4 Tips for Making VBS More Than Just a Fun Week of the Summer

It might only be January, but it’s time to start planning your VBS! I know there are lots of solid VBS curriculum options out there (we even have a few of our own!), and this week’s guest blog post comes from the creator of a new VBS curriculum I just learned about! Meet Samantha Kuiper, creator of Diving Deep VBS, and read on to discover 4 tips for making VBS more than just a fun week of your kidmin summer. 

It may seem a bit early to be talking about summer, but as the new year begins, we start looking forward to and planning our ministries’ next big events and programs. One summer event that I advocate for every year is Vacation Bible School (VBS). Whether your church holds a traditional VBS or you do summer camps and programs, gathering your kids for some intentional, fun, and engaging time to learn about Jesus and grow deeper in their faith matters more than we often stop to consider. 

Vacation Bible School is so much more than just a fun week during the summer. For many churches, this week has the potential to be the biggest outreach event of the year. For churches that are intentional with their invites and promotion, VBS creates a safe, fun, and barrier-free way for unchurched families to feel welcomed into your church community. For many children, VBS often provides their first hearing of the gospel. It is a fun, engaging, and interactive way to share the immense love of Jesus with the children who attend and their families. 

VBS can be all of that and more, but it must be done with intentionality, care, and a whole lot of effort. That’s why we’re talking about it so early. Big events like this don’t just happen overnight (and a VBS planner like this one can help). But, man, are they worth the effort!

Here are some tips and thoughts for creating an intentional and meaningful VBS experience for your students and your community: 

• Choose your curriculum thoughtfully. When done well, VBS can be an amazing way to outreach and share the gospel with your neighbors. Are the core truths of the gospel being shared in your VBS curriculum? Are they easy to understand for someone who may not attend church regularly? Is there intentionality to the lessons being taught? Are the lessons all pointing back to Jesus? (Explore the Diving Deep VBS Curriculum that covers all those bases here!) 
• Make it interactive! No one likes sitting around listening to people talk all day. Find ways to get kids up and moving! Make stations with crafts, games, lessons, snacks, videos, songs, etc. Have students travel around and interact with each other and the material throughout their time at your event. (Find a free sample craft from Diving Deep VBS here!) 
• Make the lessons sticky. The best way to make a lesson stick is by repeating it with all learning styles represented. The more we hear the same lesson, the better we will remember it. Also, we don’t all learn in the same way. So have the craft (art) reflect the lesson. Include games (movement) that reteach the lesson. Learn the lesson through song (music). Create the lesson out of food and snack on it! Repetitive doesn’t have to mean boring. Reviewing the lesson throughout your event through a variety of fun and different methods will help your kids walk away with a deeper understanding of what you are teaching.
• Follow up! Plan and pray for many in your community to attend this event who don’t regularly attend your church. And when they do, have systems in place to connect with them afterwards and follow up. Send out emails with fun photos of their kids at your event (with permission, of course!) Invite them to join you on a Sunday morning or at your next kids’ event. Keep in touch and follow up with all of your attendees. VBS is a great invitation into church, but it hopefully won’t be their only time in church. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to create a space, even for one week of summer, where we intentionally poured a little extra into our kids spiritually? What would it look like to become the place that invited your neighborhood kids to come, have fun, and experience the love of Jesus? 

As summer approaches (faster than we know), start thinking about how you will make those warm months meaningful for your kids and families. Schools shut down, families travel, pools open, and time flies by.

So let’s be intentional with our time and our fun, especially as we think about big events like VBS.

Author bio: Samantha Kuiper is a mom, educator, children’s director, and author living in the city of Philadelphia! She loves Jesus and has a deep desire for kids to know Jesus’ life-changing love for them. She believes God can do mighty things through even the smallest kids, and she hopes to encourage and empower kids (and adults) to live boldly for Christ. Learn more about her Diving Deep VBS Curriculum here.