Summer is a fantastic opportunity for children’s ministry leaders to infuse their programs with creativity, excitement, and meaningful connections to faith. As the school year winds down and the days grow longer, why not throw in some fun summer themes for kids that keep them engaged at church while on summer break! Let’s dive in and discover the perfect themes to make this summer unforgettable for the kids at your church!
Flamingo
Dress: Kids come dressed in pink (or wearing flamingo shirts or dresses if they have it).
Decor: Decorate your walls with pink tablecloths and flamingo garland. Use this flamingo inflatablefrom Oriental Trading for a fun photo booth prop!
Activity: For bulletin board decor, print out a flamingo template and have kids decorate with markers and write their name on it. Put them on a board that says, “We are Part of God’s Flock”.
Games: Play 1-leg hop relay race. Use these flamingo mini beach balls for games! Use plastic flamingos to do a ring toss and when they ring the flamingo, they must say the Bible memory verse.
Decor: Decorate using flip-flop décor, or even use real flip-flops.
Activity: Print out a flip-flop template. Have kids decorate their flip-flops and then write down ways they can follow Jesus. Or use the flip-flops to write down the Bible verse of the day.
Games: Play flip-flop toss (see how far they can flip their flop). Have a flip-flop relay. Pile all flip-flops at one end. Each team member must race down and find their flip-flops, put them on and race back.
Snacks: Decorate Nutter Butters like flip-flops using icing. Serve other summer snacks like ice cream sandwiches, jello, etc.
Cool Kids
Dress: Kids come wearing sunglasses (or make it extra fun by making it Crazy Sunglasses Day).
Decor: Decorate your space using oversized sunglasses made out of butcher paper. Hang sunglasses from the ceiling.
Activity: Have kids write Bible verses inside sunglasses printable. Have them draw pictures of the Bible story inside sunglasses printable.
Games: Write words to a Bible verse on sunglasses and have kids wear them and put themselves in order of the verse. Hide sunglasses around the room and have the kids search for the pair of sunglasses with the Bible verse on it.
Dress: Kids come dressed in red (or watermelon attire if they have it).
Decor: Decorate your space with watermelons or red/green butcher paper with black seeds.
Activity: Have a Seeds of Truth scavenger hunt. Have them search the Bible for seeds of Truth about Jesus.
Games: Play a watermelon rolling relay. Have teams roll watermelons and see who can complete the course the fastest. Have a watermelon seed spitting contest and see how far the kids can spit the watermelon seeds.
Snacks: Serve watermelon!
Ice Cream
Dress: Kids come dressed in the color(s) of their favorite flavor of ice cream.
Decor: Decorate your space with large ice cream cones made out of butcher paper. Make large ice cream cones using rolled brown butcher paper and balloons. Use these Ice Cream Bible Verse Posters.
Activity: Make Scripture Scoops by writing Bible verses on an ice cream scoop template. Have them dive into the Bible and learn more about Bible characters. Then using the ice cream scoop template, have them create “the scoop” on the Bible character they just investigated.
Games: Have kids practice their ice cream scooping skills by reciting a Bible verse while making ice cream cones. Have them divide into teams and see who can stack ice cream scoops the highest.
Snacks: Serve ice cream sundaes or ice cream sandwiches!
Camping
Dress: Have kids come dressed in camping gear (backpack, hiking stick, hiking boots).
Decor: Decorate your space like the outdoors: starry night tablecloths on wall, fake fire pit, stars from ceiling, play cricket sounds. Use tents in your classrooms and gather everyone in there for Bible story time.
Activity: Use the S’more Scripture booklets to help kids memorize Bible verses each week.
Games: Make a Bible verse s’more game. Write one word from each verse on paper. Use brown paper for the 2 ends: name of book as one end and chapter/verse as other end. Write words of verse on white and dark brown paper (one word per piece of paper). Get kids to put it into order.
Snacks: Serve s’mores!
Space
Dress: Have kids dress as astronauts, planets, or just wear plain black clothes (and cover them with stars or planets).
Decor: Decorate with galaxy or starry tablecloths, blow up planets or planets cut out, rockets, or inflatable spaceships
Activity: Use this Blast Off Family Faith Kit to help kids know how to be an “out-of-this-world” witness for Jesus. Make Bible verse rockets using empty soda bottles and bottle caps or make larger ones out of cardboard tubes, party hats, and duct tape! Have kids make a constellation using a word from the Bible verse for the day (or use the name Jesus).
Games: Have a rocket launching contest (using finger rockets).
Snacks: Serve Fruit Rockets, Moon Pies, Star Crunches, Starbursts, Starlight Mints, Starry Night soda.
As summer approaches, let these creative themes serve as a springboard for your children’s ministry. By incorporating engaging, faith-filled activities centered around summer themes for kids, you can create an environment where children look forward to coming to church and learning more about God and His Word. Here’s to a summer of faith, fun, and unforgettable memories!
