The Best Summer Investment You’ll Ever Make Isn’t a Vacation – It’s This
May 31, 2026
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” — Deuteronomy 6:6–7
Parents spend a lot of time planning the perfect summer, the trips, the camps, the activities. And there’s nothing wrong with any of that. Interestingly, as a kid, we didn’t do the summer road trip or camping as my folks were always working, but they did send us “away” to a farm it was a working farm, so we helped out with working and weeding the garden which seemed like a mile long and a mile wide, but then again I was just a kid, but it was huge. Now granted that was a different millennium, and my parents were not Christians at that time, they worked hard to get us out of the “hood’ in downtown Toronto.
But now, as a parent, I realize the greatest investment you can make this summer costs nothing and lasts forever: intentionally pointing your child toward Jesus in the everyday moments of life.
God’s design for passing faith to the next generation was never meant to happen only in a church or classroom. According to Deuteronomy 6, it happens at home, on the road, at bedtime, and at breakfast. It happens in real life, with real people, and that means you. Here are a few areas that will be of a help as you head into the summer.
1. Create a Summer Rhythm, Not Just a Schedule
Routines feel rigid, but rhythms feel life-giving. Think about building simple, repeatable moments into your week, a Tuesday night walk where you talk about life, a Friday family game night that opens with prayer, a Saturday morning where you read a Psalm together. Rhythms create the conditions where faith can grow naturally.
2. Let Your Kids See Your Faith, Not Just Hear About It
Do your children see you reading your Bible? Do they hear you pray when things are hard — not just at mealtime? Kids are watching everything. When faith is lived out loud in your home, it becomes believable and desirable to them. Authenticity is your most powerful parenting tool.
3. Ask Better Questions
Instead of “Did you have fun today?” try “Did anything happen today that made you think about God?” or “Was there a moment you needed to be brave or kind?” Questions like these open doors to deeper conversations and help children develop a faith that’s personal, not just inherited.
4. Connect Them With Other Believers
Kids need more than their parents’ faith; they need a community. Summer is a great time to get them involved in a CEF Good News Club or a Bible club, a VBS, or a church program where they’ll meet other children who love Jesus. Friendships built around faith are some of the strongest a child can have.
5. Give Them a Heart for Others
Take time this summer to talk about children around the world who don’t yet know how much Jesus loves them. Pray for them by name, give as a family to a children’s ministry, or have your child write an encouraging note to a missionary. When children pray for others, their own faith becomes anchored in something bigger than themselves.
The memories you build this summer will fade. The faith you nurture may last an eternity. Choose well — and trust that God honours every small, faithful step you take as a parent.
If we can help, give us a call, or if you would like to have a CEF club this summer in your backyard or church, let’s connect to see how we can make that happen.
Parents spend a lot of time planning the perfect summer, the trips, the camps, the activities. And there’s nothing wrong with any of that. Interestingly, as a kid, we didn’t do the summer road trip or camping as my folks were always working, but they did send us “away” to a farm it was a working farm, so we helped out with working and weeding the garden which seemed like a mile long and a mile wide, but then again I was just a kid, but it was huge. Now granted that was a different millennium, and my parents were not Christians at that time, they worked hard to get us out of the “hood’ in downtown Toronto.
But now, as a parent, I realize the greatest investment you can make this summer costs nothing and lasts forever: intentionally pointing your child toward Jesus in the everyday moments of life.
God’s design for passing faith to the next generation was never meant to happen only in a church or classroom. According to Deuteronomy 6, it happens at home, on the road, at bedtime, and at breakfast. It happens in real life, with real people, and that means you. Here are a few areas that will be of a help as you head into the summer.
1. Create a Summer Rhythm, Not Just a Schedule
Routines feel rigid, but rhythms feel life-giving. Think about building simple, repeatable moments into your week, a Tuesday night walk where you talk about life, a Friday family game night that opens with prayer, a Saturday morning where you read a Psalm together. Rhythms create the conditions where faith can grow naturally.
2. Let Your Kids See Your Faith, Not Just Hear About It
Do your children see you reading your Bible? Do they hear you pray when things are hard — not just at mealtime? Kids are watching everything. When faith is lived out loud in your home, it becomes believable and desirable to them. Authenticity is your most powerful parenting tool.
3. Ask Better Questions
Instead of “Did you have fun today?” try “Did anything happen today that made you think about God?” or “Was there a moment you needed to be brave or kind?” Questions like these open doors to deeper conversations and help children develop a faith that’s personal, not just inherited.
4. Connect Them With Other Believers
Kids need more than their parents’ faith; they need a community. Summer is a great time to get them involved in a CEF Good News Club or a Bible club, a VBS, or a church program where they’ll meet other children who love Jesus. Friendships built around faith are some of the strongest a child can have.
5. Give Them a Heart for Others
Take time this summer to talk about children around the world who don’t yet know how much Jesus loves them. Pray for them by name, give as a family to a children’s ministry, or have your child write an encouraging note to a missionary. When children pray for others, their own faith becomes anchored in something bigger than themselves.
The memories you build this summer will fade. The faith you nurture may last an eternity. Choose well — and trust that God honours every small, faithful step you take as a parent.
If we can help, give us a call, or if you would like to have a CEF club this summer in your backyard or church, let’s connect to see how we can make that happen.
Blessings
Art