With summer right around the corner, now is the time to start planning your Vacation Bible School. VBS is a wonderful opportunity to reach new children with the Gospel and breathe new life into your Sunday School. And, despite what you may have heard, preparing for VBS doesn’t have to be a stomach-churning, anxiety-inducing process. Give this article a quick read, and we’ll show the secret to a vibrant VBS!
Vacation Bible School in 10 easy steps, using Sharefaith Kids!
THEME:
Finding a biblical theme that covers a week of Vacation Bible School can be a real challenge. So we’ve put one together for you. This summer, take your children on an adventure as they discover: “Heroes of Faith.” This theme comes straight from Hebrews 11, and gives you the opportunity to introduce your children to some of the greatest stories in all the Bible! Plus, at the end of this article, we’ll give you some great tools to promote Heroes of Faith to your church.
OUTLINE:
You’ve got the theme, now you need to figure out what to teach. We’ve got you covered! Sharefaith Kids’ library of lessons has OVER 15 lessons that expand on the heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11. Want to teach one lesson a day? Pick your favorite 5 lessons! Want to teach 3 lessons a day? Pick all 15! Use our lessons to fit your personal teaching style, and the vision God gives you for your summer VBS. And the best part, each of these lessons come with award-winning videos along with a host of other amazing teacher resources.
BONUS! If you’re not the planning type, download our FREE Vacation Bible School schedule template.
• Includes a 5-day VBS overview.
• Customize by assigning your own times to each event.
• A great visual resource to printout and then handout to your team!
STUDY:
If the purpose of VBS is to share the Gospel with our children, then it’s paramount to have a good understanding of the lessons we’ll teach. Each Sharefaith Kids lesson comes with a professionally written curriculum that is Biblical, easy to understand, and relevant to your kids. This means that, with a few moments spent in our curriculum, you will be able to confidently teach your children the story of Noah, David, Samson, and many, many more!
CREATIVITY:
A huge plus of VBS is that it affords some extra time for your kids to get creative. As much as kids love to run, jump, and play, they also love to write, color, cut, and create. With every Sharefaith Kids lesson, you will get a host of print-outs your kids will love. There’s no need to go searching online for coloring pages, mazes, crosswords, and spot-the-difference printouts. You’ll get all of these and more included with each Sharefaith Kids lesson.
ENERGIZE:
A good children’s curriculum must come with some good activities! This summer, our kids need to hear about Jesus, but they also need to get their wiggles out. Sharefaith Kids lessons all include interactive activities that help reinforce the lesson you will be teaching. If you’re teaching about Abraham following God by faith, why not breakout for a blindfolded obstacle course? And what brings the lesson of Jacob wrestling with God to life like a game of Thumb War?
MEMORY VERSE:
Vacation Bible School is more than free summer daycare. At its core, it is an opportunity for teachers and volunteers to be a part of transforming a child’s life. And nothing transforms a life more than the Word of God. This is why every Sharefaith Kids lesson comes with a memory verse that gets to the heart of your teaching. This memory verse is just one of the many slides included in our groundbreaking lesson presenter.
BIG IDEA:
VBS is wild, crazy, energetic summer fun. However, at the end of a teaching, you want to leave your kids with a big idea that they can take home. We get it, and that’s why every Sharefaith Kids lesson comes with a big idea for you to sum your lesson up. These big ideas are a great way for you to build the outline of your Vacation Bible School. Pick 5 to 15 big ideas that you like, organize them, and then teach them in the order you like best!
ENCOURAGEMENT:
Vacation Bible School is a big undertaking and it can be easy to lose the forest for the trees. In the busyness of planning and scheduling, we can forget the purpose of VBS: Sharing the Good News of Jesus with our little ones. All Sharefaith Kids lessons come with an intro video from our Kids Director. These encouraging videos remind you of the heartbeat behind each lesson, and help keep your eyes on the prize as you plan out this summer event.
FIRING UP YOUR TEAM:
Vacation Bible School is not a one-person-show. To do it well, you will need a strong team of volunteers to give a helping hand. It’s critical that this team understands what you will be doing for VBS and are excited to be a part of it. Once you’ve organized your VBS, invite your team to an evening get-together where they can watch each lesson video, talk over each lesson’s big idea, and get fired up for this amazing week of ministry!
PROMOTE:
VBS is something you need to let your kids, parents and community hear about! Promote, promote some more, and then promote again. Nothing helps promote like some eye-catching visuals. Let us help. We believe in the mission of VBS, so as our free gift to you, here is a pack of digital promotional resources. In this pack, you will find PowerPoint slides, posters, cover sheets and flyer templates.
The opportunity to share Jesus with kids is one of the great privileges God affords us. This summer, make the most of this opportunity! If you’ve never done VBS before, this is the summer to give it a try. If you’ve done VBS before, perhaps this is the summer to take it to another level. Sharefaith Kids would love to play a role in your Vacation Bible School!