Sending your kids to Vacation Bible School (VBS) might never have occurred to you because you have been so busy considering all the other summertime options that are out there for your kids. Parents naturally want every summer to be filled with wonderful, productive, unforgettable experiences for their kids so they are often drawn to the high profile summer sports camps, overnight camps or specialty camps. Too often they miss out on the low profile summer offerings that come via their own church Vacation Bible Schools. And that’s too bad, because having worked on church programs of all sorts for many years and watched kids in attendance at VBS programs it’s easy to report that there are at least 5 good reasons why parents should think seriously about sending kids to Vacation Bible School at a church of their choosing.
Perhaps the most basic reason for sending kids to Vacation Bible School is the simple matter of scheduling. The majority of Vacation Bible School programs run for just a single week and many only operate for a half day during that week. If you want your kids to get the many benefits that come with VBS attendance you don’t have to send them away for four weeks. They are only going to be involved for a few hours each day for one week. Almost every family can plan around that kind of program. Even more important, talking a child into trying VBS becomes a much easier sell than almost any other camp because of the limited time frame involved. Tell kids they will be home for lunch and most are willing to give it a try. If you want to send your kids to some kind of camp but you really aren’t interested in the hassle VBS might be worth looking into
Of course there are more pluses to VBS than just its carefree scheduling. A major reason for making a faith based choice and sending your kids to Vacation Bible School is likely to be the content. There are a million sites in this country where kids can go during the summer to learn how to play baseball, basketball, football or how to swim but there a considerably fewer places where kids can go to actively learn about how to live like decent human beings who have concern and respect for others and faith in God. If you want your child to grow up to be a major league athlete then you probably should spend lots of time and of course money in finding the perfect camp to advance his career. But if your goal is to raise a child who has a sound moral and spiritual footing and is ready to face the world, you may want to think again about the value of sending a child to VBS
A third reason that draws parents to check out the local Vacation Bible School is their honest concern for the company their children are apt to keep during the summer months. Not only is the subject matter of a camp significant but so kids who fill the openings in any program. While parents obviously have no control over the children who will be attending any camp, parents can make a good guess about the kinds of kids likely to be attending Vacation Bible School. Parents can guess that their child will be attending Vacation Bible School with other kids who come from families where values are important and where faith is central. Will there be some discipline cases? Certainly, that’s part of life. But for the most part parents should take a certain comfort in knowing the kinds of families from which campers are drawn.
When your kids get to Vacation Bible School they are likely to be surprised both by what they find and what they don’t find. Vacation Bible School is definitely God centered, there’s no getting around it. But there are many routes to God and VBS programs are created to help children discover and express their relationship with God through many different mediums. Kids at Vacation Bible School don’t just spend their time reading endlessly from dry pages of the Old Testament or listening to some boring sermon from a minister or inspired lay person. Vacation Bible School Programs have curriculum built for and around kids. They are full of adventure and action. Generally they are theme centered and use arts and crafts, drama, music, stories, games and even snacks to get the central theme across. VBS is not about competition it is about growing in your experiences as a human being in God’s world. There are no winners and losers here only winners. The result is that kids who attend Vacation Bible School come home feeling good about themselves and their activities.
Finally, as strange as it sounds, a very good reason to send your child to Vacation Bible School is the financial value of having them participate in such programs. Because they are church based, most VBS programs are not set up to make a profit. They are set up to share a message. The programs are not filled with extra fees or exorbitant tuition. The first year we ran our VBS we welcomed kids free of charge because we wanted kids to come. The point is you will definitely not pay top dollar for this experience. At the same time you will find that those who staff VBS programs are often exceptional adults and young adults who bring a caring and nurturing personality into the mix. Those who work at VBS are for the most part volunteers. They come because they think it is a good thing to do, not because they are looking to make a quick buck.
All Vacation Bible Schools are different and some are of course better or worse than others. Still as a rule of thumb you can expect Vacation Bible Schools to offer your children an enriching half day program for a full week for a very nominal fee and you can expect the staff to be kindly and supportive. What is taught will be God centered and the way it will be taught will be fun.
If you are wondering “Why send your kids to Vacation Bible School”, hopefully you bring these five reasons for sending kids to Vacation Bible School and then take time to ask yourself “Why Not”.
