It's nearing that time of year again! Kids are getting out of school and the weather is getting hot. But if you are like me, there is still no plan for Vacation Bible School. This guide will help jumpstart some ideas for projects for kids, decorations, themes for VBS, prizes, lessons, and other fun things.

VBS Themes and Decorations

There are dozens upon dozens of themes to choose from when doing VBS: under the sea, tropical rain forest, outer space, dinosaurs, western, around the world, luau party, medieval ages, etc. It is easy to find props for decorating the place by going to the local party shop. If you are clueless as what you need to buy, then try looking through the products of an online wholesale party store first.

What is not easy about decorating Vacation Bible School is staying within a budget. Balloons and streamers are some very cheap yet handy things to decorate with. Kites are also cheap decorations, and can also serve the duel purpose as a prize! Pinatas, cutouts, and Christmas lights make great decorations. Posters are another way to decorate, but I don't suggest using them since they are usually very expensive. Probably the most cost-effective big props are ones that you make yourself. For example, it is much cheaper to make a boat out of cardboard than to buy one from the store. You can also send a handout to the church asking for decorations; they just might have the palm tree you're looking for sitting in their garage.

Pinatas and kites are just a couple colorful things you can decorate with

VBS Projects

The most common types of projects for VBS deal with arts and crafts. Every VBS teacher will need a nice supply of glue, glitter, colored construction paper, markers, crayons, and pencils. To help control the mess, every workstation should have a tablecloth. Using a few wide strips of paper will also work. If you dare to use paint, then you should buy a few T-shirts or aprons for kids who wore their nice clothes to VBS. Also, do not trust those paints that say they don't leave stains. I've heard a parent complain about the paint still not coming out of her child's clothes. Sculpey clay can also be a good art supply, but I rarely see it used. I wouldn't use Sculpey clay with the toddler crowd- they will mush it up just like play dough!

Clay and glitter are stuff kids love to work with

Coming up with ideas for projects can be difficult, but there are many places you can look. Classroom projects at school, VBS planning books, and from past experiences of VBS are a good place to start. Here is a list of good projects off the top of my head: create a scene from the Bible like the garden of Eden or the Egyptian pyramids, dress up like kings and queens as the Jews do for celebrating Purim (Read the scroll of Ester), or have them illustrate a Bible story to turn into a book.

There are many books that can help give you some VBS ideas

VBS Lessons

When I began teaching VBS, I found using illustrated children books along with the Bible the best route. You can find tons of children books at the local Bible bookstore. Personally, I like ARCH bible story books best. Using both I think is key if the classroom has a mixed age group. Most children's books have a central theme easy to build off from. Talking about pride, wisdom, jealousy, and love is pretty easy for a large group of kids to do. It is also pretty easy to find volunteers to read. Looking up on the Internet certain people, places, and things from the Bible can also add depth to a lesson. For example, you might find a picture of the idol Baal or a person who has leprosy. Also, don't forget about the chalkboard. It can come in handy when explaining the more complicated things like how the twelve tribes of Israel came to be. It also comes in handy if you don't have an illustrated children's book for a certain story (kids don't mind stick figures). If you have some puppets, a puppet show is also an entertaining way to give the kids a lesson.

Bible children's books and puppets are useful lesson tools for VBS

VBS Prizes

Before I talk about what you can use for prizes, I better talk about how to give them out. I personally like kids picking off the wall tags with the secret prize or which treasure chest to open written on the back. Hiding a grand prize in the bunch is also quite a bit of fun. Usually, my kids earn a prize just by coming to VBS and being good for the day. I don't try to make it difficult for them. Pinatas are another thing to use for prizes, but it would be expensive for the kids to break one open every day they came.

Just like themes, there are many types of prizes you can give out. The party shop is a good place to look for small, cheap prizes. Keychains, pencils and pens, plastic toys, hairpieces, puzzles, inflatable rings, candy, juice boxes, stamps, and coloring books make great prizes. For the grand prize, I often use movie tickets or tickets to the local pool. A gift certificate can also be used for a grand prize.

3D puzzles and keychains are good prizes that aren't expensive

I think VBS should be one of the fondest memories of every child's life. If you focus on the kids and on fun, your VBS should be a success. Enjoy planning it and have a good time yourself.