Before meeting in person for club, please be sure to check CDC recommendations and your local county and state guidelines.

Questions to Ask:

  • Will we require kids or leaders to wear masks?
  • Will we do temperature checks?
  • When and where will we incorporate hand washing and/or hand sanitizer?
  • Will our check-in or check-out procedures look any different?
  • How will we communicate with families if someone in club has or comes into contact with someone with COVID-19?
  • Do we have enough willing volunteers to run club and possible subs in case they are needed?
  • What cleaning supplies will we use and who will be responsible to clean?

Additional Tips:

  • Some life skill activities will naturally be easier to accomplish outdoors, such as “Trees,” “Cycling,” “Outdoor Skills,” “Orienteering,” or “Hiking.” While the weather is nice, start with these kinds of activities.
  • Some life skill activities can be done mostly at home, such as “Family Helper” or “Parents.” Encourage parents to work on these activities from home.
  • For life skill activities where children can work mostly independently, such as many of the art-related activities (for example “Clay Modeling” or “Creative Gifts,” set up everything ahead of time at individual areas. As much as possible, use one-time use items or supplies that can be used by the same child week after week.
  • Consider inviting parents and siblings to club for “Family Club Night.” Use these nights to do games or life skill activities that require more direct interaction, such as “Acting,” “Cooking Outdoors,” “First Aid” or “Woodworking.”
  • Some life skill activity or game options just may not be possible in this season. That’s okay! Don’t put all of your focus and energy into trying to make something work exactly how you might have done it in the past. Be reasonable when setting your expectations. You are navigating uncharted territory this year, and that can be exhausting.
  • Create supply boxes for each child. Include items like coloring supplies, a pencil, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, a pair of scissors, glue bottle, glue stick, etc. Label boxes so the child uses the same materials each week.
  • Consider shortening your club meeting time frame.

Get Creative with Seating:

  • At each “spot,” set out one poster board and a set of markers. Have kids stay on their poster board during the lesson. Decorate the posters after the lesson and hang them in the club room during the year, or have kids take the posters home.
  • At each “spot,” set out a large cardboard box. Have kids decorate their boxes to turn them into boats, cars, or something that can be tied to the lesson or activity of that meeting. Use the box for a whole unit. Kids need to stay in their box during the lesson.
  • At each “spot,” place an item that kids can take home with them at the end of the meeting. Kids need to stay on or inside that object during the lesson. Consider items such as: hula hoops, beach towels, inflatable inner tubes, etc. Mix it up each week so that kids never know what to expect!
  • Pick a theme, such as animals, methods of transportation, books of the Bible, Bible characters, or country flags. Print out and laminate 2-3 copies of each picture. (Laminating these will make them easy to clean.) Ahead of time, place one set of the images where you want kids to sit or stand during club. Make extra sets if you will use different rooms throughout the night (such as a different room for the Bible lesson, game time, or working on life skill activities). Assign kids to the same picture each week, or have kids choose a new picture each time.