VBS C.R.A.F.T.S – More Than What You Think
Is crafts rotation one of your favorite parts about VBS? It is for lots of people. I’m one of those people and I get excited about picking which crafts I’d like to do at my VBS. However, it’s easy to get too focused on the end product and forget what we are really creating in the VBS Craft Lab – great experiences for kids.
Here’s a little reminder for those of us on the crafts team.
C – Conversation: As kids work on the their crafts, leaders have a great opportunity to get to know kids, learn about their families, and reinforce truths learned in Bible study. Keep those “Connecting the Evidence” bullet points from the first page of each day’s craft options handy!
R – Relationships: The conversations you have with kids will help build those important relationships. Listening to kids tells them they are important to you and that you care about them.
A – Art: The activities during crafts rotation hit the primary learning style of many kids. For kids who process visually or while using their hands, this may be the moment when the Bible truth really begins to sink in.
F – Feelings: Many kids are rarely made to feel valued or loved. How can they believe that a God they cannot see could love them if people they can see don’t express that love. Even if the end product a child makes looks like truck hit it, you have created something of value when the child leaves with a smile on his face and a heart that has felt love and acceptance.
T – Teachable Moments: Some of the best teaching times happen when you least expect it. Prayerfully approach each day asking God to help you spot those moments when you can help a child learn something important.
S – Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit: This is important to all of the things already mentioned. The Holy Spirit was sent to be our Helper, to help us remember the things we need to, and to remind us of things we have learned. Trust Him to guide you as you talk with kids and love even those kids who are sometimes a challenge to love.
Approach your day with an expectation of fun and let crafts rotation be a great experience for you and all the kids God brings to you this VBS!
I am the coordinator for the Crafts for our VBS in June. I hope there will be more ideas coming this way. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this article. A group from our church is going out of country this summer to work with the children of missionaries. I am heading up the crafts team. We will be working with approx. 100 children each day for five days. Getting the crafts together while considering the age range (6 yrs – 12 yrs); the weight of the items we have to bring considering that we are flying; the portability of the crafts that the kids will want to bring home with them as they also travel by plane; and the cost for all of the things needed for the crafts(we have to bring everything, “even down to the paperclips”, we will need because there is no place to buy the items at our destination) has been almost overwhelming. Our trip is in a few short weeks, and we have had a few little ‘murmurs’ about the cost. At this point, with all of the work we’ve put into, time, prayer, love invested in it….it’s disappointing to hear anything negative. Your article encouraged me. Thank you! I know that crafts are important to the children, they LOVE to make things they can show their parents and have pride in, and, as you said, it reinforces the lessons. So, thank you! And, continue to be blessed!