Sample Mission Trip VBS Outline and Tips!
Whether you’re at a school with students, park with neighborhood kids, or hosting a Vacation Bible School at the church, a basic itinerary for the ministry time may look like this:
Before VBS
- Place name tags on children, team and all staff
- Separate into groups based on age
Opening - 30 Minutes (everyone together)
- Welcome
- Skit
- Daily Bible Verse
- Dismiss to rotations
Rotations -20 Minutes each
- Music
- Games
- Crafts
- Snack
- Bible Story
Closing - 15 Minutes
- Songs
- Daily Bible Verse
- Prayer
- Huddle Up
- Each day, we will have the chance to huddle as a team and discuss what worked well and what may need to change for the following day. From a meticulously planned VBS to meeting some children at the park and everywhere in between, kids will love the chance to spend time with you.
Game Ideas
- Duck, Duck, Goose
- Freeze Tag
- Red Light/Green Light
- Field day activities (sack race, three legged race, relays)
- Sports (soccer, frisbee, jump rope)
Craft Ideas
- Shaker (paper plates, dry beans, staples, some kind of decorations)
- Friendship bracelets (embroidery thread)
- Puzzle (construction paper, crayons, scissors, sandwich bags)
- Beaded cross or fish (pipe cleaners, plastic beads)
- Puppet (brown lunch sack, markers, yarn, construction paper, glue)
Be Engaging
- Parents - They may be curious about what their child is learning. This become an excellent opportunity to share the love of Christ with them as well.
- Older Teens - Teens as old as 16 or 17 may join in on the fun. Please invite them with open arms. They can be invaluable when it comes to helping organize and direct younger children. They can thrive off of the responsibility, and the younger kids have someone to look up to within their own community. It’s a win for everyone!
- Very Young Children - It’s not unusual for a baby or toddler to tag along with their older sibling to children’s ministry. If this is the case, consider having one of your team members run a nursery during the VBS time. If the older sibling who brought them requests that the younger sibling stay with the throughout VBS, that’s OK too.
Prepare to be flexible!
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