Thrive | Girls Retreat 2015
Hosting a girls' retreat is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the young women in your congregation. Here are some tips for a successful retreat:
Pick a theme: This will help guide your planning and create a cohesive atmosphere.
Pick a location: Choose a space that is comfortable and conducive to your planned activities.
Have good food: Delicious snacks and meals are essential for keeping everyone energized and happy.
Make a tentative schedule: Plan out activities and allow for some free time for socializing.
Most importantly, have fun!
For our retreat, we chose a theme that tied into one of our planned activities. We utilized our fellowship hall for the location and served a simple Taco Stack-up menu with plenty of snacks. Our schedule included group activities, get-to-know-you games, and free time for conversation. We had more games planned but ran out of time, highlighting the importance of flexibility in your schedule.
Our first icebreaker after dinner was a fun game called "Me Too!" We sat in a circle and each girl shared a random fact about herself, like "my favorite color is blue." If others shared the same fact, they shouted "me too!" and passed a ball of yarn around the circle. Whoever spoke last became the next person to share a fact, and we continued until everyone had a chance to share a few things about themselves. By the end, we had a tangled web of yarn, symbolizing the many things we had in common. This activity led us to discuss our shared bond as sisters "in Christ."
Our next activityl was to encourage the girls to develop good Bible study habits while they're young. We discussed the differences between reading and studying the Bible, and then walked them through a Bible marking topic called "The Plan of Salvation." We provided map colors and index cards (for those who preferred not to mark their Bibles) so they could write down the scriptures. Both the girls and the moms helping with the retreat gave us positive feedback on this activity.
After Bible marking, we took a short snack break before our next activity: Chalking 101. Prior to the retreat, we had traced several patterns for Bible class visuals and allowed the girls to choose their favorites. Then, we guided them through the process of chalking to create their own visuals. This provided an opportunity for them to socialize while working, and their finished masterpieces were laminated and added to our resource room for teachers to use in Bible class.
The finished products!
After cleaning up, we settled in for the night by unrolling sleeping bags and inflating mattresses. Around midnight, we put on a movie. A word of advice, though: you might want to choose something a little more uplifting than Hachi. It's a good movie, but definitely a tearjerker for animal lovers!
The next morning, we enjoyed a breakfast casserole and spent some time chatting together. We then gathered for a closing prayer and asked the girls for their input on topics for future retreats. Everyone was enthusiastic about the idea, and we're already looking forward to planning the next one!
