Kids’ holiday club gems
Kids’ Holiday Clubs are often where it all comes together for children. Over a few days, they grasp precious gospel truths and form deep connections with their local church.
This July I had the incredible privilege of visiting some Holiday Clubs run by Sydney churches. It’s always inspiring to see the gargantuan efforts made by ordinary people to pull off something extraordinary. And every church did something which was exceptional. Here are a few gems and resources worth sharing - maybe these could help you with your next holiday club?
1. Make it personal
Clear info on your church website is important, but a warm video message from the team leader, like the one from Lisa Vassallo at HAWK Kids’ Club from St Mark’s Pennant Hills, is even better. More than just providing information, this is a warm and reassuring personal invitation from the organising leader.
Lisa has also introduced fun relational group activities during the morning teaching program. Along the theme of “Christmas in July” each group was asked to decorate a Christmas tree, but as they didn’t have lots of Christmas trees, each group decorated a kid instead. Then the trees waddled up on to the stage for judging. Such fun!
2. Leaders who cast the vision
Lyndal Foote was the head of the team running “Kingdom Quest” in Chillout, the annual K-5 July Holiday program at St Faith’s Narrabeen. Almost intuitively, I saw Lyndal greet one of her leaders with this year’s call and response: “Jesus is the …” to which the leader instantly replied: “Way Truth Life.” It was a fun thing to do, but it also served to help that leader, and others nearby, remember why they were there that day. Amongst the myriad of tasks which team members are doing in the morning, the team leader has an important role. With carefully chosen encouraging words, they remind their team of the big picture, why they are there, and what the focus is for the day.
3. Team Devotion
The team briefing each day is an important time to remind leaders of the program, their roles, and the teaching content. It’s also the right opportunity to help leaders get their head in the game by spending time in God’s word. Lisa is intentional about this time: “I try to use this time to help my team switch on mentally, spiritually and relationally.” On the day I visited, the children would be learning from Luke 2 where Simeon and Anna were patiently waiting for their Messiah. Lisa asked her leaders to pair up and talk about a time when they had to wait a long time for something – how did that feel and how did it shape their life? Next, she spoke about Simeon and Anna, who finally met infant Jesus. Leaders then shared how this moment would have made Anna and Simeon feel. A few shared their answers, then Lisa prayed. All the leaders had engaged with the Bible passage and spoken to someone else about it, thus making it easier for them to speak to the children about it. Keeping the main thing before your team is a key role for the team leader or director to help busy and distracted leaders have the right perspective and humbly seek God’s help and glory as they work together under him.
4. Social Story
Children who are first timers to a holiday club or who are neurodiverse can be apprehensive about the unknowns. Lyndal Foote emailed each family a Social Story when their children registered. I instantly realised how helpful this would be in preparing children and lowering anxiety. With photographs and simple text, it positively told the story of what children could expect when they arrive. The Social Story covered content including describing the church building, what the leaders are wearing, the purpose of leaders, the basic program, where toilets are located, costumes, morning stage time elements, food and drink, activities, discussion groups and more.
5. Nametags
There are many ways to do nametags for leaders and children. The most effective used background colours on leader nametags to differentiate between leaders who were working with children and those who were doing other jobs like baristas or welcomers.
Child lanyard or name tag colours can easily help leaders know if children could be photographed or not, and which children have dietary needs. Programs can be printed on the reverse side for tags which are worn with lanyards. If you wanted daily programs (with Bible passage and the teaching big idea for the day) you could create an insert to fit inside the lanyard clear cover.
6. Welcoming Team / Coffee Cart
Smiles at the door and a free coffee go a long way. Friendly church members help families feel welcome and can start meaningful conversations with the parents.
7. Support for Kids who feel overwhelmed
Many churches set up quiet zones with cushions, fidget toys, and gentle leaders. This shows love and thoughtfulness, especially for children with extra needs. Heather Dyson from St Matts West Pennant Hills used her briefing to intentionally ask group leaders to look for children who might show signs of needing a quieter space.
8. Leader and Child Booklets
Canva has made it incredibly easy to produce high quality booklets for leaders and children. The best example I saw came from North Ryde Anglican. Lauren Li, the children’s minister, has worked hard to produce a quality booklet which the children will keep for some time, to share with family, rather than throw out as soon as they can. She started with the Leader's Booklet, which has been slowly improved and refined over many years. The Child’s Booklet was created with leader-specific information from the Leader’s Booklet.
Holiday Clubs gain momentum each year. They are hard work but bring great joy as God’s people serve together, sharing Jesus with children and their families. How could you use some of these ideas to turn up the dial on your next Kid’s Holiday Club?
