For Valentine’s Day this year, we’re putting together a little surprise for the kids in our area. In the middle of a weird school year, we want to remind them how much they’re loved.
Below is our play-by-play. Feel free to copy and paste this idea for your Young Life friends!
- The week before Valentine’s Day we plan to post to our Instagram and Snapchat stories asking what kids’ favorite candy is. We won’t give a reason; it will just come off as a fun question for engagement!
- You don’t need to make it a surprise like we are, but I think it adds to the fun!
- We’ll save kids’ responses and create a massive shopping list for the candy we need to buy.
- Most areas aren’t spending as much money on club this school year, so ask your local staff person if they can foot the bill, or ask friends to donate!
- Next, we’ll divide the candy among leaders to deliver to kids along with a handwritten note!
- I tweaked a design from the Young Life Staff and Volunteer Resources website and made it my own.
- Click here to download a printable version of the cards we’re using! There’s something about a handwritten note that goes a long way with kids. Put some time into this step. They’ll remember the note longer than they’ll remember the candy.
- Finally, sometime around Valentine’s Day, leaders will deliver the candy/card to kids. You can easily make this step vibe with your local COVID-19 restrictions and the various comfort levels of leaders and kids.
- Some of our leaders plan to simply drop off the candy/card in kids’ mailboxes while others plan to hang out at kids’ houses after they make the delivery. That’s my favorite part of this idea: you’re able to customize this to individual comfort levels while still doing something “sweet” for the kids you love.