Do you:
--> want to teach your kids about Jesus?
--> get distracted by everyone's busy routines?
--> struggle to find resources which work?
--> not always know where or how to start?
The Summer Family Devo is a set of downloadable PDFs to help those much-desired-for family devotions actually happen!
Your family will look at six encounters with Jesus in John's gospel (the Roman official, paralysed man, Samaritan woman, Nicodemus, blind man and Mary/Martha/Lazarus).
Each one has been split in short, bitesize, REALISTIC chunks, with a clear plan for completing them across a typical 6-week summer break.
Then there are related activity sheets, colouring pages, quizzes, a progress wallchart and so much more...all to help your kids have FUN as they get into the Bible this summer!
This is a digital product, so you get instant access! No waiting for delivery!
Please note: nothing will be sent through the post.
24 x simple 5min devotions through John (that's 4 per week across a typical 6-week summer break)
6 x end-of-week family quizzes about that week's readings in John. We bring the questions, you add the prizes and competitive spirit!
24 x Bible story cards - perfect for any child who enjoys pictures and shorter text!
A 13-page journal with creative prompts for older kids or teens who want to go into more depth!
6 x memory verse printables - stick these up around the home to help learn 6 key verses which relate to what we're learning in John! Or download them as phone wallpaper - great for you or your phone-owning child!
6 x gorgeous colouring pages, exclusively designed for the devo by Sophie Killingley. Perfect for rainy days!
6 x activity sheets - one per week, related to the week's readings in John, including Spot-the-Difference pictures by Anna Hamill. Print as many times as you like for each child. Perfect for road trips!
1 x wallchart - stick this on the wall and track your progress through John together with stickers or colouring!
6 x memory verse phone wallpapers - great for your older kids/teens or even yourself, to remind yourself of the key verse and story for the week!
BONUSES!
So you might be thinking, "Sounds good, but could MY FAMILY actually keep this up?"
Relax! Included in your Family Summer Devo are TWO bonuses which I really think will help!
1. Video introduction
to help you
2. Facebook community
to keep us accountable
Hello! I'm Lucy, a busy parent just like you. My vicar husband Al and I live in York, England, with our four kids who arrived by birth and adoption. They're currently aged 9-14 with social lives to rival the Kardashians.
Honestly! We spend our lives getting them to school, football training, gymnastics, dance, brass group, parties, playdates and church groups. Oh yeah, and we try and fit in our own jobs too...
Life is FULL ON. And, while we know that God has given us a clear mandate as Christian parents to teach our kids about God (Deut. 6:4-9), with the best will in the world, it can be a struggle.
So I create resources to encourage, equip and resource families just like ours. Families where no one sits still. Families with crazy schedules. Families dealing with the challenges of neurodiversity, early life trauma and mental health battles. In other words: normal families!
I blog at The Hope-Filled Family and share encouragement on Instagram and Facebook too, and am currently Acting Ministry Lead over at Parenting for Faith. When I'm not caring for my kids or working, I love to cook, eat, read, make music, and spend time with friends. And I run on chocolate.
Watch the training video - this will help you navigate the devo.
Download the resources to your device, printing those you'd like hard copies of.
Pick a day and time to get started. Meal time? Bedtime? Whenever works best for your family.
Start with the Family Devotions. These comprise a few verses to read from John, plus a couple of short questions - a mixture of 'closed' (factual) and more 'open' (sharing thoughts and feelings).
Got kids who need something a bit shorter? Switch out the Family Devotions for the Bible Story Cards!
Now the world's your oyster! Select as many or as few of the remaining resources as you like. Kids enjoy colouring? Print the colouring Bible verse sheets. Fancy a memory verse challenge? Use the memory verse graphics. Road trip coming up? Get the activity sheets printed off. Competitive family members? Use the end-of-week quizzes!
Most of the resources are written with primary-aged kids in mind - but, knowing that many primary-aged families will also have older/younger children (and also that every child is unique anyway...), I have ensured that some of the resources cater well for toddlers (e.g. the Bible Story Cards, colouring, spot-the-differences, wall tracker) and some better for teens (e.g. the Journal, quizzes, phone wallpaper). I say '3-15' as a rough age guide, but you know your family best, so do look at the information on this page and make your decision based on whether you think your kids will have something in this pack to engage them.
You'll receive an email receipt and course access instructions. Look out for these emails. If they're not in your inbox, check your spam or promotions folders. Can't see them? Get in touch: lucyrycroft3@gmail.com
No, this is an entirely digital product. That means no waiting for the postie to come!
Lots of the resources work perfectly well on screen (i.e. the devos, quizzes, Bible story cards and phone wallpaper). However, the colouring pages, activity sheets, journal and wall tracker will need to be printed out. Could you ask a friend with a printer to print them for you?
Once you've checked out, you'll receive an email with access instructions. Following these instructions will take you to the printables, which you can then easily download and print - but any problems, just give me a shout: lucyrycroft3@gmail.com
There are 4 devotions to do each week across a 6-week period. I estimate each devotion will take at the minimum around 5min. So - 20min per week. Not a big investment - but one which will pay great dividends! (But you may find you get into some great conversations and it takes longer - in a good way!)
Absolutely you will! Everything you need is in the Devo, and the questions are either closed (where the answers can be found in the text) or open (which instigate discussion - no right/wrong answers, just opinions and ideas). You can TOTALLY do this!
With such short, manageable devotions, you don't have to sit down! Why not do them in the car en route to holiday or a day out? Or perhaps in the garden, on a swing or trampoline. Or listen to an audio Bible, then chat through the questions while you're walking along the road (this is actually Biblical - see Deut. 6:7!).
Relax! You have lifetime access to the devo! If I do ever take it down, I'll make sure to give you plenty of warning so that you can download all the resources and have them forever.
The main thing for you to know is: you have as long as it takes to do this devotional!
The price has been set deliberately low to ensure easy accessibility and affordability for regular families. If people start to print these resources in huge quantities then, as their creator, I lose out financially. I'm not trying to make millions, but this is my livelihood.
By all means photocopy as many as you need for the number of kids you have in your household - large families are very welcome to copy as many resources as they need! But I'd appreciate it if you could let me know (lucyrycroft3@gmail.com) if you'd like to make copies beyond that, i.e. for multiple families or church groups. I'll always try and work with you to come up with a fair deal - and sometimes I'll be able to say 'Go for it!' for no extra charge! But please ask first :) Thank you so much.
You can either pop them on the Summer Family Devo Facebook group, or email me at lucyrycroft3@gmail.com
As this is a digital product, it can't easily be returned. However, if the Devo hasn't been up to your standards, do let me know at lucyrycroft3@gmail.com - I'd love to see how I can make it up to you.
If you're looking to get into great spiritual habits with your kids, but your schedule is crazy and your kids have a goldfish-like attention span, then you need some poker-hot resources available at the click of a mouse!
I've done the hard work for you, so why make life any harder for yourself and your family?
Plus, join with dozens of other families getting to know Jesus together this summer! Encourage and equip each other. This is going to be FUN!
Are you in?!