From testing snacks to fine-tuning crafts, thoughtful attention is given to every detail of Vacation Bible School (VBS)—all in preparation for churches across the country to share the Gospel with kids in a faithful, engaging way. This blog will give you a rundown of what to expect within the 2026 VBS Starter Kit as well as insights from our team a CPH!
Many of our staff members are current or former church workers, VBS volunteers, and Sunday School teachers; they’ve been in your shoes, so they have plenty of favorite aspects and insights to share for your next VBS.
Jump to the following categories:
- Starter Kit
- Crafts
- Decorating Posters
- Music with Song-Action Videos
- Student Essentials
- Bible Storytelling
- Bible Exploration
- Snacks
- Games
The Tropical Trek Starter Kit
It’s important to make sure you have all the supplies you need when going on a journey. The VBS 2026 Starter Kit will provide you with the essential materials you’ll need when embarking on your Tropical Trek.
The Starter Kit includes
- Director Guide*
- Director USB
- Individual Site Leader Guides for
- Opening & Closing*
- Early Childhood Storytelling and Elementary Storytelling*
- Crafts*
- Snacks*
- Games*
- Bible Exploration*
- Music*
- Crafts for Every Day*
- Decorating Posters*
- Music with Song-Action Videos
- Five Theme Songs with Videos
- Five Bible Memory Verse Songs with Videos
- Student Essentials*
- Mission Project Flyer
- Digital Access to Starter Kit Materials
*One sample included in the kit. Also available to purchase separately.
VBS 2026 Highlights
As mentioned above, there are several new products you can enjoy throughout your upcoming VBS. Let’s explore these new items.
Crafts
- God Saves Us Basket – Create baby Moses in a basket to remind children of how God saves.
- The Lord Is with You Pendant – Decorate a wooden pendant inscribed with “The Lord Is with You” as a reminder of God’s constant presence.
- Jesus Gives Me Hope Sand Art – Create a sand art butterfly to commemorate our hope for the resurrection to come.
- Jesus Seeks and Saves Binoculars – Embellish a pair of binoculars to help children remember that Jesus finds and saves them.
- Stained Glass Cross – Create a stained glass cross to illustrate how Jesus will always seek us out regardless of our sins.
Kim Busby, who has been working with the crafts section of VBS for almost twenty years, shares the joy of working on the crafts for VBS.
“Knowing that children will learn about Jesus while being creative and having fun is such a wonderful feeling,” Busby said. “I enjoy developing crafts that relate to the daily Bible stories. So much time and consideration are put into each craft from the start to the finished product.”
For more info on each of these crafts, check out the Crafts Leader Guide within your kit. Also, be sure to check out the VBS Crafts tutorial videos to learn more about their assembly.
Decorating Posters
Fully submerge participants in their Tropical Trek with these fun posters which feature
- This year’s theme
- Activity signs
- An island map
- A tropical landscape
- Theme animals
Sample included in the Starter Kit.
Music with Song-Action Videos
Help children learn the words and actions to this year’s music. Curriculum editor Lisa Clark gives some insight into the process of creating music for VBS.
“I love the collaborative process of VBS music. People team up to write texts, compose music, create actions, and produce videos. Then, the kids take it away and make the music their own!”
The kit will include both Theme Songs and Bible Memory Verse Songs with videos.
The five Theme Songs include
- Jesus Seeks and Finds
- Not Alone
- Lost and Found
- My Hope Is in My Savior
- Jesus Saves
The Bible Memory Verse Songs include
- Psalm 50:15
- Isaiah 41:10
- Isaiah 43:4
- Psalm 71:5
- 1 Timothy 1:15
Student Essentials
Provide children will something to remind them of what they learned at VBS.
- Sea Turtle Key Chains – attach these plush key chains to any of your favorite accessories.
- Temporary Tattoos – Children can wear their favorite tropical animals with these temporary tattoos.
- Iron-On Transfers – Create themed VBS shirts for students and staff.
- Sticker Sheets – Use tropical themed stickers to decorate clothes, coloring pages, and more.
- Collectibles – These packs of lenticular collectibles include Bible Story artwork and Take-Home Points on one side and Bible Memory Verses on the other to remind children what they heard while on their tropical adventure.
- Cross Carabiners – Use these carabiners to connect items to backpacks, totes, and so on.
- Child of God Team Identifiers – Color coordinate groups of VBS participants with colored buffs.
Site Spotlights
Bible Storytelling
Children will hear five different Bible stories in this kit. Mary Laesch, curriculum editor and the CPH employee who knows VBS inside and out, emphasizes that the Storytelling site is at the heart of VBS.
“Bible Storytelling is my favorite site. Kids use all their senses to hear and experience Bible accounts that teach them about God’s love for them in Jesus. We want every child to hear ‘Jesus died and rose for you!’ ”
The five accounts in the kit will help children learn that God finds them when they have troubles, are lonely or lost, and feel they have no hope, and regardless of their sins.
This year’s accounts include
- God Saves Baby Moses: Exodus 1:8–14, 22; 2:1–10
- Ruth and Naomi: Book of Ruth
- Jesus and Zacchaeus: Luke 19:1–10
- Jesus Rises from the Dead: Luke 24:1–12
- Jesus Appears to Paul: Acts 9:1–19
Storytelling Leader Guides are available for both Early Childhood and Elementary children. Leaflets for both age groups are also available to be used with Storytelling and to be sent home to help create devotional habits.
Bible Exploration
Kit users can find more activities for their VBS participants in their Bible Exploration Leader Guide. This guide helps leaders teach the Bible Memory Verse and gives instructions for setting up and performing exciting science demonstrations that engage kids and reinforce the Bible lesson for each day.
Mary Laesch highlights how the Bible Exploration site merges science with faith:
“Bible Exploration combines two of my favorite activities for kids: planting God’s Word in their hearts through song and exploring God’s amazing world,” said Laesch. “Every year I look forward to seeing the fun, and often surprising, science activities our Bible Exploration author comes up with to help reinforce the Bible lesson.”
More information on these activities can be found within the Bible Exploration Leader Guide, as well as the following:
- A supply list for each lesson
- Directions on how to prepare and perform each science demonstration
- Prompts to help connect the science demonstrations to the daily Bible account and to help children learn the daily Bible Memory Verse
Snacks
Get some ideas for fun and delicious treats for your VBS goers in the Snacks Leader Guide. Each of the treats within the guide connects to the daily Bible lesson.
Lily Seifferlein, a previous marketing intern, shared the following:
“We have so many fun snacks this year and they all tie in so well to the theme. Additionally, there are Snacks tutorial videos for those helping with VBS.”
Seifferlein, who helped create the Snacks tutorial videos, urges anyone organizing VBS to watch as they “quickly show [participants] what to expect.”
This year’s snacks include these and more:
- Rescue Basket Snack
- Friendship Mix
- Tree Treat
- Cave Surprise Snack
- Damascus Dessert
Games
Kit users can also look to the Games Leader Guide for activities that will get VBS goers moving while also connecting these games to the daily Bible account. Mary Laesch shared the following:
“We wanted the games at Tropical Trek to do more than just get the wiggles out. Each game is uniquely designed to help reinforce the point of the Bible lesson, while encouraging kids to work together in teams—and, of course, have fun!”
As Laesch points out, these games are the place where movement, teamwork, and biblical meaning all get brought together. See the Games Leader Guide to learn more about these games and their supply lists.
The CPH team is counting down the days until VBS 2026 and can’t wait to see how churches will bring all this joyful work to life in their own communities!
Excited for VBS 2026? Check out our Tropical Trek page to learn more!
