Adolescence is like riding a wild roller coaster, full of twists and turns—physical, mental, emotional, and social changes all swirling together with a sprinkle of spiritual curiosity and a dash of hormones! It’s a time when questions pop up like popcorn, but the answers often seem a little fuzzy and tangled. So how can the local church help these young adventurers tackle some fundamental identity questions? Enter “Who Am I?”—a fantastic faith milestone for 5th and 6th graders!
The resources I curated to design a 4.5 hour retreat, 2 hours on Friday evening and 2.5 hours on Saturday morning, included:
“Understanding Me: Who Am I?” by Janine McNally
Psalm 139, NIV translation
“Who Am I?: Solving the Identity Puzzle” by Martyn Iles
“Enjoying God My Creator” by Kids Enjoying Jesus (some resources are free right now!)
To kick things off, the students decorated blank journals, sketched themselves on the first page, and jotted down three things that make them unique. I prepared a PowerPoint presentation combining elements from “Understanding Me: Who Am I?” and the free goodies from “Enjoying God My Creator,” sprinkled with teachings from “Who Am I?: Solving the Identity Puzzle,” and a few uplifting modern worship songs inspired by Psalm 139. Throughout our time, we scribed three verses at a time and read aloud often Psalm 139, dissecting the vocabulary and ideas that sparked our amazement of God’s care, preparation, attention, and love for His creation of people.
We tackled the myths surrounding truth, discussed the changes they’re experiencing, and explored how Christians have cherished human life for centuries. We recognized that we all stumble and fall, yet our Creator has already mapped out our identities. The conversations were nothing short of incredible, and our guiding mantra became: “We cannot know who we are until we accept whose we are.”
But the milestone isn’t just about the info—it’s about reconnecting! As these students grow up and engage in various age-level milestones, they get the chance to rekindle friendships with their church friends. By 5th and 6th grade, their social circles revolve around sports, dance, teams, and academics, but these moments at their home church allow them to grow in Biblical wisdom while sharing sticky faith-formation experiences. This not only deepens their relationship with their Savior but also strengthens their bonds with one another.
