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Aug 18, 2021
Faith· Resources

5 Middle School Youth Group Ideas You Will LOVE

This post contains affiliate or associate links with several businesses (which means if you shop through the links, I earn a small commission). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Last year, our parish (along with two other parishes) used the Be Yourself Journals as part of their plan for the youth group.

I was thrilled to get feedback from the men who run this program. They loved what the Be Yourself Journals addressed and how it was presented. It was exactly what they were looking for after attending a meeting about what is best to reinforce with the age group that is often identified as early adolescent, tweens, middle schoolers or junior high students.

*If you want more ideas, or ideas on how to use the Be Yourself Journals in the Classroom, check out 3 Ways to Use the Be Yourself Journals in the Classroom

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Here is a glimpse of what we did as well as some plans we had that we never did get to (ugh, COVID).

Catholic Youth Group Topics in this post include:

  • Identify as a Child of God
  • Bullying, Forgiveness and Jesus
  • Saints as Friends and Motivators
  • Prayer: Praying without Ceasing

Identify as a Child of God

Who are you?

Prior to this first session, we asked the youth to email us a picture of themselves in nature. We suggested they send a picture of themselves doing something outdoors (hiking, fishing) or visiting somewhere they enjoy (at the beach, up the mountains, at the Grand Canyon). The focus should be that they are somewhere that show’s the beauty of God’s creation.

One of the youth ministers prepared a quick slide show to play after we discussed “who are you?”

Here’s a glimpse at our “lesson plan” for the night!
Topic for this session: Who are You

Small Groups

To get the 6th, 7th and 8th graders thinking about the topic, we directed them towards the journal pages that asks them simple and fun questions about themselves.
Page 6-7-15-16 Boys Journal
Beauty Basics, God’s Creation, God’s Creation and You, Girls Journal


Whole Group Activity:
Invite teens to come up to a white board/butcher paper and tell them to write a word or two describing
who they are. They will write the words inside their own circle. Inside the circle will be a stick figure to
represent themselves. There will be a separate board/paper for the girls and guys.

Brief Talk on God’s Creation
One leader gives a talk on how these adjectives they wrote do describe aspects of their personality, but they don’t define them.

The letter in the Girl’s Journal from Saint Catherine Siena gives a great analogy that might be worth discussing! Check it out and share it with the kids!

Teach and stress the following:

  • We are God’s creation. God created you in His Image. God created you body and soul.
  • God created everything for you but you in turn were created to serve and love God and offer all creation back to Him.**
  • We are unique and unrepeatable.  We are called to identify as God’s son or daughter (child).
  • God created everything for you but you in turn were created to serve and love God and offer all creation back to Him.
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After this brief talk/discussion, show the slide show with all the pictures that were sent!
show slide show on the TV for the teens in nature.

Ask: What natural wonder would you love
to see one day.

A care package for Catholic College Students!

Present a list of the natural wonders.

Rest of Night:

Small Groups:
Would you Rather Activity

** The Would You Rather Game focuses on the beginning of this Catholic teaching: “God created everything for you but you in turn were created to serve and love God and offer all creation back to Him”

After they fill it out their answers in the book, the small group leader can go through each choice and
have them raise hand to see if they chose Answer 1 or 2.

Large Group
Charades Game

Girls v. Boys

We wrote each “would you rather activity” on a slip of paper. The teens picked a paper out of a hat and had to act out the activity and someone had to guess in a set amount of time.

We did boys v. girls and gave each group an alternating turn, it was so entertaining to watch! Lots of laughs!
Pick an action out of a hat and act it out (like ziplining, swimming, mountain climbing, hunting, fishing, etc. . .)

Here are some other spring boards from the book that make great group activities:

Bullying, Forgiveness and Jesus

Using the Boy’s Journal (pages 42-43) and the Gospel of John (John 8:3-9) is a great way to start talking about bullying and sticking up for people who are getting “ganged up on”.

We ended the night with a “writing in the sand activity”. The Youth Minister had one prepared . . . he had bins of sand that students partnered up with and shared.

The materials were simple and the interaction with sand was so fun!

Saints as friends and motivators

Give each tween a small white board or paper. Tell them to write a Saint quote or something that Saint might have said on the paper. Have each take turns showing their quote and the others guessing who said it. If they need help, here are some pages of each book that will help:

Boy’s Journal: pages 15, 60, 62, 68, and 89

Girl’s Journal: unfortunately pages are not numbered, but there a MANY pages with Saint quotes – girls will be able to find them easily.
Saint or Superhero Game

My friend Sara Estabrooks (author over at ToJesusSincerely.com) has a podcast with Chastity Speaker Tim and they played a game where Tim stated a quote and Sara had to guess if these words were said by a Catholic Saint or a fictional Superhero.

Listen to the Saint or Sinner Home But Not Alone Podcast Episode

It was not easy! I recommend listening and taking some of the questions as well as adding your own.

Since this may be difficult for kids who are just learning about the Saints, a good idea would be to put a youth minister in the “hot seat” and have the youth vote on whether he or she is right or wrong. There’s a gameshow that’s like that, right?

Prayer: Praying without Ceasing

I’m sure you have at least one night planned on the topic of prayer. Here are just some supplemental activities that will shake it up a bit 😉

Boy’s Journal – page 31 – gives ideas on how to pray while you play sports. You could set up stations around a gym or school yard and allow the students to choose a station then ask them to come back and talk about the experience.

Girl’s Journal – What’s your prayer style and Design a prayer room. Scrapbook materials required – really a fun one if you can separate the girls and give them time to work on these pages.

Want more ideas? Take a look at the post 3 Ways to Use the Be Yourself Journals in the Classroom

Saint Joseph and Jesus workshop skit

I was also thinking of a Saint Joseph and Jesus skit idea . . . do you want that idea? Let me know in the comments! If there is enough interest, I’ll create a free download!

This is idea number 5 – let me know if you want it and I’ll work on it!

Remember you can purchase the Be Yourself Journals from:

The Prayer Wine Chocolate Shop Page

From Amazon

From Our Sunday Visitor

Barnes and Noble’s online store


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Be Yourself! Journal

Journal for tweens and teens

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Do you ever feel like you are not doing enough? O Do you ever feel like you are not doing enough?

Often I need this reminder - God doesn't want us to feel stressed.
He wants us to rely on Him - trust Him.

He wants us to love.
Be patient and kind.

Many saints have discovered this and have advised us in their own words.

Saint Katharine Drexel said, "peacefully do at each moment what needs to be done."

Saint Teresa of Calcutta stated, "never worry about numbers, help one person at a time and start with the person nearest to you."

Saint Therese', the Little Flower, demonstrated again and again how much Jesus delights in her little way.

You don't need to be stressed.
Your little acts of love and trust for Jesus delight Him.

Have a better day 😉
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Be Yourself Journal on sale for $17.00… today on Be Yourself Journal on sale for $17.00… today only!!!
“Be who you are and be that well. So that you may bring honor to the Master Craftsman whose handiwork you are.”
~Saint Francis DeSales 

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Striving for Sainthood can be as simple as this… Striving for Sainthood can be as simple as this… 

This type of advice can be really helpful for all of us… especially for a young girl navigating middle school or her early teens.

This advice would have helped me.
Why?

Because it takes some pressure off the high expectations often felt by us as individuals.

It makes God’s will for us feel achievable and realistic.

It’s totally relevant to a student in junior high
(And a slightly stressed out adult)

This page in the Be Yourself embraces scrapbooking fun- just like the back cover. Only this page encourages photographs. Yes, actual printed ones 🎞️📸

Take a deep breath.
Love the next person that comes near you.
#Catholicmom #Catholicsaints #middleschool #juniorhigh #Catholicquotes #inspirationalquotes
A prayer and the story behind the picture… Oh S A prayer and the story behind the picture…

Oh St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, 

I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your divine son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord; 

so that having engaged here below your heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. 

Oh St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. 

St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us.
Amen.

My children had off from school on Friday. I had committed to an hour of Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays from to 2 to 3 during Lent… so since they had off, they had to come with me.
It was stressful.
They CAN NOT sit still.
Once I got one to stop walking around or talking, another one started.
But in the middle of all this… I witnessed a sweet moment.
I hesitated to pull out my phone because I really try not to during Adoration.
But, the beauty of the moment struck me, and I had to capture it.
📸 
Motherhood is hard. Parenting is difficult.
But I’m often reminded it’s like farming… and I’m planting seeds.

I just hope and pray I’m planting more good seeds then bad ones.

Thank goodness we can pray and ask for prayers from others!

Saint Joseph, pray for us!
#Catholic #Catholicmom #mustardseedfaith #catholicteacher #CatholicChristian #CatholicSaint #CatholicSaints #catholicparenting #liturgicalliving
THANK YOU! Thank you! Thank you! If you have left THANK YOU! Thank you!
Thank you!

If you have left a review on Amazon for either of the Be Yourself Journals… thank you from the bottom of my heart!

When you leave a review on Amazon it makes me SO HAPPY… plus it sends a signal to Amazon to show more people these books!
I’d love for more girls to get this book in their Easter Basket this year!

I’m so grateful this book is being used and appreciated!

God is good!

If you like this book and haven’t left a review, please write one! It’s okay if you didn’t buy it from there!

Tag someone with a 10 or 11 year old girl!

#Catholic #Catholicmom #liturgicalliving #litany #Wwp #CatholocChristian #CatholicEaster #CatholicEasterbasket #ComeHolySpirit #trueidentity
I can’t believe in the past week I’ve posted 4 I can’t believe in the past week I’ve posted 4 videos on YouTube!

And last week’s interview with Dr. Matthew Breuninger (@askacatholictherapist ) still has me thinking about the “psychology of prayer journaling “!

The last 4 videos posted consist of two new interviews (Jessica Castillo from @athrivingcatholic and Dr. John Spitzer @johnspitzermd ); 

a box opening of @pinksaltriot ‘s latest JOY BOX and finally 

a “how to” video that demonstrates how girls can design the back cover of Be Yourself: a Journal for Catholic Girls!
Whew!

Dr. John Spitzer shared parenting advice for moms and dads of tweens;

Jessica Castillo shared how our physical and spiritual health are connected;

The Joy Box had some fun surprises… one will be going in my daughter’s Easter Basket;
And my friend’s daughter was the perfect co-host in the “how to design “ video!

Tell me which topic interests you the most… maybe I’ll dedicate an Instagram post highlighting that content!

#Catholic #BeYourselfJournal #CatholicYouTube #Catholicyouth #CatholicsOnline #catholicsofinstagram #Catholicblog #Catholicauthor #Catholicblogger #catholicinspiration #Catholictalk #joybox
FLASH SALE ON BOY’S Journal ends tonight!!! Link FLASH SALE ON BOY’S Journal ends tonight!!!
Link in bio!
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“I got this for my 10 yr old daughter’s Easter “I got this for my 10 yr old daughter’s Easter basket. She immediately was attracted to it. Later, she came to me and said that it was her favorite item in her basket. She loves it and really has spent time with it. It is motivational, inspirational, engaging and most importantly, designed to encourage a habit of prayer and meditation at a young age. All while focusing on God’s love for us and our uniqueness…”
Review left on Amazon about Be Yourself:a Journal for Catholic Girls
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FLASH SALE!!!! Boy’s journal sale ends MONDAY!!! FLASH SALE!!!!
Boy’s journal sale ends MONDAY!!!
Finish up Lent strong… and add this fun book to an Easter Basket!
Link in bio!
#Catholickids #Catholicmom #Catholicyouth #CatholicChristian #Catholic #catholicyouthministry #Catholicdad #Catholicgift #Eastergift #Easterbook #Easter #easterbasket #Lent
I adore you Jesus, true God, and true man, pres I  adore you Jesus, 
true God, and true man, 
present in the Holy Eucharist, 
kneeling before you 
and united in spirit 
with all the faithful on earth 
and all the saints in heaven. 

In gratitude for so great a blessing, 
I love you with all my heart, 
for you are worthy of all praise 
and adoration. 

Lord Jesus Christ, may I never offend you with my lack of love. 

May your Eucharistic presence refresh me in body and soul. 

Mary, Mother of the Eucharistic Lord, pray for me 
and obtain for me a greater love for Jesus. Amen.

#EucharisticAdoration #Lent #EucharisticRevival #BlessedSacrament #40hours #prayforvocations #Catholicmom #Catholicsonline #manyhailmarysatatime #catholicsofinstagram #Holyhour
Seriously, if all the @catholicsonline shops had a Seriously, if all the @catholicsonline shops had a mall I’d… I don’t even know… it would be AMAZING!!!
#RomanCatholic #Catholicgifts #Catholicmom #Catholicwoman #Catholicwife #Christiangifts #SaintJude #CatholicSaints #Catholicshop #Eastergift #Eastergifts #Catholicsonline #Catholicreels #catholicsofinstagram #prolife
Have you ever seen a statistic and thought… thes Have you ever seen a statistic and thought… these numbers are NOT in my favor?

Years ago, I was lonely, depressed and wondering if I would ever not be lonely and depressed.

I dreamed of falling in love and getting married.

But, I wanted to marry a faithful Catholic man… and I believe I saw that only 22% (?) of Americans were Catholic.

And then I thought…
Half of them aren’t men, a large percentage are not practicing and … also how many are BOOMERS?

Lucky for me, God math goes like this…
5 loaves 
2 fish
=
5,000 meals and leftovers 

This is my handsome husband and our awesome nephew with the Bishop that Confirmed him on Friday.
Matt was -and is- such a proud Sponsor and Uncle!
God bless Grayson Patrick FRANCIS!

Thank you God for all of your gifts!!!
“You pay God a compliment when you ask big things of Him.” ~ Saint Teresa of Avila

#Catholic #confirmationsponsor #CatholicSacraments #EucharisticRevival #EucharisticAdoration #ComeHolySpirit #Saintquotes #CatholicSaints
Don’t you love when a plan comes together for a Don’t you love when a plan comes together for a retreat and you see joyful faces! 

Listen, this is the best retreat hack for Catholic girls!
****The Be Yourself Journal Scrapbooking activity.****

Give each girl a Be Yourself Journal.
Explain how, “We are all called to holiness but we take different paths.” ~ Saint Katharine Drexel.

Have each girl pick out a Holy card and two Catholic stickers.

Put scrapbooking paper and Catholic washi-tape (thank you @thestumpofjesse ) on the tables and get them started with decorating the back of their journals.

As they work add more stickers and quote cards to their table.

Point out that they were all given the same set of instructions… yet each cover design is unique.

The same is true for their calling!
God has a unique mission for each individual.

He calls us to follow the Commandments, embrace His Word and trust the teachings of the Church…
same set of basic instructions, different yet BEAUTIFUL results when followed!
“Be who God meant you to be and you’ll set the world on fire!” ~Saint Catherine of Siena
Huge thank you to the women who donated journals and holy cards!!!
#holycards #Catholickids #Saintquotes #BeYourselfJournal #Catholic #Catholicstickers #Catholiccrafts #Saintquotes #Catholicyouth #Catholicyouthgroup #Catholicretreat #Confirmationretreat #Catholicretreat #catholicteacher
Not sure what to do with all those prayer cards? Not sure what to do with all those prayer cards? 

Holy cards can be a fantastic prayer journal prompt. 

Copy the prayer off the back and glue the card to the page ;next to, underneath or above where you wrote the prayer).

Follow me for more prayer journaling tips!
#Catholicjournal #biblejournal #Prayerjournal #prayerjournaling #bissisterhood #Catholicsonline #Jesusandcoffee #Lentideas
Getting ready for a Confirmation Retreat this week Getting ready for a Confirmation Retreat this weekend!

So excited to help these young Catholics see that each is called to holiness… but each mission is unique and unrepeatable!

Huge thank you to the women who donated journals for the retreat (11 donated!!!) and the women from my Bible study group who donated Holy cards!

If you would like to donate a Journal for one of the girls attending the retreat this weekend… send me a private message and I’ll explain how!

Holy cards are GREAT prayer journal prompts!

Which Holy card would you put in your prayer journal?
#prayerjournal #Catholicsaint #Confirmationretreat #Catholicretreat #catholicprayer
Keep at it!!! Don’t give up and Don’t give in! Keep at it!!! Don’t give up and Don’t give in!!! “The world offers you comfort… but you were not made for comfort, you were made for GREATNESS!”
Pope Benedict XVI
#Catholic #Saintquotes #prayfastgive #Lent #Catholicreels #Catholicmeme #Catholicmemes #catholicsofinstagram #Catholicmom #faithandfamily
New post up on the blog!! I found some awesome Hol New post up on the blog!!
I found some awesome Holy Spirit themed gift ideas!
Link in bio!
#catholicgiftguide #ComeHolySpirit #Catholicmom #religiouseducation #Catholicgifts #shopCatholic #catholicsonline
Holy Spirit activate!!! New gift guide up!!! One m Holy Spirit activate!!!
New gift guide up!!!
One might say … these gifts are on FIRE!!!!
Check it out… link in bio!!!
#holyspiritactivate #Catholicgifts #Catholic #confirmationgift #Catholic #youthministry #Catholicyouth #Catholicteen
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