Right now we’re at the height of summer: it’s nearly 100 degrees, our time is spent in pools,
with friends, reading, and in general just enjoying the slower pace. But all it takes is a simple
trip to Walmart to refresh the supply of popsicles and ice cream to see that THE AISLE is back.
The aisles of school supplies. Now, I will admit that I have always loved school supplies. The
pens call to me with their siren song (how many pens do I really need?!), the bright shiny
folders and notebooks are full of promise, and don’t even get me started on the brand-new
boxes of crayons (the 72-count box with the built-in sharpener was one of my prized
possessions for a long time when I was a child).
Anyway, I digress. My point is, soon all the children will be going back to school, whether that
be home, private, or public (with backpacks filled with those shiny new school supplies!). So, we
got to thinking about a few ways that families can shine Jesus’ light in their homes and
communities during this back-to- school time. Here’s a few ideas!
Back to School Traditions
Do you have any fun back-to-school traditions for your family? If not, it could be fun to start
one! Maybe an ice cream party, a game night, a backpack packing party… the sky’s the limit! For
a number of years, we started school with a “balloon ride” idea from a curriculum we used. We
bought some helium balloons, tied them to a laundry basket, and took a magical “ride.” I’d have
my boys hold up a sign with their age and grade as they sat in the basket. (Now that we’re talking about it, I should do that again this year.)
No matter which back-to-school tradition you choose, you can easily use it to point to Jesus. You could close your fun activity with a prayer dedicating the coming school year to the Lord. You could also read a few Bible verses about doing our best for God’s glory such as 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, or Matthew 5:16 to help remind everyone (including yourself) of who you’re really going back to school for. What do you do? Let us know in the comments and you might start a trend!
Kickstart Family Devos
I don’t know about your family, but it seems like once school is finished for the year, some of
our routine is, too. (It’s just us, right? Everyone else has it all together?) While I love the
flexibility of summer, there is part of me that is relieved when school starts, because then a lot
of routine returns, too. That’s a great time to start or restart a rhythm of family devotions.
Family devotions don’t have to be hard or tiresome (in fact, they shouldn’t be!), and Kids
Enjoying Jesus even has some resources to help you start! You could use this great Attributes of
God for Kids family devotional set, or this one on the Fruit of the Spirit for Kids.
In our family we’ve enjoyed Marty Machowski’s Long Story Short and Old Story New because he incorporates a short Scripture reading, a devotional thought, and follow-up questions. There’s also an accompanying Bible story book for littles and corresponding coloring books. Both books together are three years’ worth of family devotions (The author of The Lazy Genius Way would say that’s a terrific “decide once”!). There are many fantastic devo guides to choose from. The Jesus Storybook Bible is a perennial favorite for us (we usually read it for Advent) and was my starting point for devotions with my boys. The Ology by Marty Machowski is also a great choice for introducing theology concepts in a kid-friendly way.
Depending on the ages and stages of your children, you could incorporate a hymn of the
month, Scripture memory, prayer time… so many options! But I’d suggest if you’re just starting
family devotions, or if most of your children are very small, start with one thing. Maybe it’s a
short Bible passage. Maybe it’s one verse and a short prayer. Maybe it’s a child-friendly
devotional (check out the Kids Enjoying Jesus resources!). Then as the children grow, you could
bring more content into your devotional time if you’d like.
No matter where your kids receive their education, introducing them to Jesus is the most
important thing we can ever teach our kids. If you’re unsure how to start a devotional time with
your children, some books that have helped our family are The Habits of the Household by
Justin Whitmel Earley and Raising Disciples at Home by Chris Ammen.
Back to School Bash
Depending on where you live, you could host a “back to school” bash in your yard, home, or even your church for your neighbors. It could be as simple as providing popsicles or as elaborate as a potluck. You
could use this What Do You Know? lesson as a fun activity while everyone is gathered together as a way to talk about Jesus. Do you know what a snotbot is? Do you know which dinosaur had the biggest head? What Do You Know? is a super fun Back to School Bible Lesson for kids that uses 20 questions about animals, science, crayons, cartoons, and the Bible to share the Gospel and teach kids about God, the only one who knows everything.
Your church can use an activity like this to shine for Jesus in your community by inviting the neighborhood to your facility for fun, food, and fellowship. You can even prepare a handout ahead of time to pass out to families to let them know about all the upcoming programs and activities your church has to offer for their kids.
Back to School Prayers
You could set aside time at a meal or another time when your family is together and pray for
teachers, students, and schools near you. You possibly have teachers (including homeschool
teachers) or administrators that attend your church that you could pray for by name. (As an
additional idea, you could write notes to those people and tell them you prayed for their
upcoming school year! It would make their day!)
You could make a list of all the schools around you and pray for them regularly for health, safety, wisdom, and that the people who attend them would come to know Jesus. I know someone who has made it a habit of praying for the children of their community every time they see a school bus. That’s a fun and meaningful activity that even children could participate in.
If you’re a mom like me, you could also join or start a local Moms in Prayer group. Moms in Prayer
(momsinprayer.org) is an international ministry with the purpose of equipping moms to pray for the children, teachers, and schools in their community. Moms get together regularly and
pray through a guided sheet as they bring themselves, their children, and their community
before the Lord. I was part of a group at my church for several years and it was a great blessing
to meet regularly and see God answer prayer.
Back to School Donations
Most schools provide a supplies list (yep, we’re back in the school supplies aisle… send help),
and some students and families don’t have the resources to purchase everything that’s needed.
Your family could decide on an amount you could spend, get one of the lists from a school, and
purchase supplies to donate. You could also call the school office and see if there are any
supplies they need more than others, and purchase those.
Our church is doing a backpack giveaway this year. Church members are donating supplies, volunteers will assemble everything, and then the day of the giveaway families can come get their school supplies, have lunch, and have someone pray for them and get to know them. It’s a great way to share the
gospel and hope of Jesus with the community! My son took some of his giving money and had a
blast shopping for supplies to donate.
Back to School Bible Clubs
You could also invite kids in your neighborhood to your church’s mid-week children’s program
or Sunday morning ministries. You can even take the a Christ-centered club directly to your local school (yes, it’s totally legal)! Good News Clubs and Impact Kids Bible Clubs are exciting ways you can take the Bible back to school!
Good News Club, a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship (cefonline.com), equips churches
and individuals to go into their local school and begin an after-school club where kids can be
introduced to Jesus! Check out the website for a local chapter and for information on how to
get started.
Next Generation Impact is another ministry that can help your church go back to school. They offer FREE curriculum to help your church lead a ninety minute Bible club filled with fun, hands-on activities with games, science experiments, object lessons, and more. All built around the truth of God’s Word. These clubs happen outside the church building—at schools, in apartment complexes, neighborhoods, and community spaces—bringing the Gospel to kids right where they are.
What do you think? Do any of those ideas resonate with you? Which one will you try? Do you
have an idea I haven’t listed here? Let us know in the comments! We hope some of these tips will help your family shine for Jesus as you go back to school.
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