Summer weeks provide sometime to hang with students that you do not have during the school year. Here are a few things you can do to create some informal time to be with students.
1. Eat Lunch Together – We have done this as a set time and day every week. We call it “lunch bunch” and we’ll meet every thursday for lunch at an area restaurant. We choose the places usually by the previous Sunday and use instagram, twitter and text to get the word out. Have parents drop them off and pick up at the restaurant.
2. Open Gym – You may be fortunate enough to have an actual gym or maybe some space for outdoor games. Provide some powerade and invite friends. Possibilities are endless from kickball and soccer, to volleyball and basketball. You could even do board games. Just hang out.
3. Help with Projects – Summer is a busy time for youth leaders. Often we are directing camps, or planning special events. There is most likely things that need to be done that your students can help with. Let them know when you will be in the office working and invite them to help. This provides hang out time and gives them ownership in the event and ministry.
4. Ballgames – Here in Texas summer baseball is huge. Get the schedules of some of your students games, invite a few other students and go watch! You’ll have fun cheering for the teams, and making lots of noise when you’re favorite player is up to bat. You get to invest in the students who are with you, and your ball player will appreciate the support.
5. Relaxed Schedule – In the Summer I try to do anything that only I can do, in the office, as early as possible in the morning. This means by 10 am or so, when the students start waking up, I can be pretty flexible for the rest of the day. If a student comes by to talk, or a group wants to go grab a snow cone, it is fairly easy to get out of the office and go hang out.
Those are just 5 suggestions. What would you add?