Tips for Running a Vacation Bible School
Laughter, fun, games, crafts and bible teaching are all staples in a Vacation Bible School (VBS). If your church already runs them, or perhaps you’re in the process of setting one up, check out our top tips, and new resources, to help you in your ministry: before, during, and after your VBS.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Firstly, and most importantly, pray. This is the key to a successful VBS. Pray when you plan, when you’re running it, and when it’s over. Pray for the children, pray for your leaders, and pray for the parents.
Top Tips for Before Your VBS
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3
Plan Early:
It’s never too soon to start planning. Even if it’s pencilling in the date, and putting out feelers for helpers and themes, get off on the right foot at least a few months in advance.
Choose a Theme:
A theme will help provide a framework on which to hang all your activities, crafts, music and advertising. Some people focus on a Bible story or character, while others choose a broader theme and select Bible verses around it.
Popular themes include:
Super Heroes - featuring modern heroes of faith or key biblical characters.
Treasure Hunters - featuring key theology such as grace, mercy, forgiveness.
Olympics/Sports - featuring themes of perseverance, running the race, dedication.
Science, Space and Inventions - featuring creation, wisdom and knowledge.
Agree on a Budget:
Whether you’re planning on a shoestring budget or have generous funds available, it’s important to set a budget. Share this with any leaders who are responsible for purchases, and pray for wisdom as you steward God’s resources.
Find Appropriate Resources:
Some people like to plan from scratch, others want an out-of-the-box curriculum, and others want something in between! Think about your team, their skills and their time. Research into existing resources which are designed especially for VBS. If you’re creating something from scratch that doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel! Pinterest has a whole variety of resources you can access for free, especially for craft ideas and games.
DIY Resources
If you’ve decided to plan at least some of your VBS yourself, you don’t need to do everything from scratch, there are books and online resources with great ideas and concepts.
Craft Resources
Big Picture Bible Crafts - 101 Simple and Amazing Crafts to Help Teach Children the Bible
Big Bible Science - 21 activities designed to stir the imaginations of students and develop a lasting love for Christ.
Videos
Go Chatter Videos - Go Chatter pull together Christian videos from a variety of sources which could be used for your summer club.
Music
Seeds Kids Worship - Seeds Kids Worship have a whole catalogue of sung scripture verses which you can utilise in your club, many of them having hand motion videos for download too.
Awesome Cutlery - Fun and funky Bible truths to help families and churches know Jesus better.
Complete Curriculum
If you want all the hard work done for you (to save hours trawling the internet for ideas), it could be worth the extra $s to get a complete curriculum, complete with invitations and printables!
Faith in Kids has a selection of resources which it’s also worth checking out!
Recruit Volunteers:
Volunteers are essential for a successful VBS. Ensure you have enough adults for supervision and various activity areas. Not everyone wants to jump up and down at the front, but that’s fine, because those quieter, less outgoing volunteers can be making everything run behind the scenes, from sorting drinks and snacks, to setting out the craft stations, and checking in the children.
“I use a variety of ages on the team, not just younger people who can run around. Children love all ages of people and it's wonderful to work on a team with lots of different aged people. Also, spot gifts in your church family who might not serve regularly in children’s work, and invite them to help.” Emma Sutton, Children’s Team Leader, Redeemer Church Folkestone.
Get as many people involved as you can, not only will it reduce the load on any one person, but it also allows a bigger group to get a vision for the young people and their faith.
Promote the Event:
A VBS is a wonderful opportunity to welcome those from outside your church to learn about the gospel, but how will they know about it unless someone invites them? Kids are great at this! If you have children in your regular congregation then they will be keen to invite friends, so get the details printed out and shared on social media early so parents can make plans to attend. If you have links to local schools, think of creative ways to let local families know about the VBS.
Get Serious
Crafts, songs and stories are important, but don’t forget all the serious stuff too. First-aid, risk assessments and safety training should all be planned well in advance.
Top Tips for During Your VBS
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 19:14
Keep it Fun and Interactive:
Incorporate games, crafts, songs and activities that encourage them to think through the Bible truths, and memory verses which they will remember long after the VBS ends.Make the Bible Stories Come Alive:
Use creative methods like dramatic presentations, storytelling, puppets or interactive activities to make Bible stories come to life. Refer to the Bible, and read directly from a Bible where possible during your Bible time to show how central it is to our faith.Create a Welcoming Atmosphere:
Make the entire experience welcoming and inclusive for all coming along. Consider how you can support those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to take part.Learn Names: Learn the children's names and get to know them. Give your team some helpful pointers for how to engage with the children during any group times and activities, taking opportunities to discuss the teaching, having some simple question prompts each day if helpful.
Be Gracious: Things may sometimes not go exactly as planned, but show grace and be ready to pivot to plan B.
Engage and Communicate with Families:
Keep your timetable and schedules consistent. Try not to change drop off and pick up times, as this may lead to confusion. Make all the key information easily accessible on your website, social media, and on a printed handout when children are registered.
Send home a quick overview of each days teaching if possible to allow children to engage with parents. This is helpful for both Christian and non-christian families, we all know children's favourite responses to what they've done that day is "I can't remember!".
Consider holding a family service or round-up event where all the family members can come together, see what the children have been learning, and be welcomed into the church.
Top Tips for After Your VBS
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” “ Isaiah 52:7
Follow-up: Make sure to send the children away with a meaningful gift, such as a gospel book or Bible, plus an invitation to your regular ministry activities. This is especially important for families who aren't active in church.
Celebrate Leaders: Recognise the hard work of volunteers by hosting an informal get together, and get some of the team to feed back to the whole church on how it all went. Your future volunteers may be listening!
Praise God: Make sure to take the time to praise God for all that you were able to accomplish in His name, and by His power and the work of the Holy Spirit.
It’s true, running a VBS takes a lot of time, patience and prayer, but seeing the children go away with a greater understanding of God’s goodness, and forgiveness is so worth it!
