Seasons, holidays and celebrations

From Advent and Easter to back-to-school and summer holidays, family life is marked by changing seasons. In this section, you’ll find creative ideas, faith-based reflections, and practical tips to help you make the most of key moments in the calendar — creating meaningful traditions and spiritual depth throughout the year.

6 tracks for Christian parents to add to their family car play list this summer
2025-07-31T08:00:00+01:00By Michael J Tinker
Michael J Tinker suggests 6 great Christian songs that will help families praise and worship down the motorway
'Read-alouds’ - the simple but effective way for Christian parents to help form faith this summer
2025-07-29T08:00:00+01:00By Victoria Beech
Victoria Beech suggests an easy way to make good use of the summer weeks
The summer holidays can be great times to bond with your children and develop their faith. Here’s how…
2025-07-23T12:31:00+01:00By Victoria Beech
Things to try this summer - Keeping your children busy in the summer holidays
Summer glow-up or comparison burnout: The perfection trap for young people
2025-07-23T08:00:00+01:00By Sara Taylor
In summertime, social media floods with images of ‘glow-ups’, smoothie cleanses, intense workouts, miracle beauty products, and wellness routines promising an idealised version of health and happiness. At first glance, setting a goal of becoming healthier and happier seems harmless. But scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll quickly see that the wellness industry, far from being about well-being, is a multi-billion-pound machine built on selling us the promise of improvement while profiting off our insecurities. The cost of buying into this cycle, financially, emotionally, and mentally, is significant, and it’s time we ask: who’s really ……
Holy habits for the school holidays: Helping your family stay close to God this summer
2025-07-14T08:18:00+01:00By Tabitha Heathcote
The rhythms and routines of mealtimes, school runs, work, clubs, and activities – though sometimes monotonous – are the familiar patterns that give our lives structure, help things stay on track and often provide small pockets of peace and predictability in busy family life. It’s within these routines that we can make space for God and discipling our children.
Look closer, you’ll find the Eubank Jr - Benn fight was secretly a sermon on fatherhood
2025-06-13T08:20:00+01:00By AJ Gomez
In 1990, Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn met in a clash preceded by years of animosity. Simply put: these men just didn’t like each other.
3 helpful qualities for Christian dads to foster this Father’s Day and beyond
2025-06-12T08:10:00+01:00By Ed Mackenzie
On June 15^th this year, families across the nation will celebrate Father’s Day. Fatherhood is likely to bring up different emotions in families. For some – hopefully many – emotions will be positive, and the day will be a chance to give thanks for the dads within the home. For others, the day will bring up mixed emotions due to the absence of a father, or perhaps a dad’s death. Churches which engage with the Father’s Day celebration would be wise to remember these various experiences – while also encouraging dads (and male role models within the church) in their midst.
Answering your child’s questions: Why is God a Father?
2025-06-11T08:21:00+01:00By Becky Peacock
With Father’s Day just around the corner you’ve probably begun to notice that the shelves have filled up with bright ties and blue socks declaring “BEST DAD EVER” and “DAD YOU’RE ROARSOME!” (who actually buys those?) Teachers are scrolling Pinterest for new ideas of cute crafts, and our kids are spending their days creating beautifully unique handprint cards - just like everybody else! Whilst this day is quite rightly a celebration of the men in our lives who care so wonderfully for their families, it is also a painful reminder of what has been lacking for so many others.
There is no good parenting without Good Friday
2025-04-18T07:42:00+01:00By Gareth Crispin
We spend a lot of time on NexGen providing helpful, biblical, practical articles for Christian parents on all manner of subjects: films, social media, additional needs, disability, schools, awkward questions, reviews of Christian resources and much more. But the most important element in Christian parenting is you. That sounds obvious, after all the clue is in the word! But sometimes we might forget the centrality of that truth. Your parenting starts with you. Not the skills, not the tips, not the information – you.
Mothering Sunday: A chance to celebrate mothers and consider the implications of mothering for mission
2025-03-24T11:55:00+00:00By Claire Hailwood
One of the things that I love most about being a Mum is receiving hand delivered tokens of love. I have kept notes from my now-teenagers, one of whom, at six, declared they loved me nearly as much as their favorite toy. I have photos of a special stick found ‘just for me’ by a sweet little redheaded boy who is now as tall as I am.
Christian parents will find that the Real Easter Egg collection from the Meaningful Chocolate Company is well worth trying
2025-03-13T09:09:00+00:00By Tabitha Heathcote
When it comes to Easter, there is one very important question that everyone should think about: When is it too early to eat a chocolate egg?! 
The Garden the Curtain and the Cross is a great resource for Christian parents to try in the run up to Easter
2025-03-13T09:08:00+00:00By Shelley Logan
As the last few remnants of the Christmas stock are in the seasonal sale aisle, in comes the chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. ‘Happy Easter’ is on bunting, hats, and toys everywhere we look. It can be difficult for Christian parents to navigate yet another consumer-hacked event in the calendar, as the colour pallet in the shops turns to pastel yellow, pink and green and the shelves are filled with chocolate eggs, and fluffy bunnies and chicks. So, how do Christian families manage this time of year as they explain the biblical account of the first Easter to children in a theologically accurate, yet age-appropriate way, especially as eggs, hot cross buns and bunnies can be easier to digest than sin, death and resurrection.
Act-along resurrection
2023-03-15T12:14:00+00:00By Bob Hartman
Use this story as part of a God-time at home, or as a bedtime story. It can also be used alongside this month’s Together sessions. The children should pretend to be the other Mary who goes to Jesus’ tomb, acting out all the part in bold.