Send these easy summer service project ideas to your ministry families to invite gratitude and compassion into their homes and hearts.
Service is a expression of our lives that teaches us valuable lessons! To name a few, we learn to appreciate what we have. And we learn the complexity of the world. Furthermore, we learn to practice empathy. However, summer can be a challenging time to continue this kind of expression and learning.
Summer brings about travel, rest, amazing memories and family time. It can also be a season when service trips are taken. But what if there are kids who aren’t going on that trip? Or what if your church isn’t taking such a trip?
How are you inviting kids to serve in a summer service project? We’d love to hear in the comments section!
Summer Service Project Ideas
Ideas for Younger Kids
- Clear out your child’s bookshelves. Donate books they’ve outgrown but are in good condition. Give books to the church library or nursery, the public library, a homeless shelter, thrift store or a family in need.
- Make a silly video to send to an elderly or ill relative. You may be surprised to know what a major impact this can have. I’ve gotten calls and messages in response to doing this saying how much it helped raise a person’s spirits during a trying time. Plus, it’s easy and quick!
Ideas for Older Kids
- Volunteer at a local animal shelter. Spend a few hours working to serve animals. There are lots of different tasks older kids can do including feeding animals, walking dogs and cleaning cages.
- Donate time to babysit. Young couples often don’t get date nights because getting a sitter costs money they don’t have. So, encourage your child to volunteer to babysit for someone you may know in this situation.
- Help a younger sibling clean their room. A younger sibling will appreciate the assistance. And it creates opportunity for the older one to be a leader.
Scripture About Service
Consider posting a favorite Bible verse as you explore a summer service project helps your kids see it regularly. The bathroom mirror is a great spot, in the car or at the dining table.
1 Peter 4.10: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Romans 12.1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice…
Romans 12.10: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12.13: Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Mark 12.30: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
We hope these ideas are helpful in encouraging your kids to take part in a summer service project this summer. Enjoy serving with them. The more they see their caregivers offering themselves as a living sacrifice, the more they will participate.
And don’t forget! We want to know how you’ll be working with your kids to inspire generosity and compassion in your kids lives this summer. So, share in the comments section!
Barb Filiatrault says
As the Children’s Ministry Director, I introduced a new ministry this summer to replace VBS. All elementary kids were invited to Summer Impact – a six-week, Thursdays only event, where we would spend the morning doing a service project for an organization in our community, then we would eat our bag lunches together, and in the afternoon we would go do something fun together.
Throughout the summer, our service projects ranged from distributing invitations to the Block Party for a Habitat for Humanity house build to cleaning the campground for disabled people to baking desserts and making centerpieces for a soup kitchen to washing tables and chairs in our own children’s ministry wing to preparing two local schools for the new school year. At each location, I would help the kids understand why it was important for us to support that organization in the community – and what God had to say about that particular issue.
Then in the afternoon we went out and had fun together, building relationships with peers and with mentors. We went bowling, mini-golfing, had an art class, to a movie, to a waterpark, and to a zoo.
EVERYONE involved had a great time – the families in the church loved that we were teaching their kids how to serve the community, the volunteers loved that our ministry was more meaningful than throw-away crafts. Surprisingly, 30% of the kids that came were friends invited from outside our church! Everyone is super excited for this ministry to continue – and no one has even asked about VBS!!