Group Rotation
To add variety to each day, use the sample schedule for Monday. On Tuesday, shuffle the groups over one column to the right. (Ex. Team Soccer would do Team Football’s rotation, Team Football would do Team Hockey’s rotation, etc.) Shuffle again on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This works great to allow groups to start and finish at different stations each day.
Depending on the number of participants at your VBS, you may choose to have four different groups instead of five, with one station closed during each rotation. This gives every station leader a break.
Another option is to only have the snack station open once during the day in order to have everyone all together for a mid-morning snack.
The Cat.Chat VBS sample schedule is set up around a group rotation. The number of kids in your small groups will vary depending on the number of participants registered in your VBS.
Assign children of the same age into the same small group. Try to assign no more than 15- 20 children in a small group. This is a manageable number of children for one adult and one teen assistant (approx. 6:1 ratio). Younger groups may need additional assistants.
The children will go through the daily schedule with their group leader. The group leaders do not lead the activities; they guide the children to each of the stations and assist in the children’s participation in the activities. The station leaders will be the ones leading the crafts, snacks, games, etc.
Suggested Small Group Names
- Team Basketball
- Team Snowboarding
- Team Skiing
- Team Swimming
- Team Hockey
- Team Soccer
- Team Football
- Team Bobsledding
- Team Cycling
- Team Golf
- Team Tennis
- Team Badminton
If you have more than 100-150 kids registered in your VBS, it works well to have two small groups visiting a station at the same time. Or, you may prefer to have two separate stations running at the same time. For example, have two separate craft stations, two separate snack stations, etc.
4-5 year old small groups: Team Swimming, Team Soccer
5-6 year old small groups: Team Hockey, Team Tennis
7-8 year old small groups: Team Football, Team Cycling
9-11 year old small groups: Team Snowboarding, Team Basketball
Group Banners
These banners are great for a meeting place in the morning and to keep the group together as you move from station to station. To have the banner stand up on its own, insert the pole into a base or traffic cone.
1. Print the group banners of your choice.
2. Tape a pole to the back to keep it upright.
3. Post the schedule and names of the children in each group to the back of the banner.
Click here to print the group banners
