VBS Idea To Increase Your Sign-Ups

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If You Are Planning Vacation Bible School, Don’t Wait On The Decorations!

Start this VBS idea now and let your creativity build momentum for VBS Registration.

Too many churches save all their cool decorations until VBS week. And then we wonder why we have fewer kids in our VBS program than we hoped for! Here are some Vacation Bible School ideas you can use to increase your sign-ups!

Give them a sneak peek of what’s coming this year and watch more kids sign up!

Try it. Don’t just stick pre-printed indoor banners from the publisher on the wall this year!

Instead, set up a creative registration area in your welcome center with attractive decorations!

Two amazing things about making decorations ahead of time:

1. You’ll save time later and disrupt that crazy stressful crunch time.
2. You’ll see momentum and excitement build! (Which means more sign-ups and more volunteers.)

I made this killer sign in about an hour. No cost. No special skills.

A lot of small churches don’t understand or even like the word marketing.

But marketing is simply letting people know how fabulous the product is going to be before they experience it.

Lucky Charms cereal box is a great example. It’s magically delicious! How would we know if they didn’t tell us?

So don’t just TELL people about VBS coming up in a few months. SHOW them.

Give them a taste of what they can expect.

And if you can make some knock-out decorations with little time and little money, why not?

Making The Sign

Isn’t it cute? (great colors) Attracts attention? (totally stands out) Gives some info? (obviously a safari-type theme)

This year, our church is using the ROAR VBS theme from Group. This sign shows our stations for VBS week.

• The Watering Hole is the name of our snack time station.
• We are using the Jungle for a craft station.
• A Hut for the story room.
• The Savannah for VBS games.
• And our Mission Bank is where kids can donate money daily for our giveback.
• The Outhouse? Well, we won’t really have an outhouse. (I was just being funny.)

The beauty of this sign? Free tools and materials. No special skills or talents needed, no measuring, and no pre-planning.

Your FAQs

Was The Sign Really Free?

Mine was. If you have scraps of stuff lying around, it really is. This sign was made from scraps of lumber and old (some VERY old) leftover paint. And I found some nails in the church closet, which is full of seasonal church supplies.

Do You Need Special Skills?

Good news, you don’t! I’ll even show you how to do the ultra-cool lettering. It’s so easy you’ll roll your eyes!

Do You Need Tools?

Yes, you do need to cut some wood. I used a jigsaw.

The jigsaw is one of my favorite power tools. I’m sure I use it for many things I shouldn’t. But it’s light enough to be really portable, easy to hold with one hand, and nice to control.

Other things you’ll want:

• A cheap foam paintbrush
• Maybe a drop cloth
• A screwdriver to pry open the paint cans
• Some nails, preferably with big heads on them
• A power drill. (My battery died, so I used a screwdriver by hand, but it was a little tough.)
• And a couple of long screws would be nice to hold that stand together.

This classic direction sign is a keeper. I love it when something is multi-purpose and multi-use, and this fits the bill!

We will easily repaint it for the next kid event, whether it’s a cowboy theme, outer space, underwater, or a jungle. Changing the colors will make a difference.

6 Steps To Make The Killer Sign & Increase Your Sign-Ups

So, how did I get this done in 1 hour and 5 minutes?

I’ll break it down for you in 6 easy steps.

Step 1: Gather Supplies (10 minutes)

I grabbed leftover paint of various colors, a hammer, my jigsaw, a dropcloth, a foam brush, wood scrap, a screwdriver, and some screws.

Step 2: Set Up Your Work Station (5 minutes)

• I threw my drop cloth on my chair on my back porch.
• Set up my paint cans to hold the wood like saw horses. (I’m not a carpenter!)
• Put all supplies nearby.

Step 3: Cut The Wood (10 minutes)

Make A Base

Any flat piece of wood will do. Mine is not quite 2 ft square. You can use whatever you have that is large enough. I wasn’t totally sure mine would work because it is a rather thin piece, but it turned out fine.

Make A Post

I had a scrap piece of a 2×4. You could use whatever you have that’s tall and skinny. My post is about 3 feet. Size doesn’t matter in this case!

Make 6 Pointed Sign Pieces

Each one is a simple rectangle with a pointed tip. I used my jigsaw for this.

I did not measure. They are different lengths. Different widths. And the points are at different angles. I just eyeballed it.

It looks organic. It is nowhere near perfect.

Adds to the charm, don’t you think?

If you feel like you aren’t talented enough to cut wood straight, I have to encourage you to do it anyway.

Learn to trust yourself, practice, and have fun!

Set design isn’t architecture. It’s playful and imperfect on purpose.

Step 4: Paint The Basecoat (20 minutes)

Paint the base colors on all the wood pieces. Post. Base. And 6 signs.

This step doesn’t have to be pretty. I slopped all the paint on. I truly used one foam brush for this entire project, even with multiple colors.

Then, I wiped it kind of dry in between colors. A little casual and messy goes with the look!

I painted the front and back of the arrow pieces at the same time. It was hot out, and the wood was porous, so it dried quickly.

My fingers got a bit messy, but I was going for quick and easy.

I leaned the arrow pieces up against the drop cloth on my chair to dry. By the time I was ready to do the lettering, it was dry enough to paint.

Bonus Tip For Using Old, Discarded Paint:

Don’t be scared of it! Several cans I opened were so old the paint looked disgusting, and even a little alien-like.

Some had bits of rust floating in it. Really didn’t matter at all. It’s FREE, so I used it anyway!

Stir it up well with a paint stick, and for this kind of project, it’s all good.

Paint is expensive. So don’t throw out the leftovers. You never know when they will be perfect for the next little project.

Step 5: Lettering (15 minutes)

This lettering is the easiest thing ever. Please believe me!

Trust yourself. Don’t mess with stencils. Bury your perfectionist tendencies and learn to DAB! (Not THAT kind of dab! The kind with paint!)

The foam brush has a pointed edge that’s a little over an inch wide.

It’s perfect for light dabbing.

If you look closely at my lettering, it’s very inconsistent. But hey, it’s the Savannah! It’s supposed to be rough and fun.

Take a look at the letter E.

See the 5 separate straight dabs of paint that make up the E? Now that’s an easy one because it’s all straight, right?

Now, look at the S or the G.

Making those curves straight and angular adds to the charm and ease! Super simple.

Dabbing Tip:

Try the dab first on a paint stick or piece of paper so you know how much paint to put on it.

More paint makes thicker lines.

I wanted mine thinner and more sketchy, so I didn’t use so much!

And again, trust yourself. You can totally do this.

Do it quickly. Don’t worry about it being even.

My foam brush was old, beat up, and even shredding a bit, and it did fine.

Step 6: Assemble The Sign (5 minutes)

Grab a few long screws and your drill to attach the base to the post.

Drill A Pilot Hole

I recommend drilling a pilot hole (a tiny hole to mark the spot in the center) into the post and also in the base. This will help you line up the centers to put the screw in.

Screw The Base To The Post

Put the first screw right through the center of the square base into the post. You’ll want to use a few screws to hold it in place. One will not be secure.

It’ll eventually just fall over unless you use several screws. (I suppose wood glue would help, but I didn’t have any on hand.)

Nail The Signs To The Post

Let the written signs be crooked and fun. I accidentally bent a nail and just pounded the bent head right into the sign. Looks cool!

Learn to enjoy imperfection.

When you make a mistake, leave it! And just repeat to yourself …

• It adds character.
• It looks organic.
• It adds to the charm.
• And … how about this one: I’m not being graded!

So, there’s your very cool sign in about an hour.

A Killer Sign To Help Increase Your Sign-Ups!

Just don’t wait. Do it today.

Let me know how it goes!

Please share your cool VBS ideas here as well! Spread the wealth of creative ideas!

Looking for a step-by-step guide to starting or restarting your children’s ministry?

Check out the Children’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!

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