Rainforest Falls is packed with fun lessons and hands-on activities that keep kids moving and engaged at every station. It’s one of the many reasons we love Group’s curriculum so much! Still, we all know that VBS doesn’t always fit into a neat little box. What works perfectly for one church might need a little extra for another.
Sometimes you need bonus activities to fill a few extra minutes during snack or dinner. Maybe kids arrive early and need something to do. Or the pesky weather doesn’t cooperate and plans have to shift on the fly. Extra activities also come in handy for take-home fun or for Sundays after VBS wraps up. And since not every church is able to purchase the preschool activity materials, some of the free printables here may be a helpful option.
I’m just getting started adding resources now, but many more will be coming as we head into spring.
Each resource below is available to download as a PDF and/or image. In many cases, I’ve also included a Canva template link so you can easily tweak things to better fit your needs.
If you notice any issues with these resources or have ideas for other things that would be helpful, I’d love to hear your feedback.
- Bible Buddy Coloring Pages
- Daily Coloring Pages
- Bible Story Coloring Pages
- Dot Marker Pages
- Playdough Bible Adventure Mats
- Dot-to-Dot Pages
- Waterfall Word Find Pages
- Animal Fun Fact Coloring Pages
- Conversation Starter Cube
- Icebreaker Cootie Catcher
- Rainforest Active Bingo
BIBLE BUDDY COLORING PAGES
If you are looking for some simple, Bible Buddy coloring pages, Group has some beautiful ones on their Tools page! You can download them here:
Even though Group makes them, every year I’m asked to make another option, specifically with preschoolers in mind. So, these are my “buddy” pages. There’s a page for each day that has the Bible Point and Bible Verse, along with a picture of the buddy animal. To honor Group’s copyright, I don’t post anything here that uses their clipart, so my copy has some cute substitute animals in it. However, if you are a Canva user, you can easily swap out my pictures for the buddies in your Clipart file/CD.
DAILY COLORING PAGES
Here are some more daily coloring pages! These have the Bible Point, verse, and Bible story picture on them.
BIBLE STORY COLORING PAGES
Need a little extra activity that reinforces the daily Bible story? You are welcome to download these coloring pages.
DOT MARKER PAGES
I love dot marker pages so much! Whether you use paint or stickers, they are such a fun way for the younger kiddos to decorate a page. Here’s one for each day of VBS. I’ve also included a couple options for title pages in case you want to put these together as a take-home booklet.
Need dot markers? They can be a little pricey, but the decent ones last awhile. This set holds up well and has 36 different colors (easy to use with a group). They have other options with more/less markers too.
Shuttle Art Washable Dot Markers 36 Colors with Free Activity Book, Fun Art Supplies for Kids Toddlers and Preschoolers, Non Toxic Water-Based Paint Daubers, Dot Art Markers
Here’s another set I found on Amazon—pretty good reviews and less expensive if you need a smaller batch of markers.
Nicecho Dot Markers, Washable Dot Markers for Kids Toddlers & Preschoolers, 24 Colors Bingo Paint Daubers Marker Kit with Free Activity Book
Full Disclosure: I don’t charge for anything on this site, but as an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from qualifying purchases.
Need an option that is even less messy? Cut off a strip of these 3/4″ circle labels and let the kids color their pictures with stickers and crayons. I love this pack with a huge variety of colors that are perfect for this year’s animals!
JANYUN 3920 Pcs 3/4″ Color Dot Stickers,Colored Coding Labels Circle Dots 14 Assorted Colors 0.75 Inch Colored Round Labels Stickers Dot with Zipper File Pocket for Office Classroom Student
Looking to keep it simpler with fewer colors? These are tried and true and stick well!
Misofuki 3000 PCS 3/4″ Round Color Coding Circle Dot Labels Includes Bright Yellow Green Red Pink Orange Blue(6 Rolls,500 Labels/Roll)
MAKE-A-FACE STICKERS
I’m amazed at how inexpensive these cute little sticker pages are. There are 6 each of 6 different reptiles. What a fun activity for toddlers or preschoolers!
36 PCS Make a face Sticker for Kids Toddlers, Make Your Own Reptile Animal Mix and Match Sticker with Snakes, Lizards, Frogs, Turtles, Kids Party Favor Craft Supplies
PLAYDOUGH BIBLE ADVENTURE MATS
The preschool manual is packed full of on-theme activities that are meaningful and engaging. But if you need a little something extra, here are some playdough mats that go right along with the Bible Adventures for the week. All you need to do is print and laminate them and they’re ready to go. There are a few different styles to choose from, but they are all in the Canva link and on the downloadable pdf. If you need to save on the budget, there’s also a great recipe for making your own playdough (comes out perfect every time for soft, pliable playdough).
CHALLENGE MATS
Challenge the kids to make a playdough creation that reinforces the Bible Adventure. A crown for David, God’s chosen king…an empty tomb…Our heart that God knows so well…so many fun things to make. Younger kids may need the version with the larger image to duplicate, while older kids may prefer a larger working space.
ADD-ON MATS
Here’s another fun option for playdough mats (often preferred by the younger kiddos). For these, the kids can use their playdough to sculpt items to add to the story picture.
Planning to make your own playdough (or have a volunteer make it)? Cream of Tartar is way cheaper than the grocery store if you buy it in a larger container from somewhere like Amazon. This bag will make about 14 recipes of playdough.
Minimalist Cream of Tartar, For Baking and Stabilizing Egg Whites, Packaged in a Resealable Bag (1 Pound)
No time to make your own playdough? These cans are an easy way to hand it out to lots of kiddos, and this set comes with 65 individual cans! Check out the outstanding reviews.
Play-Doh Ultimate Color Collection 65-Pack of 1-oz Cans, Includes Sparkle, Confetti & Color Burst, Back to School Classroom Supplies, Preschool Toys, Ages 2+ (Amazon Exclusive)
Want to allow some free play with the playdough? A bunch of the items in this kit can be used to rebuild the Bible stories.
Dough Tools 36pcs Dough Play Tools Set for Kids with Dough Cutters,Roller,Rolling Pins,Dough Extruder
DOT-TO-DOT PAGES
For your puzzle-loving kiddos, here are some dot-to-dots! A few are nice and simple for the younger kiddos, while others are a bit more challenging for the older kids who enjoy a good puzzle. There’s one for each day of VBS, plus a few extra animals just for fun (thanks to Canva templates for the extras!).
WATERFALL WORD FIND
Need an easy, no-brainer activity? These daily word searches are a fun way to sneak in some learning without much prep. Each one ties right back to the day’s Bible Point, Bible Verse, and Bible Story.
You can print them in full color or keep it super simple with black and white. Great for early arrivals, snack time, or those random extra minutes when you need something fast.
FUN FACT COLORING PAGES
I have found that the kiddos connect way better with all the animals in our themes than they do with the lovely flowers, vines, etc. Here are some fun fact coloring pages that can be used as filler…or just to emphasize our amazing God’s creativity in his Creation. There are posters with these same fun facts on the decorating page (or kiddos can color these to use as posters too!).
CONVERSATION STARTER CUBE
Snack time?
Arrival time?
Rainy day?
This versatile cube is a great way to get kiddos talking. Put one in each crew bag or on the tables during snack.
OR…Enlarge each square and tape it to the side of a cube-shaped box for even more fun tossing it around a room!
ICEBREAKER COOTIE CATCHER!
Did you ever make a Cootie Catcher when you were a kid? My daughter loves them!
This is another fun filler activity that gives kids the option of doing something active or answering a VBS-themed question. The Canva Link below will allow you to change it up as needed. Directions are included (as well as a YouTube link for video instructions).
ACTION BINGO
If you think Bingo is just numbers and little plastic chips…think again!
VBS weeks can get a little wild sometimes. Rain rolls in. Power goes poof. A leader wakes up sick. Plans change, but we don’t want the jungle to get chaotic. With last-minute back-up plans in mind, I started making these action-style Bingo games a few years ago. Churches have used them on stormy days, at follow-up events, during downtime, and anytime they needed some quick on-theme fun without a ton of prep.
With 20 different Bingo cards, you can play kid vs. kid or let whole crews work together (which is WAY more fun, in my opinion). Expect lots of moving, laughing, goofy jungle actions, and full-on rainforest silliness, while still incorporating some meaningful VBS moments.
I included both a full-color version and a black-and-white version for budget-friendly printing. Same exact game—just different backgrounds and graphics. You are welcome to check out the samples below and grab the downloadable PDFs with all 20 cards in whichever version works best for you! You’ll find the Canva template links below the images if you need to change them up a bit.
The Canva Template links enable you to make changes to the cards if you prefer different actions or activities.
Full Color Bingo Cards
Black and White Bingo Cards
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