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It’s Special! It’s Wild!

When VBS cranks up at churches this summer, three groups of learners will be especially ready to have amazing encounters with Jesus. Kids, students, and adults with developmental special needs will be excited to experience the message of this year’s Bible verse: “These words are written so we can know Jesus is God’s Son” (John 20:31, paraphrased).

The VBS 2019 Special Friends Leader Guide (005804828, $11.99) can help your church tailor the Bible Study portion of VBS to the individual learning styles and specific developmental abilities of participants. The leader guide is divided into three sections.

For starters, the Administrative Guide helps you choose among three types of approaches when planning VBS for people with special needs.

  • The Inclusion option relies on one-on-one teachers to assist learners in a typically-graded class.
  • The Self-Contained setting adapts VBS for individuals or small groups. The leader guide offers a list of resources leaders may use to supplement Bible study with music and worship, missions, snacks, recreation, and crafts experiences within the Special Friends classroom.
  • A Combination Approach allows learners to spend a portion of their day in a self-contained setting (perhaps for Bible study), but participate with peer groups in rotations for crafts, music, missions, and recreation.

The Administrative Guide also details the options of printing visuals from the CD-ROM (included in the leader guide) or purchasing separate VBS leader packs.

Two sets of teaching plans are provided in the leader guide; both follow the scope and sequence of the 2019 mainline VBS.

  • The “Teaching Plans for Kids” sessions are designed in a pick-and-choose format similar to Bible Studies For Life: Special Buddies. Accommodations may be made to allow kids to work at their own pace, even if it means multiple supervised activities are happening at the same time.
  • The “Teaching Plans for Students/Adults” are designed in a linear format, with bonus activities to be used as needed to meet the needs of individuals, small groups, or the group as a whole.

The best part of a Special Friends VBS is its versatility. Any activity in any teaching plan may be adapted and used with any learner in any age group setting. Grab the leader guide, start praying for and about the unique individuals who will attend, and make plans to help kids, students, and adults learn more about Jesus, God’s Son.

Joy Fisher is Content Editor of the Bible Studies For Life: Special Buddies curriculum, designed for children in grades 1-6 who have developmental disabilities. Her 20-year-old son, Sam, has Down syndrome and is a huge fan of VBS.

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Teacher Appreciation Thursday: Part 2

by: Carol Tomlinson
Content Editor | LifeWay VBS

Welcome back to Teacher Appreciation Thursday. If you missed last month’s post, you can go back HERE and catch up.

Today I would like to show some fun In the Wild™ ways to show appreciation to all your leaders. First go to the Administrative Guide CD-ROM (available now inside the Jump Start Kit) and locate the Director’s Helps Section. Are you there? Good. Now click on the “Leader Appreciation” folder.

And presto! There is a page with lots of easy ways to show your appreciation.

But wait! Scroll to the next page and you have a page full of fun, In the Wild suggestions. I mean who wouldn’t feel appreciated when they got a little treat with a cute, little, furry animal card attached? That’s right just print them out, attach the item suggested, and give one to each of your leaders.

Oh, but you want to make your own cute, little, furry animal cards with our art? Well, scroll down to the next page and you can! Yes, we provided blank templates. All you have to do is type in your own message and print out the cards!

So that’s if for today. I hope you have fun showing appreciation to all your leaders and check back next month for another great idea.

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6 Tips for Guiding Behavior

by: Klista Storts
Content Editor | LifeWay VBS

VBS brings kids. Church kids. Neighborhood kids. Grandkids. Big kids. Little kids. Lots of kids! And each one brings energy, activity, and lots of personality.

All of this in one place can mean behavior problems. Of course, to see a genuine change in a child’s behavior, there has to be a change of heart, so our first order of business as teachers is to help kids see their need for Christ. But while you’re working on leading them to that heart change, what else can you do?

In addition to a change of heart in a child, there must be a change of heart in the teacher. A child can begin to understand Christ’s love for him and he sees that love through you. Here are a few helpful tips to help you on your way:

  • State expectations. Some of your kids don’t know “church” behavior. And even those who do won’t know what you expect if you don’t tell them.
  • Be consistent. Once you’ve stated your expectations and any consequences, be consistent. Don’t let your mood change your rules.
  • Be flexible. Even though consistency is important, remember that VBS brings all sorts of excitement. Sometimes even the best plans have to change. Watch your kids closely. If what you’re doing isn’t keeping their attention, change things up a bit.
  • Focus on good behavior. A child who is seeking attention will continue whatever behavior is noticed most. When a child is sharing, being a friend, following directions, and the like, let him know you appreciate it.
  • Get to know your kids. Know their likes and dislikes. Watch to see when they’re most engaged. If you have a child who is really active, know that he’s not going to do well just sitting at a table and doing pencil work. Find a more active way to teach your point. Match your teaching styles to their learning styles.
  • Give choices. Some kids feel a need to have control—they may not be able to have it anywhere else but here. So give choices when you can. Not every activity is going to “click” with a child. Try to have more than one learning experience available at a time so that kids can choose what works best for them.

Above all, model Christ’s love for children – all of them. Jesus did not say, “Let the good children come to me.” For a child to begin to understand Christ’s unconditional love, they need to see it in you.

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