VBS Planning Checklist: A 12-Week Guide for Churches

The Two VBS Outcomes

Every Vacation Bible School ends one of two ways:

1. The good one: Kids leave singing the songs. Volunteers high-five and ask when next year is. The kids director takes Monday off and feels proud.
2. The bad one: Volunteers no-show on Day 3. The craft supplies run out by Tuesday. The kids director ends the week sleep-deprived, considering early retirement.

The difference between the two outcomes is almost never effort. It’s planning.

This checklist is designed for a 12-week runway to a 5-day VBS. Adjust the timeline if your church does a 3-day or weekend version.

12 Weeks Out: Foundations

• Set the dates and confirm with senior leadership
• Pick the curriculum and confirm budget
• Reserve all rooms and outdoor spaces
• Identify the VBS director (not always the kids director — pick the right person)
• Set the volunteer recruitment goal (typically 1 adult for every 4-5 kids)
• Set the registration goal based on prior years
• Open the budget line and document who can approve spending

10 Weeks Out: Volunteer Recruitment

• Open volunteer signups (online form or paper card)
• Announce from the platform 3 weeks in a row
• Direct ask to last year’s volunteers (“Can we count on you again?”)
• Identify station leaders for each role: crafts, recreation, music, snack, opening/closing, group leaders
• Background check process started for any new volunteers
• Plan one volunteer training meeting

8 Weeks Out: Registration Opens

• Online registration link live
• Paper forms available for non-online families
• Promote on social, email, bulletin, and to parents at pickup
• Track first-time families separately for follow-up
• Begin tracking allergies and medical notes
• Send a reminder to last year’s families

6 Weeks Out: Curriculum and Setup

• Walk through every day of the curriculum with station leaders
• Order all supplies (don’t forget: name tags, lanyards, first aid kits, snacks)
• Confirm AV needs (mics, video, music)
• Build the daily schedule down to 5-minute increments
• Build group rosters based on registration
• Decide t-shirt or matching attire (and order with buffer time)

4 Weeks Out: Volunteer Training

• Hold the volunteer training meeting (60-90 minutes)
• Walk through the daily schedule, room assignments, and emergency procedures
• Review the check-in/check-out SOP (use your existing kids ministry check-in process)
• Distribute volunteer handbooks
• Confirm every position is filled (and identify backups)
• Send confirmation emails to registered families

3 Weeks Out: Logistics Lock-In

• Print: name tags, group rosters, schedules, allergy lists
• Confirm snack menu and order (or schedule donations)
• Print parent communication materials (daily reminders, theme info, photo permissions)
• Run final registration push for under-enrolled families
• Coordinate with worship/AV team for any large-group sessions

2 Weeks Out: Final Volunteer Communication

• Send detailed schedule to every volunteer
• Send the SOP for their specific role
• Confirm arrival times and parking
• Confirm what they should wear
• Send the emergency contact list (VBS director, kids director, security)
• Final headcount check on volunteers — fill any gaps now, not Day 1

1 Week Out: Setup Week

• Decorate the building (start Friday before VBS week)
• Prep daily supply bins (one per group, per day)
• Test all AV equipment
• Run the morning of Day 1 in your head and on paper
• Confirm food orders / snack deliveries
• Final email to parents: drop-off location, pickup procedure, what to bring

Day-Of: Daily Run-of-Show

Every VBS day should look like this on paper:

• 30 min before start: Volunteers arrive, breakfast available, daily briefing
• Doors open: Check-in begins, name tags distributed
• Opening session: Worship, theme intro, prayer (~25 min)
• Rotation 1: Bible story, craft, recreation, music, snack (groups rotate)
• Rotation 2-4: Same structure
• Closing session: Recap, prayer, send-off
• Pickup: Security tag verification, hand-off to parent
• Volunteer debrief (15 min): What worked, what to fix tomorrow

Print this schedule. Tape it to every door. Volunteers should never wonder where to be.

Daily Volunteer Briefing

Each morning before kids arrive, gather all volunteers for a 10-minute briefing:

• Today’s theme and Bible story
• Any schedule changes from yesterday
• Any kids with allergies or medical notes by group
• Any first-time families to flag for personal welcome
• Any incidents from yesterday and how they’re being handled
• Reminders: bathrooms always two adults, no photos in classrooms, etc.

This briefing is the difference between a chaotic day and a smooth one.

Daily Wrap-Up

After the kids leave each day:

• Restock supply bins for tomorrow
• Wipe down all surfaces and toys
• Volunteer debrief (15 minutes max)
• Director files any incident reports
• First-time guest texts go out within 6 hours
• Daily photos uploaded to family communication channel

Week After VBS: The Follow-Up

This is where most churches drop the ball. The follow-up is the entire reason VBS exists for outreach.

• Personal email or text to every first-time family within 48 hours
• Invite to next Sunday with a kids-ministry-specific welcome
• Loop into your guest follow-up workflow (see First-Time Guest Follow-Up)
• Volunteer thank-you notes (handwritten if possible)
• Director’s debrief meeting with all station leaders

After-Action Review

Within 2 weeks of VBS ending, the director runs a written debrief:

• What worked that we want to repeat?
• What broke that we need to fix?
• Volunteer feedback (anonymous survey)
• Family feedback (anonymous survey)
• Budget vs. actual spending
• Recommendations for next year

File this report somewhere your team can find it next year. The biggest VBS time-waster in churches is rebuilding the same plan from scratch every summer because last year’s plan is on someone’s old laptop.

Make Every VBS Better Than the Last

VBS doesn’t have to be exhausting if the process is documented. Each year, you should be improving on last year’s plan — not reinventing it.

What’s the Process For lets your team document VBS once, share it with every volunteer, and update it for next year in one place.

Try it free.

Related reading:

• Kids Ministry Check-In Process
• Church Volunteer Onboarding
• Church SOP Template