What to Do After VBS: 7 Simple Ways to Keep Kids Connected Through Drama
Many churches are finishing VBS and wondering how to carry that energy into the fall.
VBS should not feel like a one-week event that disappears. Simple skits, reader’s theater, Scripture storytelling, and short drama activities can help children remember what they learned and stay involved.
Here are seven simple ways to keep that connection going:
- Repeat a favorite VBS skit during Sunday school.
- Let children retell a Bible story in their own words.
- Use a five-minute drama as a fall ministry kickoff.
- Invite VBS children into a Christmas program.
- Create simple roles for shy children and non-readers.
- Turn leftover decorations and props into drama tools.
- Send parents a short script to read at home.
These ideas do not require a large budget or a full stage production. They simply give children another way to hear, remember, and respond to God’s Word.
Why Drama Belongs in Children’s and Youth Ministry
Drama gives children and young people a chance to do more than listen. It helps them step into a Bible story, think about what a character may have felt, and see how God’s Word connects with real life.
A child may forget part of a lesson, but remember the day they played the shepherd who found the lost sheep. A teenager may not remember every point from a message, but they may remember performing a scene about peer pressure, forgiveness, or making wise choices.
Drama also gives more young people a place to serve.
Not every child wants to sing a solo. Not every teenager is comfortable speaking in front of the whole church. Drama can include many different personalities and abilities. Some can act. Some can read. Some can help with costumes, props, sound, or simple staging. Even a child with only one line can feel that their part matters.
That sense of belonging is important.
When young people are trusted with a role, given encouragement, and allowed to contribute, they begin to see that church is not only a place they attend. It is a place where they can serve.
A Simple Example
Suppose your VBS theme included the story of the Good Samaritan.
A few weeks later, the children could present a short version of that story during Sunday school or a worship service. The drama would not need costumes, scenery, or a large cast.
One child could be the traveler. Another could play the Samaritan. Two children could walk past without helping. A narrator could read the story while the actors perform the actions.
Afterward, the leader could ask:
“What does it look like to be a good neighbor at school?”
The children might mention sitting with someone who is alone, helping a new student, sharing supplies, or standing up for someone who is being treated badly.
The drama becomes more than a performance. It opens the door to a real conversation about living out what Jesus taught.
Drama Does Not Have to Be Complicated
Church leaders sometimes avoid drama because they picture large sets, difficult rehearsals, expensive costumes, and actors who must memorize pages of dialogue.
It does not need to be that way.
A useful ministry drama might be only three to five minutes long. It may use a narrator so younger children do not need to memorize lines. It may be performed in a classroom, fellowship hall, or at the front of the church with no stage at all.
Reader’s theater is another simple option. Participants hold their scripts and focus on reading with expression. This works well for children, teenagers, adults, small churches, and groups with limited rehearsal time.
The goal is not to produce a perfect show. The goal is to help people understand and remember a biblical truth.
Give Young People More Than a Performance
Drama is most valuable when young people are included in the whole process.
Ask them what they think a character is feeling. Let them suggest how a scene could be performed. Talk about the choices the characters make. Help them connect those choices to situations they face at home, at school, and with friends.
These conversations can turn rehearsal time into ministry time.
A short prayer before rehearsal can also remind everyone why they are there. The group is not simply preparing to entertain an audience. They are working together to communicate the Gospel.
Keep the VBS Connection Going
The end of VBS can become the beginning of something new.
Invite children back for a monthly Bible drama activity. Use a short skit during Sunday school. Let older youth help younger children prepare a Scripture reading. Begin planning early for a Christmas or Easter presentation.
These do not need to become large programs. A few simple, consistent opportunities may be enough to help children stay connected.
The decorations may come down, but the ministry does not have to end. A simple Bible drama can help children carry the message of VBS into the rest of the year.