LDS Games

Please submit your LDS game ideas here!

Creation Matching/Memory Game

Object of the Game: Learn about the six days of the creation with this fun memory-style game.

Items Needed: Print the Creation Matching Game cards on heavy paper.

Preparation: Lay the cards face down on your playing surface.

Directions: Each player turns over two cards on his turn, so that all players can see them. If they are a match, the player pulls those two from the group. If not, the player turns them back over. The next player picks up two cards, and so on, until all 6 matches are made.

Nativity Matching/Memory Game

Object of the Game: Learn about the birth of the Savior with this fun memory-style game.

Items Needed: Print the Nativity Matching Game cards on heavy paper.

Preparation: Lay the cards face down on your playing surface.

Directions: Each player turns over two cards on his turn, so that all players can see them. If they are a match, the player pulls those two from the group. If not, the player turns them back over. The next player picks up two cards, and so on, until all 6 matches are made.

Mormon Cranium (based on Cranium: Family Fun)

Object of the Game: Be the first team to get to the winner's star and complete an activity chosen by the other teams.

Items Needed: A timer or stopwatch; 2 Nickels, 2 dimes, 2 quarters; markers for each team, and scratch paper. Print the Instructions, Game Cards, and Game Board.

Preparation: This fun game requires very little preparation. See above. Requires at least 4 people to play.

Directions: On each turn, draw a cranium card of the color of the space you landed on and do what it says. After you successfuly complete your assignment, pick a draw piece from a hat and move. If you land on a purple space, you may choose the color of card you wish to use.

Mormon Clue (a Mormon Mystery Activity)

Object of the Game: Bishop Wood is missing. There are ten suspects, ten weapons, ten rooms. It is up to you to find the clues. Who is responsible for the kidnapping of Bishop Wood? Get to know your ward members or friends while you play this fun variation on the board game, Clue.

Items Needed: Print the Detective Notebook and Suspects Guidebook.

Preparation: You'll probably need to reserve your entire church building for this activity, or another location with 10 rooms or areas to play in (a park could be used). You may also want to make signs for each of the ten rooms you choose, to make it easier for the players to find them.

Directions: Beforehand, assign ten people to be the ten suspects. They do not need any real prep--you can give them their Suspect Guidebook and instructions a few minutes before the activity, or you can give them a few days to find costumes for their characters if you like. As the activity begins, have each suspect go to the room they are assigned. Give each detective their notebook. You may want to play in pairs or in groups of four or less, depending on how many people you have. Instruct them that they are to go from room to room and can ask each suspect two questions. The suspects do not know who did it, where, or with what. But they each have six clues. The detectives will want to ask questions like, "Who do you know did NOT commit the crime?" or "Do you know if the crime was committed in the Relief Society room?" The suspects cannot give more than two answers--if the detectives want more answers they must leave the room, talk to someone else, and them come back. As they go, the detectives mark off each room, suspect, and weapon they learn is NOT involved by process of elimination. The first team to figure out the crime wins. Read the full instructions for Mormon Clue here.

Scriptionary

Object of the Game: Discuss scripture topics while you play this fun variation on "Pictionary" and "Win, Lose, or Draw".

Items Needed: Print and cut out the Scriptionary Game cards and Scriptionary Rules.

Preparation: Put the Scriptionary cards in a box or hat. You'll need a chalkboard and chalk, or dry erase board and dry erase markers, or paper and pencils for each team. Choose ahead of time whether to allow using gestures, letters, blanks for words, or other symbols when drawing.

Directions: Separate into teams. Choose a member of one team to choose a card and draw the picture or event written on the card. The artist has 90 seconds to draw. Members of his or her team will try to guess what the picture is of—the artist may not speak. One point is awarded when the picture is named correctly. After 90 seconds, if the drawing team has not guessed the picture, the other team has a chance to guess. The stealing team gets an extra point if they can guess what the other team drew. The second team chooses an artist, and play continues as described.

SPEED Scriptionary

Object of the Game: Discuss scripture topics while you play this fun variation on "Pictionary" and "Win, Lose, or Draw".

Items Needed: Print and cut out the Scriptionary Game cards and Scriptionary Rules.

Preparation: Put the Scriptionary cards in a box or hat. You'll need a chalkboard and chalk, or dry erase board and dry erase markers, or paper and pencils for each team. Choose ahead of time whether to allow using gestures, letters, blanks for words, or other symbols when drawing.

Directions: Separate into teams. Choose a member of one team to be the artist. The artist has 3 minutes to draw as many pictures as he can. He can skip up to two cards. Members of his or her team will try to guess what the pictures are during the 3 minutes. One point is awarded for each picture correctly guessed. The artist may not speak. The second team chooses an artist, and play continues as described above.

Primary Bingo

Object of the Game: Discuss scripture topics while you play this fun Bingo Game.

Items Needed: Print and cut out the Bingo cards and bingo markers.

Preparation: Cut up one bingo card to use to draw from.

Directions: For each turn, draw a picture and show it to the group. Players will place a marker on the corresponding square on their bingo card. Winners get 5 markers in a row, either diagonally or horzontally.

Itty Bitty Mormon City Scavenger Hunt

Object of the Game: Learn about the landmarks at Salt Lake's Historic Temple Square.

Items Needed: Print and cut out the pictures and instructions.

Directions: Hunt for the location of each image and mark it on your form.

Missionary Preparation Cube Game

Preparation: Make a game board with a path divided into many squares of six different colors. Place a picture that represents sharing the gospel at the end of the path. Prepare a cube with six colored faces that match the colors on the game board. On each face of the cube, write one of the following:

• Tell a personal story of obedience.
• Express gratitude for your blessings.
• Recite an article of faith.
• Repeat one of "My Gospel Standards."
• Tell one thing you will do to be a missionary now.
• Sing a song from "The Gospel" section of the Children's Songbook.

Instructions: Choose children to roll the cube and do what it says in order to move a game piece ahead to corresponding colored squares. Play the game for a set period of time and see how far you can go before the clock runs out. Reinforce the need to prepare now for missionary service. (Source: 2005 Outline for Sharing Time, I Will Follow God's Plan for Me)

Joseph Smith Jeopardy

Object of the Game: Answer the most questions reviewing the Restoration

Items Needed: Treats for pizes, if desired

Preparation: Print up the Joseph Smith Jeopardy questions & point cards. Set up the point cards and topics with the point cards underneath in order like in the tv game Jeopardy.

Directions: Ask the questions, and let the person who raises their hand first answer the questions. If they answer correctly, they can keep the point card for that question. The person at the end of the game with the most points wins.

Note: Can be played in teams.

CTR Jeopardy

Object of the Game: Answer the most questions reviewing the CTR Lessons and collect the most points

Items Needed: Treats for pizes, if desired

Preparation: Print up the CTR rules and questions & point cards. Set up the point cards and topics with the point cards underneath in order like in the tv game Jeopardy. The 1000 point cards go under the CTR section, because the questions are harder.

Directions: Ask the questions, and let the person who raises their hand first answer the questions. If they answer correctly, they can keep the point card for that question. The person at the end of the game with the most points wins.

Note: Can be played in teams. I used this as an easy substitute lesson.

Temple Blessings Jig Saw Puzzle

Object of the Game: Learn about the blessings that come from temple worship while putting this jig saw puzzle together.

From the Friend

Items Needed: Print the Temple Blessings Jigsaw Puzzle.

Happy Heart - 10 Lepers

Object of the Game: Learn about gratitude and the story of the 10 lepers while playing this crossword puzzle.

Items Needed: Print the Happy Heart Crossword Puzzle.

Simple LDS Games

Four-way Tug-of-War:

Obtain 12 feet of soft cotton rope and tie ends together. Place four people inside, facing outwards four different directions, and place the rope across the stomachs for a four-corner tug-of-war. All four participants try to reach for a piece of candy which is placed directly in front of them about six feet away. The person that first grabs his piece of candy is the winner and gets all four pieces of candy.

Mini-Marshmallow Guns

Cut some pieces of 1/2 inch PVC pipe down to about 12 inches long sections. Buy a couple of bags of mini-marshmallows, and use them as your ammo, with the PVC pipe as blow gun. Play this in an area that will be easy to clean up, or where it won't matter if you miss some of the marshmallows. If you want to make the guns as part of your activity, here are some instructions on making a fancy marshmallow shooter

Sawdust Scramble:

Place several pennies, candy chews or small toys or pieces of gum in a pile of sawdust or wood shavings. All persons of the same age line up 50 feet away. At the starting signal, they run to the sawdust and hunt for the candy. They may keep all they can find. Each age takes their turn, with more candy and more sawdust added with each age. The sawdust should be dumped on a plastic drop cloth for easy clean-up.

Human Wheelbarrow Race:

One participant of a team places his hands on the ground in a push-up position and his partner steps between his legs and lifts him up by the knees. On the signal, the human wheelbarrow is pushed to the goal line: at the point the pusher and the wheelbarrow change places and run back to the starting point.

Noodle-leg Race:

Obtain at least two swim noodles. Have teams race against each other to a marker, run around it, and come back WITH a swim noodle between thier legs. This is hilarious to watch, and works with groups of 1-5 people. Fun for child-parent games too.

Multiple-legged Relay Race:

Use old nylon panty hose to tie the legs together. For a three-legged race, place the panty hose around the inside legs of two people standing side by side. This may be reduced to two people or extended to a five or seven legged race by placing more participants together.

Water balloon toss:

This is less messy than tossing eggs. You purchase balloons specially for water fights. Divide up into two teams, facing each other and throw the balloon to the opposing team member facing you. All the people in one line are given a (raw egg) or water balloon Everyone starts tossing the balloon back and form to their partner. With each successful catch, the player steps back one step. The two players who successfully toss the balloon (or egg) the furthest "wins." This should be played last because it always starts a water fight.

Sack races:

Participants are divided up according to size or age or however. Each is given his or her gunny sack and on the signal see who can get to the goal line. Gunny sacks can be purchased at the IFA store for about $1.20 each. Can be saved for another year.

Tug-of-War:

Divide up into teams. Each team tries to pull the other team over the line OR FOR LOTS OF FUN, A WATER PUDDLE.

Pie Eating Contests:

There are many variations of this. Dream up your own. Finding a jelly bean in a pie pan filled with whipped cream. Finding a pacifier in a pie pan of whipped cream. Get it in your mouth the right way and crawl to the judges to win. You get to wear a bib and no hands here either.

Gooey Noses:

Two groups smear vaseline on noses. Cookie sheets of cotton balls are placed on the ground 10-15 yards away. The team must run-one member at a time-to the cookie sheets, squat down, pick up cotton balls with their noses, then race back to the start without losing their cotton balls. The first team to have all members with cotton ball noses is the winner.

Kick the Can

Select an object to serve as the "can" - an actual can, a ball, or a small, taped-up box. Select someone to be "It." Select an area to set the can - a clear space about 20 or 30 yards across. Select an area to be the "jail" - a comfortable place close to the can, but not blocking the can.

Tips: Place the can in a grassy area, if possible, since players may have to slide or leap. Select a well-lit area to place the can when playing at night.

If You're "It" - Stand by while another player kicks the can as far as possible. Retrieve the can and put it back where it was in the beginning. Capture players by calling out their names and their hiding places while you're stepping on the can. Look for players, but try not to stray far from the can. Race back to the can if you see an uncaptured player headed for it. Step on the can and call out that player's name if you get to the can first. Run after the can and put it back again if that player kicks the can away. Continue until you have all the players in jail.

If You're Not "It" - Select someone to kick the can as far as possible. Hide. Race back to the can and kick it before It gets there. Go to jail if It steps on the can and calls out your name and your correct location. Wait in jail until you are rescued - that is, until someone kicks the can. Run away and hide again when the can is kicked and you are released from jail. Be It for the next game if you were captured first. (Instructions from eHow.com

Large Group Fun

These activities, which are easy to prepare, are great for large family and neighborhood gatherings. A simple activity like one of these can make the difference between a dull get-together and a very successful activity. Each activity can be adapted for all age-groups and areas.

Source: LDS FHE Resource Book, p 270

Lots More Games

I have posted a selection of games available on this site on this page. Click to see all the games in the database.