3 Game Changers for a First Time VBS Director 

By Sara Lansford

Here are a few tips that have leveled up my VBS game over the years.   Share on X

Congratulations! You’ve said YES to directing VBS. Because of your efforts, boys and girls are going to hear and experience how following Jesus changes everything! Here are a few tips that have leveled up my VBS game over the years.  

1. Prepare the Spiritual Atmosphere – Host a churchwide “VBS Prep Rally” before any major decorating begins. Plan tasks so all ages can participate. Use the “Prayerwalk Brochure” from the VBS 2023 Administrative Guide to lead families in walking through the church facility praying for leaders and participants. Encourage volunteers to pray for leaders by name as they assemble name tags. Create a station for kids to make invitations for their friends to “pop into VBS.” (Attach to a mini popping toy for an extra “pop.”) Spend time together as a group praying over VBS. 

2. Use Name Tags for More than Just Names – Get the most out of name tags by adding which group kids are in, including stickers to identify allergy alerts, or putting security codes on the backs for leaders to verify with a matching code from grown-ups. Leaders also love it when their schedules are printed on the backs of their name tags for easy access! 

3. Register Kids Online – Once our church decided to move to online registration, we tried a different avenue each year. Nothing seemed to fit exactly right, though, until we tried KidEvent Pro™. When it comes to registration, KidEvent Pro has been the single greatest tool in my VBS toolbox! 

Sara Lansford serves as a Content and Production Editor for Lifeway Kids. She has also served in kids ministry on church staff for over a decade. She currently serves as her church’s VBS director in Madison, Alabama.