A Note from Lifeway Girls: We’ve been BLOWN AWAY by the creativity of small group leaders and girls ministers during this pandemic. First of all, y’all are so much fun! Second, the amount of work you’ve put toward investing in your students during this time matters greatly. You matter greatly.
In this season it may feel hard to connect with your girls, and while Zoom small groups are great, it is beginning to get a little boring and feel a little repetitive. You may even be dropping in attendance.With kids finishing up school online, not seeing their friends, and having little to no social interaction, there isn’t anything really going on in their lives. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need you. Your girls still need you to show up consistently and be intentional with the time you do have with them, even if your time with them is on a screen. One of the best ways to be intentional with your girls is to share an experience with them. This may seem impossible to do over a screen, but I’ve found a few ways to get creative and spend time with your group while still making memories.
We’ve come up with some fun, easy ideas and arranged them by the amount of preparation that is required.
Easiest – Little to No Prep Work:
1. Jackbox Games
Jackbox Games costs $29.99 and requires some initial setup, but once you do that, it takes little effort to get the game started! I recommend each person use a computer or tablet to Zoom while using a phone to play the game.
Note: Certain Jackbox Games can be crude but there are family friendly settings that can be put into place ahead of time. Google is your friend, so search the game you want to play first and figure out how to adapt it for your girls.
2. Room Tour
Have each girl give a tour around their room! This is really easy to do and lets everyone get a peek into each girl’s life which helps to build relationships while at home! This also may be a neat opportunity for girls in your group to recognize shared interests and style!
Note: Keep in mind, if you work with a lower social-economic group, this may not be the best option.
A Little Harder – Minimal Prep Work:
1. War or Dare
Supplies Needed: deck of cards (1 per person), “dares” written onto slips of paper.
Typical rules for War apply.
Each person holds up a card to the camera, the lowest card has to do the dare. The leader picks out a dare from the bowl and the student completes it!
2. Makeup Mashup
Supplies Needed: makeup, makeup items written onto slips of paper, parts of the face written onto slips of paper.
Let each girl know ahead of time what makeup to bring.
The leader will pick out one item of makeup and one part of the face and tell the girls. You will end up with things like “eyeshadow on cheek” and “lipstick on forehead.”
3. Coloring
Supplies Needed: coloring pages or blank paper, markers or colored pencils
A couple of options with this one: You could mail coloring pages to each girl, with a fun “don’t open until Thursday @ 4” or whenever your small group meets, and color together. Another option is writing your name three times in cursive over each other and color in the holes that it leaves behind!
The Hardest (But Still Not Too Hard) – Good Amount of Prep Work
1. Baking Together
Supplies Needed: a simple recipe and all ingredients
Let your group know the recipe ahead of time to gather ingredients or drop them off at their houses. Do something simple, since most kids don’t have much experience in the kitchen!
You can send the recipe to them at the beginning or call out the recipe as you go along.
This is sweet because you can teach them a recipe you love or one they can share with their families!
2. Painting Tutorial
Supplies Needed: canvas, paint, paintbrushes, YouTube tutorial
For this one, you can have each of the girls gather supplies on their own or drop off painting care packages at their houses.
On Zoom, you can share your screen for the video, and everyone follows along with the process!
3. Hand Lettering Tutorial
Supplies Needed: brush pen, hand lettering worksheets
Deliver or mail a pack of hand lettering worksheets and one pen to each girl.
During the meeting time, pull the worksheets out and work on them together. You can use YouTube videos to help supplement it!
Allow me to encourage you with this—I can assure you that whether you pick the easiest thing to do or the hardest thing to do, your girls will value the time you spend with them and this will be a memory that they will cherish. Not because you had the best Zoom call, or made the best cookies, but because you took time out of your life to invest in theirs. They will remember that. It may seem insignificant in the moment, but these Zoom times may open the door for conversations you never thought possible.
Be intentional this week to find a way to make a Zoom memory with your girls. Maybe it isn’t on this list, but I know that YOU and your girls will learn and grow in this season if you remind yourself to be intentional within those relationships.
The ideas and content for today’s post was provided by Randi Tollner from StoneBridge Community Church. Thank you, Randi! We love hearing ideas from our readers! Feel free to share them with us at girls.ministry@lifeway.com.
Anna Freeman is a Nashville native and is currently in her first year of graduate school at Liberty University working toward her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has a heart for ministry and loves serving the local church. Anna is super passionate about loving, encouraging, and listening to people. She is the most happy with a chai tea latte and a book in hand! Connect with Anna: Instagram // Blog