VBS Crafts on a Budget

I am partnering with Oriental Trading to share some affordable VBS crafts with you, along with some tips on how to stay on budget.

Vacation Bible School season is quickly approaching and as Director of VBS, I am in charge of coordinating our VBS program. I attend a smaller sized church so our budget is minimal as well. I have to get creative in order to pull off a fun VBS program, while working with budget constraints.

Having been the VBS Director for going on 10 years now, I have picked up some tips for making the most of your VBS on a shoestring budget.

Decide on your theme early

The earlier you start planning, the more time you have to collect the items needed for your crafts. Also, the popular themed items tend to sell out early, so planning ahead can keep you from scrambling to find a new craft at the last minute! (Trust me, I have been there, and it is not fun...)

Estimate the number of kids

By reviewing the numbers from the last few years of VBS and comparing it to the average number of kids in other children's ministries, like AWANA, you can roughly figure out how many crafts you need to plan for. This can help you keep from over spending by purchasing too many items.

Order crafts in bulk

My favorite money saving tip is to order crafts in bulk from Oriental Trading. I have been in kids ministry for years and can always find crafts, decorations, and prizes to fit my theme at an affordable price and they offer Free Shipping from time to time.

This year our theme is centered around "How God Created Us to Be Unique" and the Geared Up for God themed crafts and decor fit perfectly with this theme. These are just a few of the crafts I selected to use with our daily stories.

Geared Up For God Handprint Craft Kit
Color Your Own Craft Kit Sign

3D Geared Up For God Stand Up Cross Craft Kit
Gear Magic Color Scratch Ornaments

Geared Up For God Prayer Journal Craft Kit

Rahab Ornament Craft Kit

I also picked up a roll of Gear Name tags, Plastic Puzzle Ball prizes, and Color Your Own Gift bags for the kids to take the crafts home in. They also have bulletin board and poster kits so you can also decorate the rooms with the VBS theme!

Ask for donations

Once You decide on what crafts you are going to do, ask the church members for donations. You will be surprised at how generous members can be, especially if they want to contribute to VBS in some way, but cannot commit to working each night. We have collected everything from empty toilet paper tubes, construction paper, crayons, and yarn.


Pin Me for Later! 

Do you have any other tips to add on how you save money when planning VBS? Stay tuned for a re-cap  of our VBS later this summer!

Until then, check out last year's VBS post: Under the Sea Themed VBS