Year end teacher appreciation gifts made by RE kids, including handmade tags sharing their thoughts on “what is church for?” Answers include “for learning; for fun; for loving hearts and helping hands; for learning about the things around you; and for learning how to have an open mind.” Picture Credit: Joy Berry, 2016.
As Summer approaches, many churches are winding down their regular religious education programming. It’s also when congregations get ready for their annual meetings — an important governance event that helps guide decisions in alignment with our values for the coming year and beyond. Religious educators may be looking for ways to help kids and youth take part in these milestone, meaning-making moments — or for creative ideas for one-off or Summer Sundays. Here, you’ll find RE resources with both “traditional” and emergent (Whole Church-inspired!) ideas for the coming weeks. (See our March and April posts for more on UU rituals, Bridging, Coming of Age, and Volunteer Appreciation.)
Resources for Upcoming Special Days and Celebrations
May
Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month
Asian American Histories of United States
Asian American is Not a Color
We Who-Produce-Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America (ages 4-8)
Jewish American Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Jewish Unitarian Universalists
Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism (book)
Mental Health Awareness Month
Peaceful Mind: An Introduction to Meditation by the Dalai Lama (ages 2-5)
ABCs for a Peaceful Me: A Mindfulness Seek-and-Find Book (ages 3-5)
It’s OK –Being Kind to Myself When Things Get Hard (ages 3-7)
Words Are My Superpower: A Kid’s Guide to Affirmations, Mantras, and Positive Thinking (ages 8-13)
Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health (ages 13+)
Rest and Sabbath Retreat: J. Zimmer’s weekend youth retreat; focus on mental health
A Novel Mind: database of kid’s books, educator resource pages on mental health/neurodiversity
May 10 Mother’s Day
Celebrating Mother’s Day (History, Articles, Ideas for Action)
Mama’s Day — Ideas & Queries for Worship, RE, and Beyond
May 17 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia
Love at the Center – Defending Trans Lives and Democracy (Study Guide, Lecture)
The LGBTQ+ History Book
If You’re a Kid Like Gavin (ages 4-8)
This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Tales of Her, Him, Them, and Us (ages 8-12)
Tales from Beyond the Rainbow: Ten LGBTQ+ Fairy Tales Proudly Reclaimed (ages 8-12)
Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary & Gender-Diverse People You Should Know (ages 12-14)
May 25 Memorial Day
Honoring Fallen Soldiers (Time for All Ages)
June
Pride Month (History, Stories, Activities, Social Action, and Printables)
If It’s Pride and You Know It (board book, ages 0-3)
Are You a Friend of Dorothy? (picture book ages 4-8)
Queer and Fearless: Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes (ages 6-9)
Queer History A to Z (ages 10-14)
This Book is Gay For teens, tweens, and adults — including educators who want to learn/teach about the LGBTQIA+ community and parents of LGBT youth (ages 14-18)
June 16 Muharram (Islamic New Year): at sighting of crescent moon
June 19 Juneteenth
Juneteenth (history, readings, prayers)
Singing for Freedom (hymns)
When We Get Our Freedom (story for all ages)
The 1619 Project (adult book)
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water (book, ages 7-10)
June 21 Father’s Day
These Are Our Dads (reading)
I Believe in Fathering (meditation)
Possibilities for Our Children’ s Lives (reflection)
Ordinary Blessings for Parents
Chaos, Wonder and the Spiritual Adventure of Parenting
Project Fatherhood: A Story of Courage and Healing
Brave A tender father-son story about connection and indigenous traditions (ages 5-9)
Good Dads Project (secular but faith-friendly youtube video series)
June 21 Summer Solstice
Opening Words for the Summer Solstice
Making Room for All That Is (prayer)
The Solstice Teaches Us (poem)
The Uncovering (Braver/Wiser reading)
June 28 Stonewall Riots Anniversary (1969)*
Defiantly Joyful: Unitarian Universalist LGBTQIA+ Histories
A Queer History of the United States for Young People
Not He or She, I’m Me (Stonewall Honor book, ages 3-6)
Creative Ideas from the Field, for Summer and Beyond
Kids’ Annual Meeting: A Whole Church Approach
While the adults are gathering for this important event, consider how kids/youth could engage. In a recent post in the LREDA Facebook group, educators shared ideas. Included were pictures of a town-hall with questions and answers on chalkboard walls (then made into word clouds and shared back to the congregation) as well as a Kids’ Annual Meeting lesson plan from J.L. Shattuck.
Practicing Reverence: Kids in Worship
A last minute crisis means bringing kids into worship unexpectedly. Many of us have been there! Wren Bellavance-Grace describes how one REP needed to do just that. “The sermon’s theme that day was onreverence. She circled the kids up and introduced the concept — what does it mean? What might it look like in faces or bodies when you feel it? What words might describe it? Then they took papers and pencils, sat in the choir loft and searched for signs of reverence. Kids noticed adults’ faces, drew pictures of the sanctuary, and at coffee hour had so much to share with parents.”
How to Gather: Creating Great Multigenerational Experiences (from Priya Parker)
Multigen gatherings are rarer than ever. Want to try more Whole Church RE, but wondering how to meaningfully involve kids without centering them?
Opportunities to Learn, Share, and Connect
Whole Church RE Training Resources Available
Missed the event in April? Check out the resources that we covered in the link above! Includes slides and all suggested resources. The recording will be posted in a few weeks — watch for an announcement in this space.
Call for Submissions: Whole Church RE Field Guide
Whole Church Religious Education (WCRE) gives UUs a powerful story and practical tools to connect all the parts of the congregation, center faith development, and engage a community practice of shared learning as UUs. We hope to learn from, and lift up, creative ideas from the field. Please consider sharing WCRE resources/activities that you’ve created for your congregation. Click the link above!
The Deeper Joy of Whole Church RE – at RE Week @ The Mountain
This workshop will be offered for Sparks credit, July 5-10, 2026. Designed especially to support shared ministry approaches to congregational community-building and co-learning – registrants are encouraged to invite their ministry colleagues! Register by June 21.