The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so I could think of no better theme as I planned activities to share with you for your families and students. With life still not back to normal, I know many people are missing out on VBS and Totus Tuus and want to support their kids' faith over the summer. Cue the best I could do to create an at-home VBS. ;)
This resource is set up with a lot of the elements of a VBS (prayer, music, snacks, crafts) but with tons of options so it can work for a wide range of ages. I also pulled A LOT of resources- more than anyone would really use -but I wanted there to be variety and choice. All of the activities are FREE so hopefully this project is easily accessible and shareable, even on a school or parish level.
For each column, there is an idea for:
-Prayer
-Bible verse
-Saint who loved the Sacred Heart
-Video
-Activity/Craft
-Snack/Food
-Bonus Resources (usually additional crafts or videos)
-Links for Parents or Older Siblings (to help parents feel equipped to teach their kids along the way, and to help older kids participate)
I created two different calendar options. One has a traditional Monday-Friday format, so there would be a lot of activities for each day. The second option uses the five weeks of June and spreads out ideas over the whole month. (And technically there is a third option, because I'm also giving you an editable version you can tailor to the needs of your group). All of the plans end with an enthronement of the Sacred Heart and Sacred Heart Party, which kids can do with this printable Sacred Heart Statue:
Almost every suggestion has an link to a printable, YouTube Video, recipe, etc. including the prayers and a quote for each of the Saints. I think these would be great to hang or display during the VSB, or they also can be cut apart and stapled into little prayer books:
This whole plan is completely free and available for you to email out to your friends, parish, class, school, etc. I always appreciate when people include a link back to the blog so people can find more resources, but the schedule is especially designed to be easy to share as a pdf in a bulk email, school communication system, or parish bulletin. Please share! I'm always honored to be able to help, but especially now when we can't minister to our communities in the same ways we are used to. Click below to open all the resources!
Please join me in praying and asking Jesus' Sacred Heart to have mercy on us, and on the whole world.
***These docs are also linked directly in the schedule, but I wanted to share them here too in case you only plan to use the statue and prayers ;)
Click here to print the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue:
And banner:
These Sacred Heart Prayers can be used throughout the week or month, and can either be cut out and displayed, or cut and stapled into a mini book.
These Sacred Heart Saint Quotes are from the five featured Saints as well a couple bonuses. They can also be displayed through the week or made into a mini book.
Sacred Heart At-Home VBS 5 Day Guide: Click here for the pdf version of the guide with all the links and info on one page for a Monday-Friday schedule:
Sacred Heart At-Home VBS 5 Week Guide: Or click here for the pdf version of the guide with all the links and info on one page spread out over the five weeks in June:
Editable Google Slides Version: And if you'd like to edit the guide, I've made a version in Google Slides (same info and links, design is slightly different and spread over two pages). Directions are included for how to make a copy or download the slides to edit.
This is so wonderful! As a brand new Catholic, I want to do your VBS!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's wonderful! I think I'll be rewatching the videos and definitely plan on using the prayers! ;)
DeleteHilary, for real!
DeleteYou never disappoint Katie! Thank you so much for your generous sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you like it! :)
DeleteThis is fantastic! Just what I was looking for. Thank you so much for putting this together. A blessing for many families.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThank you so much! Your site and resources have always been such a blessing to our family.
ReplyDeletethank you :)
DeleteKatie, this VBS is wonderful! You make VBS prayerful and rich with Catholic themes.
ReplyDeleteThanks again! Stay well.
So glad to hear that. Thank you!
DeleteThank you so much for all that you do to help us bring Christ to our kids! You are such a blessing!
ReplyDeletePeace be with you, Katie!
Kris Levy
Thank you, Kris!
DeleteThank you so much. I very much appreciate what you do!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeleteKatie, your blog is such a blessing to me. I struggled making the transition from Catholic school teacher of 20 years to RE Coordinator until I came upon your blog. Everything is so beautifully done. You give me practical resources and inspiration. This AT HOME VBS is wonderful--I was planning on creating something, but here it is!! Thank you. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome!! Thank you!! Every year we host a service camp at our parish but this year we will be offering a camp in a box & this will be perfect to help guide parents. So grateful!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!! We usually have Totus Tuus but can't this year. What a great resource!
ReplyDeleteThis is seriously so AWESOME! I am so excited! You are so generous to share this with all of us! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for creating this beautiful gift! I am looking forward to using it with my preschool age children and I think I'll learn a lot as well!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kindness. I just posted this on our parish FB forum.
ReplyDeleteCan we use this program any other month of year? Is it liturgical to just month of June?
ReplyDeleteOh you could totally use this anytime! Only the schedule organized for the month of June would be irrelevant, but the rest would all work any time of year. There is a description at the top of the schedule about the month of June and the date of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, but you could adjust that in the editable schedule. Hope that helps!
DeleteSorry! Meant to click notify box for my question.
ReplyDeleteOh you could totally use this anytime! Only the schedule organized for the month of June would be irrelevant, but the rest would all work any time of year. There is a description at the top of the schedule about the month of June and the date of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, but you could adjust that in the editable schedule. Hope that helps!
DeleteKatie, thanks so very much for sharing this wonderful resource with us! I definitely plan to share this with my families!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a blessing this is for my family! Thank you so very much! May God bless you!
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful. I was just searching for VBS options in my area. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! This is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your resources so generously. This is really helpful for the Children's Ministry that we have. Great for homeschooling family too. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
ReplyDelete