Vacation Bible School Crafts for Teens

Vacation Bible Schools are held in churches around the country; most often when public schools are on vacation. Providing Bible lessons and a variety of related activities, these school sessions are vital for teens, who at such impressionable ages need wholesome, creative activities. Some of the craft activities at Vacation Bible Schools provide hands-on opportunities for teens to test their skills with various artistic mediums.

Blank greeting cards and matching envelopes are fairly inexpensive when purchased in bulk, and they provide a blank canvas for teen craft projects at Vacation Bible School. Each day, encourage the teens to pen the day's Bible verse on the blank card and create some accompanying artwork as well. Provide paints, markers, and embellishments like stickers, ribbon, glitter, sequins, buttons and scrap papers to adorn the cards. At the end of the week each teen has a small collection of note cards to take home, or they may be bundled into sets and sold to raise funds for future teen projects in the church.

Purchase cardboard photo frames from a craft supply company at around a dollar each. Provide paints, markers and a variety of embellishments and glue, and ask teens to decorate the frames based on the Vacation Bible School's weekly theme. Take several snapshots of each teen throughout the week and present them with a few on the final day. Ask them to put their favorite in the frame. These frames may be taken home by the teens, displayed on a shelf in the church, or traded with the other teens in the Vacation Bible School class as reminders of the lessons.

Purchase small (about 1.5 inches in length) metal crosses, available at craft supply stores or by ordering from the Oriental Trading Company. Enlist the help of one of the church members with a drill press to bore small holes in the top of each cross, just large enough to thread with a string of rawhide. Purchase the rawhide and loose beads at a craft supply store. String the crosses on the rawhide and ask the teens to wear them to Vacation Bible School each day. During prayer time, ask the group to think of special prayers they feel are needed. For each prayer they share with the group, they may add a bead to their necklace. By the end of the week, they have a wonderful set of prayer beads to take home, along with the memories of many prayers shared.