Congratulations!  Quite possibly your busiest week of the year in Kid’s Ministry is finally over. No doubt you will be taking some time to rest and catch your breath, but let’s take a few minutes and help answer everyone’s Post Vacation Bible School Question– what are your VBS follow up ideas?

Our local VBS took place a few weeks ago. While I wasn’t in charge, my wife and I did lead the lower elementary group through their stations (which happened to be the largest of all age groups all week!)

After the week was over we talked through some things we would do if we were in charge of the week.   Depending on your communication style and set up you should be in a position to implement at least one, if not more, of the following suggestions.

VBS Follow up Idea #1 Send a Post Card

Who doesn’t like receiving actual mail!  This is something anyone can do. Hopefully you collected addresses as part of your registration information. You could do it a few different ways. Maybe send a postcard to the child telling them know how nice it was for them to attend. Let them know about your normal kids programming in case they want to come back.  Or send it to the parents/guardians thanking them for allowing their child to attend. It also allows you to give a schedule of normal kids programming.

VBS Follow up Idea #2  Make a phone call

I know, I can hear you now. Who actually still makes phone calls?   I personally think I would choose one of the other ideas to follow up, but if you are in a smaller community, or you have a very outgoing personality, a phone call to the parents could be right up your alley.  You could thank them for bringing their kids. You could let them know of your Sunday program, and any upcoming summer events. This will let them know they are important enough for you to take the time to personally connect with them.

VBS Follow up Idea #3  Send an email

If you don’t already have an email newsletter set up, now is a great time to start!  An email is perfect for communication to any families in your ministry. You can let them know what you just learned about, what you are going to learn about, and any important events or dates coming up.

Send a welcome email to the families that visited your VBS this week.  Express your appreciation for them allowing their child to participate.  If you want to make it personal you could share a memory you have about their child.  You can also link to the church website or your ministry Facebook page to let them know about your normal Kids Ministry Programming.

After this initial email, add their email address to any special events emails you send out in the future.  If a family came to your VBS, there is a good chance they would be interested in other big events you do for kids and families. 

***Email Bonus Idea***

Instead of writing out an email, consider recording a video message and send the link via video. Kids LOVE watching videos on Youtube. Get creative and make one for them. If you had a smaller list of visitors you could record a personal video for each child. But even if you had a lot of visitors you could still record a special message.

VBS Follow up Idea #4  Send a care package

Many churches offer small gifts to their first time visitors. You could put together a little box to send to families that attended VBS and are new to your ministry.  That could include things like: church branded coffee mug, kids devotional book, keychain, free coffee at the church café coupon.  Those are just a few ideas of things I know some churches give their visitors.  Make sure to include a letter inviting and informing of normal kids/family programing and any upcoming special events. 

What are some creative things you have done to reach out to families that have visited your ministry during VBS?  Send me a message or leave a comment so I can add to the list!