Parent/Son Event

"Boys Night Out!"

Parents and sons connecting over games and pizza or ice cream, all to create an environment for better conversations at home. For grade schoolers.

Form a leadership team to determine the date and the menu that fits with your budget for the event. Then, choose which game/activity you think works best for your church. (See options below). One month before the event, start promoting it at church and on social media with the slide. For everyone who signs up, send a series of emails to start prepping them for this event, one immediately after sign up and a second just a day or two before the event (see samples below).

Game/Activity Options:

  1. Parents vs. Kids Dodge Ball. Clear out the chairs in your auditorium or use another big room in your church for games of dodgeball. You’ll need 6-10 balls.
  2. Minute To Win It Games. Compete against your son or another parent-son duo in a few of these fun games!
  3. Paper Airplane Competition. Parents and kids choose a paper plane design (or come up with their own) and then have a competition to see whose plane can fly the farthest by doing head to head competitions with the winner advancing to the next round. Depending on your numbers, you may need to have two brackets going at the same time and then have the winners of each bracket face off. You may want to make copies of the 10 designs provided in the book so parents and kids have time to make their plane.
  4. Race Car Derby. This is a little more complex and messy but still a blast! You’ll need to build a race track. Follow these easy instructions to make your own. This event will require painting right away so there is time for the paint to dry before the races. Set up tables where parents and kids can build their cars and then paint them.

 

Email Templates:

Sample Email #1 - After Sign up

Hey Parents!

Thanks for signing up for our “Boys Night Out” Parent/Son event! Our goal for this event is to help you get connected with your son in a meaningful way. Sure, we’ll be playing games and having fun. But more than anything, we want to create an environment where you can start talking about the stuff that matters with your kids. Our hope is that this event catalyzes a meaningful discipleship relationship that goes beyond the event itself.

We’ll get you and your kids competing with each other and laughing while you do it. Then we’ll take a break to talk about an important topic in small group settings. It’s the perfect combination of talk and fun!

So, we’ll see you at the big event! Don’t forget to put it on your calendar:

[Include Event Title, Day and Time. Include link to calendar invite if applicable.]

Sign

P.S. This event is still open to others. Know another parent/son duo who might like to join us? Invite them along, and make an impact on another family in your world!

Sample Email #2 - Before Event

Hey dads!

Our “Boys Night Out” Parent/Son event is almost here! Are you ready?

Remember, we’ll get you and your kids playing fun games laughing while you do it. Then we’ll take a break to talk about an important topic in small group settings.

Got questions? Just ask! And we’ll see you at the big event:

 

Here’s a basic agenda you can use for this event. Feel free to customize as needed:

  1. Welcome and opener. Greet parents and sons as they come in, and let them start mingling with each other. Tell them about what to expect for the evening, and if you’re doing a pizza party, it might be best to start with the food. Be sure to have some music playing during this time to help create a fun and energetic atmosphere. (If you’re doing the derby cars, you’ll need to start with building and painting first so the paint has time to dry)
  2. Food. Whether it’s pizza or ice cream, have kids and parents get their food and find a seat at one of the tables. Encourage the group to introduce themselves to the others sitting at their table and allow for some time for mingling.
  3. Video and conversation. Show the video to the group and then give groups about 15 minutes to talk about it. We recommend having parents and sons view the topic on their phones, since this is how they are likely to do it at home. But you can also print out the questions ahead of time. Choose from these video options.
    1. Don’t Be a Sore Loser
    2. Truthfulness
    3. Self Control
    4. Kindness
  4. Game or activity: Depending on the activity you choose, give instructions to the group on how to proceed.  For Dodgeball you can start with Half on Half. Split the group down the middle or find some other way to choose teams. Keep parents and sons together. Once teams are chosen, let the teams vote on team names. Then let the games begin! Then get a game in with kids against parents.
  5. Closing Ceremony: This is where you can hand out prizes or simply gather the parents and boys to pray. Tell them that there are lots of great topics on pursuegodkids.org that they can do at home.  

Follow up is important for this event. Be sure to reach out to the parents with at least one more email that encourages them to make a habit of talking with their sons. If you have another event on the schedule, this is a good time to plug it.

Sample Email #3 - After The Event

Hey Parents!

Our “Boys Night Out” event was awesome! Thanks for coming. Now let’s talk about next steps.

Remember that our goal for this event was to help you get connected with your son in a meaningful way. We tried to create an environment where you could start talking about the stuff that matters with him. Now it’s up to you to keep the tradition alive! We covered a topic from pursueGODkids.org. Be sure to make a habit of talking through other topics from pursueGODkids.org. It’s easier than you think, and it will be one of the most important habits you ever form! Here are some tips:

  1. Let your son pick the topics to talk about. This will give him more buy-in.
  2. Don’t over-share. Be sure to ask questions to get your son talking.
  3. Keep it short. A 5- or 10- minute conversation is still a win.
  4. Be patient. Over time, your son will appreciate these little talks.

Keep pursuing God!

 

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