How To Run A Holiday Club

“I’ve had the privilege of being involved and running Christian Holiday Camps and Holiday Clubs for 8 years and for the past 2 years, have written and ran my own Holiday Clubs.

Holiday Clubs are a great opportunity to speak truth, hope and joy into the lives of the children that we serve, and to show them to Christ in a way that is exciting and relevant to them. This isn’t a role to be taken lightly – we have a huge responsibility as we help to shape the spiritual lives of the children we are entrusted with.

My Top Tips...

We run Holiday Clubs in order to share Jesus with children and young people. It’s important to make sure everything you do as part of your session, is helping to achieve this.

Recruiting leaders is crucial! You cannot run a Holiday Club single-handedly. For me, it was so important to have a group of leaders that I knew were passionate and enthusiastic and willing to get involved. Make sure you have a team that you can delegate to and are there to support you as you lead.

When running a Holiday Club there is often so much more to organise than you first realise. Have a detailed plan and try and walk through every session, to ensure there is nothing you have missed and you run to schedule. Make sure you have everything ready in advance of the Holiday Club, to save any last minute panic!

(My secret weapon is my checklist! Absolutely everything that I need to sort, oversee, buy or plan is written on my checklist and shared with my team. Once everything is ticked off, I know that I am as prepared as I can be!)

The children might not remember your name. They might not remember each story and memory verse. But they do remember songs! Year after year, the children come back to Holiday Club singing the songs from previous years.

Last year, one family told me that the children loved the songs that we had sung the year before so much, that they had bought them and had been playing them all year in the house and car. It was amazing to know that throughout the year that the whole family were still hearing about God through the words of the songs.

Take advantage of the opportunity to get to know the children, to dig a little deeper into the stories and build relationships with each child. You will see the children open up to you, share thoughts and feelings and ask questions.

When the children are with us, it’s important that we immerse ourselves in everything that is going on, that we get involved in as much as we can, and that we show enthusiasm in everything we do. Whether you are up front or sitting in a group, we can be assured that the children are watching us and looking to us as an example. If we look like we’re having fun, the children will have fun too!

I’m always here for you at Eden if you need any help or advice. Just pick up the phone and call us on 08006212186 or email me at [email protected].

I’ve been in your shoes and understand the heart behind the work you do. I would be delighted to speak with you and support you.

Children and Youth Specialist Advisor