Roar VBS: DIY Journal

These DIY journals are a super frugal craft and a great way for kids to learn about faith journaling!

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Supplies:

Colored construction paper
White copy paper
Long reach stapler
Permanent markers
-Decorating supplies (washi tape, glitter pens, VBS stickers, faith stickers)

Instructions:

Fold construction paper and copy paper in half. I used 5 sheets of copy paper in my journal, which was a nice size for my toddler or a younger elementary student. You could use as many sheets as your stapler will handle though! (I use construction paper rather than cardstock paper because construction paper is slightly larger than standard size copy paper, which I like.)

Use a long reach stapler to add 2 staples along the fold of the paper (I didn’t have a long arm stapler at home, so I had to staple on the front side of the journal. It is a MUCH more nicely finished journal if the staples are along the fold.)

Let your kiddos have fun decorating the journal cover! My toddler and I had fun using markers, but with the longer attention span of elementary kids, you can go wild – washi tape, glitter pens, stickers, you name it! You could even take a picture of the kids at VBS and let them attach it inside the cover. Have extra time? The kids could write one of the bible verses or daily bible points from Roar VBS along the top or bottom of each journaling page!

Take a few minutes to teach your kids about faith journaling… encourage them to journal about their prayers, what they’re reading in the bible, how their faith is changing, etc. This lifelong skill will certainly serve them well!

This is a quick craft, so your kids will likely have time to make more than one DIY journal if this is your only craft/Imagination Station activity for the evening (depending on how much time they spend decorating the cover and whether they add bible verses/bible points to the journaling pages). We often have our kids make one item to keep, then a duplicate to pack in our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

Do you want to teach your kids the habit of journaling, but don’t want to take the time or effort to make your own journals? You can also buy nice pre-made journals on Amazon and let the kids focus on decorating the cover and learning about faith journaling! Here are some pre-made journals I found that are budget-friendly: white journals or kraft journals.

I am a long-time Vacation Bible School lover.  I’ve lead in several capacities throughout the VBS world and am currently our church’s VBS director.  It is a joy for me to be able to share VBS ideas and resources with others!  Follow BorrowedBlessings to see more of our ideas and planning!

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