VBS Sign Up Sheet (free, online)

How to set it up

Vacation Bible School is a week of the same jobs every morning, and the sheet should say so. The roles are crew leaders who stay with a group of kids all week, station leaders for games, crafts, Bible story, music and the snack kitchen, plus check-in and check-out, nurses' station, and the crew that decorates on Sunday afternoon. Most roles need the same person all five days, so list them as week-long roles, not daily shifts.

The mistake is letting people sign up for one morning of a crew-leader role. The kids need the same face on Friday they had on Monday. Make crew leader a whole-week commitment and offer daily rows only for the jobs that work that way, like check-in and the kitchen. One tip: ask for a background check at signup. Most churches require it, and it's easier to collect on the sheet than to chase later.

Questions people ask

How many crew leaders do we need?

One adult or older teen per six kids, and a second adult per crew if the kids are under six. Count last year's registration, add ten percent, and divide. Put the number on the row so you can see when you're staffed.

Can teenagers sign up?

Usually as assistant crew leaders or in the kitchen, with an adult in charge. Add a select question at signup, 'adult or student', so you can pair them correctly.

How do we handle background checks?

Add a checkbox at signup, 'I have completed a background check with the church', and make it required for anyone leading a crew. You'll see who still needs one in the dashboard.

Why not a paper sheet or a Google Form?

A paper sheet lives in one place and fills up with the first people who walk past it. A Google Form takes forty signups for a row that needed two, and you find out in the spreadsheet. An online sign-up sheet closes each row when it's covered, sends a reminder the day before, and gives every person a link to cancel so the spot reopens. See the side-by-side with Google Forms.