I love the Faith in God booklet that is the curriculum for Activity Days. The activities cover the exact things an 8-11 year old girl needs to experience in order to start growing her own testimony. I also love how the back of the booklet has a picture of a temple, because as they finish activity days, they are the exact age to go to the temple and do baptisms! I always tell the girls that when they come to our activities they are preparing to go to the temple when they turn 12!
The activities can be whatever you choose, but I found that there were several different kinds of activities:
crafts (making reminders of gospel principles, jewelry making, journal making, ornaments, simple sewing, crafts to entertain younger children, pumpkin carving, thank you cards, etc)
cooking (frosting cookies, fruit kabobs, smoothie making, muffins, popcorn, etc)
active things like games, nail painting, hair styling, treasure hunts, playing with play money, skits, heart attacks, christmas caroling, museum trips, etc.
summer activities: hikes, water games, swimming, outdoor cooking (dutch oven, smores, etc), picnics. The other types of activities didn’t usually get very good attendance in the summer, so we usually did one longer, bigger activity each month (June was always a hike and July was a water activity). Once the girls show up for water balloons, dutch oven cooking, smores, or a hike, we can do any number of Faith in God activities or "My Gospel Standard" themes to go along with them:)
Each year the group of girls seems to have a different personality, so I do a lot more of the type of activity the group seems to like best.
It helps me so much to plan the year out starting in August when school starts and ending with the summer activities. You don’t have to plan the specific craft, game, or cooking project (you never know how long you will have the calling), but just write down what theme from Faith in God is or which of the “My Gospel Standards” that the activity will feature. Then as the activities come up its easier to know what to plan. You can collect ideas more easily if you have in mind what you are planning on teaching in the next few weeks and not be too stressed the day of the activity. Also if there is an activity you really want to do you can see where it will fit in the best during the year.
Communicating with the girls about when the activities are is hard. I’ve been texting the parents the day of and that is currently what works best.
Enjoy your new calling!
Regina Slaugh
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