

• Fort-building: After dinner one night, build a fort for your family to sleep in using pillows, blankets and furniture. As you build your fort, talk about the purpose of a fort. Then when you're in the fort before bed, talk about the refuge we can find in God and read Psalm 144:1-2

• International Food Experience: Find a recipe from a different country to make. Before your meal, use www.operationworld.org to research that particular country. Talk about what you learned as you eat, as well as the sights, smells, tastes and textures of your meal and experiences that might be unfamiliar. After dinner, spend time praying for that country and the people in it.

There are a hundred more ideas... all creative, all fun for all the family and all intentional!!

I'd love to hear if there are any you're going to have a go at, and I'm going to pick a couple for us to do this summer too!