I know that opinions really vary about how to reward the Young Women. You want things to be fun, but you also may want to consider their motivations for doing things. But this post is the place for any leader with any opinion! Hopefully I've covered your stances with many fun activities.
A Quantitive Food Reward
Everyone loves food, right? Why not host a fun Personal Progress ice cream party?
For some people, food is the best motivation. Print out the invites here, which have the image you see above on one side and a way to track their progress on the other. Choose a few rewards for just showing up - caramel sauce, chocolate chips, etc. Once everyone's served themselves, let them eat and socialize as you pull aside the YW and figure out how their Personal Progress is going this summer. It's a great time to update tracking charts and set new goals! At the ice cream party, you can play "Sweet is the Work!" ;)
Now, here it comes. If you have YW with allergies, it just might not be worth it. From accidentally causing reactions (you guys, marshmallow fluff has eggs in it. I did not know this when preparing food for someone and found out the really, really hard way) to hurt feelings, I strongly suggest holding a non-food activity. (Which is right below this section!) If you're feeling kind of iffy about it, read this article. It may completely change your mind. Also, if you have a lot of YW, it can get a little expensive. If you don't feel like this activity is the best for your ward, move on to the next option!
A Quantitive Non-Food Reward
Have fun in the sun with a nice YW Pool party! No food has to be involved, or in the reward.
Print out the ticket above. Find an outdoor space - local park, church parking lot, etc.
If you want to and can involve food, great! But if you don't want or need to, great! Hopefully this is a good non-food counterpart. First, fill up the water balloons. I've gotta say, these water balloons are a time saver and life changer. But if you're one of those YW leaders who enjoys making your YW suffer and go through the painful process of filling up water balloons, go ahead and get the cheap dollar store ones. Cough. (Just putting this out there, I am a YW and filling up 200 water balloons at Girls Camp just to clean them up is not fun.) Anyways, let the girls through the water balloons they have earned, which will likely end in a big water balloon fight. Clean up, meet with the YW to discuss their Personal Progress, and boom. You have a fun food-free activity! I like how cheap this activity is. You just need a big space outdoors, and you're good to go.
But wait a minute... my goal this summer was to finish Personal Progress. When I started, I only had around 5-6 things left to do before I could finish. (Right now I have 3!) So I could get 5-6 max, when it's not even my fault. And I'll put it out there that I am not a 12 year old Beehive. But if I was and just joined a week before the activity, how many could I get? Probably not a lot. So maybe another, quantitive reward?
A Qualitative Reward
To make things totally fair, try a qualitative reward. Print the invite out here.
Before the activity, have everyone set a PP goal. Do it with one YW and one (or two if your ward has enough leaders) leader(s) so they'll be more likely to choose realistic and difficult but achievable goals for the time frame in between the PP movie night and then. If they complete their goal (and have a parent or leader signature) they've landed themselves an invitation to the movie party! Below I have some fun Mormon Movie ideas. I have seen them all and given them a real YW's stamp of approval!!
But if you have another movie idea that you're sure is fun and appropriate, go for it! Cough, cough, Disney. Or The Greatest Showman...
So, there you go. But "you're not invited" can get a little mean. Below is an activity where everyone's invited.
So, there you go. But "you're not invited" can get a little mean. Below is an activity where everyone's invited.
A Fun Summer PP Activity
There's always time for s'more Personal Progress!
Hand out the above invitations, and like the invite says, enjoy s'mores while checking in on the girls' PP goals for the summer! And everyone is invited.
Now, you can modify any of the above activities. At the PP Movie Party, you could give someone a movie choice vote per PP experience. Or you could turn the water balloon activity into a Pool Party and BBQ. And if you want, do all four activities during the summer. The possibilities are endless! Don't be afraid to modify activities to fit your wards' needs.
Yours Truly,
Molly Mormon
Molly Mormon
No comments:
Post a Comment