VBS Planning Timeline: A Step-by-Step Guide

When Should You Start Planning for VBS?

With summer comes Vacation Bible School, and with VBS comes the need to plan! And, planning for a big event like this isn’t something to just wing or throw together at the last minute. A good VBS plan is critical for an effective and productive time. Building a roadmap as to what you’re going to do, how you’re going to do it, who is going to do it, and where you’re going to do it is pivotal. The why you’re going to do it? That should be fairly obvious; however, it’s still a good idea to revisit the mission and goal of VBS to make sure you’re pointed in the right direction.

It’s always good to start planning for VBS a good six to twelve months before the actual event. The plans you make now will help set the tone for the entire event—and if planned well, will also decrease stress and chaos and increase organizational efficiency. Anything less than six months will definitely be a rush to put together, not to mention promote and staff. Even if your VBS is on the smaller side of attendance, you still want to make sure it’s well thought through. Parents and church staff are trusting you to put together an event that will not only be safe and well-scheduled, but also invest in children’s spiritual growth.

What to Do 6–12 Months before VBS?

This is the time you’ll want to build the skeletal framework of your event. First and foremost, you will need to select a date for your upcoming VBS summer event. Be sure to cross-check both your church’s calendar with your community calendar. Especially if you’re using VBS as an evangelistic tool, you’ll want to make sure there are no major summer activities planned for that week with summer schools, kids’ clubs, etc., that may compete for attendance. Once you’ve selected the dates, be sure to add them to your church’s calendar, and, if applicable, to your local Chamber of Commerce events or other community calendars.

Definitely next on the docket is to determine your budget, theme, and curriculum. There is an abundance of options available for all budget ranges and doctrinal foundations. You’ll want to consider important factors like which age groups you’re going to invite to VBS and how easy the curriculum is to use, not just for you as the organizer but also for the assisting staff. And let’s not forget that we need to start considering who will be on that core team as we move toward VBS. At a minimum, define the roles that need to be filled so you have an idea of the volunteers and staff you will need.

VBS Planning Checklist: 6-12 Months Before

• Choose dates for your VBS event
• Check church and community calendars to avoid scheduling conflicts
• Add the event to church and local community calendars
• Set your VBS budget
• Select a theme and curriculum
• Decide which age groups to include
• Evaluate how easy the curriculum is for leaders and volunteers to use
• Begin forming your core team
• Define key roles and staffing needs
  
  

What Needs to Happen 3–6 Months before VBS?

In the three to six months leading up to your VBS, you’ll want to take your planning from vision to action. This is the time to order your curriculum and supplies. Do an inventory of what your church may already have in its supply closet, or what volunteers may be able to donate to help cut back on expenses.

During these months, you’ll also want to begin recruiting your volunteers. If you haven’t already built the core of your planning team, now is the time to make sure that is cemented, and then recruit the other volunteers who will help to fill in the gaps.

Don’t forget that the volunteers needed are more than just teachers. There are also set-up and tear-down teams, those who can provide snacks, those who decorate for the VBS theme, those who help get kids safely from drop-off to their classrooms, as well as others. You’ll want to start collecting and planning the décor for your VBS theme during these months, and you’ll also want to recruit and include volunteers who will specifically help with these elements.

It’s also a good idea to get a jump start on developing your promotional materials. A lot of VBS curriculum will come with templates for digital and physical promotions. But you’ll also want to consider and decide on the extent of promotion you wish to achieve. In-church only or community-wide incur two completely different efforts. So be sure to plan carefully and prepare ahead so you’re not caught with last-minute promotional nightmares.

VBS Planning Checklist: 3-6 Months Before

• Order curriculum and supplies.
• Inventory existing church supplies.
• Ask for donated items.
• Confirm your core planning team.
• Recruit additional volunteers.
• Assign roles for teaching, snacks, décor, safety, drop-off, set-up, and tear-down.
• Gather theme décor.
• Begin promotional materials.
• Decide on church-only or community-wide promotion.
• Plan your promotion timeline early.
  
  

What Should You Finalize 1–3 Months before VBS?

Now is the time when your feet really hit the ground running. You’ll want to have a few meetings with your volunteers to make sure they know when, where, and how they’re serving. You’ll want your team on the same page, sharing the same mission.

You also need to finalize all the details of the event. This means figuring out room assignments for varying age groups, your attendance check-in and out system and who is running that, any child-safe policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment, and prepping technical elements such as computers, sound boards, lighting, and video equipment. You also want to reconfirm that you have all your supplies for crafts and activities, as well as anything else you'll need, such as t-shirts, extra décor, and any snack menus/supplies.

Of course, this is when you will start promoting your VBS heavily. At a minimum, you’ll want to advertise within your church via your bulletins, social media, posters, and digital displays. Assuming you’re extending the invite to your community, you’ll need to make sure you’re putting the word out on various social media platforms, posting on posters around town, and placing a banner at the end of your church driveway, etc.

VBS Planning Checklist: 1-3 Months Before

• Hold volunteer meetings.
• Confirm each volunteer’s role and schedule.
• Share the overall VBS mission.
• Finalize room assignments.
• Set up check-in and check-out procedures.
• Review child safety policies.
• Prepare tech equipment.
• Confirm craft, activity, décor, T-shirt, and snack supplies.
• Promote VBS in church.
• Promote VBS in the community, if applicable.
• Use bulletins, social media, posters, displays, flyers, and banners.
  
  

Final Week Tasks: What to Do the Week before VBS?

Take a deep breath, because here we go! The week before is the time to set up. You’ll want to prepare your church for decorating, post any signage and directions, and do a walk-through of your building so the route you’re moving children along is clear and works with the timeline. This helps avoid crowd congestion and the chaos of children running free during the event.

Prepare all your crafts, if you haven’t already. Pre-cut, stick, glue anything you don’t want to or won’t have time to do the nights of. Print nametags, if you’re using them, and also print schedules and any special instructions or child rosters that teachers will need.

Now is a good time to send the final communication to anyone who has registered. Let them know what their children may need to wear, bring, or be prepared for. Have an easy-to-find list of contacts for any questions parents/guardians may have. Be sure you’ve also sent out and are prepared to collect any health or allergy forms that may be needed to be sure no child is exposed to something that may cause physical issues.

VBS Planning Checklist: One Week Before

• Set up and decorate the church.
• Post signs and directions.
• Walk through the building route and schedule.
• Prepare crafts ahead of time.
• Print nametags, schedules, instructions, and rosters.
• Send final details to registered families.
• Share what children should wear or bring.
• Provide a clear contact for parent questions.
• Collect health and allergy forms.
  
  

Extra Tips: Staying Organized during VBS Week

Some extra tips for your VBS week:

• Have a designated question and answer center. This is a place where parents can come at the beginning and end of each day’s event to get information they may need. During the event, this can become the place leaders and teachers can run to for extra supplies, troubleshooting, etc.
• Have a few volunteers who are designated runners. These people are merely at the event to be on call to help with bathrooms, check-in, extra supply runs, or extra assistance if someone calls in sick.
• Have one or two designated cell phones that are being manned (probably with the runners). This way, you can easily text or call for a quick response.
• Select a room or area for a first aid station. It may be used merely for band-aids and boo-boos (let’s hope anyway), but it’s best to be prepared for even more extensive emergencies. If possible, have a few volunteers on site who are First Aid/CPR certified.
  
  

Conclusion: Follow-Up after VBS Ends

Once VBS is over, it is important to give volunteers some hearty thanks. It might be as basic as a handwritten note, or you may wish to have a casual appreciation dinner. Whatever works for you and your team,  but be sure to say “thanks” and give recognition.

It’s a great idea to reach out to families that attended VBS—especially if they are not regular church attendees. Take the opportunity for a personal follow-up and an invitation to continue attending church services and other future events.

Provide your volunteers, and perhaps the attending families, with a digital survey link to gather feedback on what went well and what could be done differently next time. Be sure to, at a minimum, do this with your VBS staff.

And then, take a few weeks off before you jump back in to plan for the next year!

Photo credit: ©Getty/Kara Gebhardt

Jaime Jo Wright is an ECPA and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author. Her novel “The House on Foster Hill” won the prestigious Christy Award and she continues to publish Gothic thrillers for the inspirational market. Jaime Jo resides in the woods of Wisconsin, lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at jaimewrightbooks.com and at her podcast madlitmusings.com where she discusses the deeper issues of story and faith with fellow authors.