Whatever your church situation you will find a vacation Bible school curriculum that will fit your need. Below are some of the ones we found available. You’ll need to explore for yourselves the material and determine if it is suitable for your church.
Answers in Genesis
Kingdom Chronicles. The background of medieval castle and Knights of the Round Table will captivate children as they see the relevance of Scripture today as it was in times past. “Children will also see the contrast between God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom of darkness, and they’ll realize that they are not automatically born into the ‘good’ kingdom but need to be saved from the ‘bad’ kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ.” Answers in Genesis is an apologetics (i.e., Christianity-defending) ministry.
Augsburg/Fortress
Spark Summer. This is a “flexible approach to planning Bible-focused summer programming for preschoolers through upper elementary kids. You can use Spark Summer for your congregation’s five-day vacation Bible school program, midweek events, summer Sunday school, or other creative ways that fit your congregation’s needs. Spark Summer taps into what congregations love about Spark: easy-to-use leader material, fun activities for kids, and a focus on the Bible.” Items are downloaded to your computer after purchase.
Bogard Press
The Mighty God: God Leads Moses and Me. This material is written for Baptist congregations and uses the KJV for scriptural quotes. With the background of knights on a quest this program explores key parts of Moses’ life. Students will “learn on this quest ways that God loves us, calls us, saves us, guides us and cares for us — just like God did with Moses.”
Cokesbury/Abingdon Press
Everywhere Fun Fair: Where God’s World Comes Together! The backdrop is a world’s fair through which the children encounter other cultures and discover we are all children of God. Among the Bible characters the children will learn about are Sarah and Abraham from Genesis and the Good Samaritan and Zacchaeus from Luke.
Hip-Hop Hope: Jesus Makes Me Glad. “Jesus is the ultimate DJ, who scratches out new songs of hope.” He is the “Lord of the Dance, who moves through history bringing salvation. Through the skits, lessons, games and poetry of this curriculum, Jesus’ words will splash pictures in the minds and hearts of children, teens and adults, giving them the chance to accept Jesus as the MC of their lives!”
Concordia Publishing
Amazing Desert Journey — Tell it on the Mountain: Where Jesus is Lord. Mountain experiences from the Bible are explored by the children as they climb their way through adventures. From Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to Jesus’ transfiguration on the Mount and his cross at Golgotha, children will learn about the “One True God.”
Congregational Ministries
Publishing (PCUSA)
Awesome Adventures Summer curriculum could be adapted for VBS program. Packed with “kid-friendly lessons, take-home comics, and activities, this broadly graded summer curriculum encourages children to explore Old and New Testament stories of God’s people. Teacher’s Book includes 13 easy-to-use lesson plans, reproducible resource sheets, ‘For the Home’ pages, as well as photocopiable, take-home comic adventures that enable kids to make a comic book of their very own!”
Great Commission Publications
The Race Is On. This race “takes children from the miraculous story of Jesus’ birth to his death, resurrection and ascension to heaven.” Students will explore key passages from the Gospels as they learn about the story of redemption in every lesson. This curriculum is a joint venture between the Presbyterian Church in America and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Group Publishing
Kingdom Rock: Where Children Stand Strong for God. A castle and knights set the stage for this five-day rotation model program. Each small group consists of five elementary-age children led by an adult or teenage “crew leader.” The daily Bible Point is reinforced in creative ways at each station, ensuring that each child understands the message.
Athens: Paul’s Dangerous Journey to Share the Truth. Focused on the Book of Acts children will explore Paul’s ministry at Athens through station rotation. Children gather in their Oikos (Greek word for family) as they listen to Paul’s encounter, engage in arena games and create crafts in the Marketplace.
HayDay! Growing in Friendship with Jesus. This is a weekend VBS program — only three days. The key Bible verse is Romans 5:11. The children will explore one simple Bible truth — Jesus will always love us.
Gospel Light
SonWest Roundup. A western themed VBS where the children will travel “down the trail through the Old Testament stories of Moses to discover God’s ultimate plan of salvation in Jesus, because ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8).”
Lifeway Christian Resources
Colossal Coaster World: Facing Fear, Trusting God. Children will explore 2 Timothy 1:7 through aspects of Paul’s life found in Acts 9, 16, 23 and 27. This is a five-day rotation program using the backdrop of an amusement park.
Living Waters for the World (Synod of Living Waters, PCUSA)
Clean Water for All God’s Children. This is a mission-focused VBS program developed by Living Waters for the World, the international mission of the Synod of Living Waters (PCUSA). Children move among five stations: Bible Story, Mission, Crafts, Music and Recreation (preschoolers, however, have a slightly different schedule). Station leaders teach the same lesson each day to multiple groups. Group guides stay with the same group of children for the entire VBS to build relationships. The curriculum can be used from year to year in a variety of settings — VBS, Sunday School, retreats, Wednesday night programs, etc.
Regular Baptist Press
Investigation Destination: Follow Clues to the King of Kings. Written specifically with Baptist congregations in mind children become secret agents sent out on a mission to discover clues about the “King of kings.” Children rotate through activity stations. Scripture is either from King James Version or the New King James Version.
Standard Publishing
God’s Backyard Bible Camp: Where Kid’s Have A Blast Serving Jesus. Through the background of a backyard camping experience children learn about serving God. Among the Bible stories covered are: the Good Samaritan, Zacchaeus and Miriam, who cares for her brother Moses.
