In a previous article, Game Ideas You Can Use in Your Children’s Ministry, I explained how to make a fun game, called Cooties, for your Sunday School class. My Sunday School class loves it, and it is the perfect way to review our lessons.
In this article, I am going to show you how to make another game called Treasure Chest. My kids enjoy this game just about as much as they enjoy Cooties.
This game was inspired by a game in the book, Let’s Play a Bible Game, by Ed Dunlop. His games use an overhead projector, which we do not always have access to. And we found that, for our class, having games that use cards just works better. So we adapted the games to our classroom, and came up with a few twists that our kids enjoy.
Making the Game
To make the game, you will need 20 index cards, cut in half, laminating or contact paper, markers, a printer, scissors, glue, and a brown paper lunch bag.
I found free clipart of a coin that looked like it might have been from a treasure chest, a necklace, a diamond, a scorpion, a pirate ship, a pirate, and a treasure chest.
I resized the pictures so that they would each fit on a card (my ½ index card). Then I printed out 8 gold coins, 8 necklaces, 8 diamonds, 6 scorpions, 4 pirate ships, 4 pirates, and 2 treasure chests.
Then I printed and cut out 40 copies of the words “Treasure Chest”
I did not color my pictures, but they would look nice if you did. I cut them out, and put each one of them on a card. On the back of each card, I glued the words “Treasure Chest.”
I allowed the glue to dry for about 30 minutes and laminated each card.
Playing the Game
As we are planning out each lesson, we come up with a list of questions about that lesson. We try to keep these questions to use in future games for review. We also throw in some Bible verses we want the students to look up and read.
I separate out my gold coin cards, necklace cards, diamond cards, and scorpion cards, and lay them out, face down on the table in five rows of six cards each.
I cut off the top 1/3 of my bag and put my pirate ship, treasure chest, and pirate cards inside it.
Then we divide our class into two teams.
Team one gets a question. If they answer correctly, someone from the team gets to come up and pick up a card from the table.
Gold coins are worth 200 points, necklaces are worth 400 points, and diamonds are worth 500 points. If they get one of these cards, they get the points, and can choose whether to continue to try to earn points, or be safe and keep what they have. They can choose as many cards as they would like, one at a time, unless they get a scorpion. A scorpion ends their turn and causes them to lose all of the points they have earned on that turn.
When they decide they are going to stop and keep their points, they still have to get their points to the ship so they can keep them.
Next they choose a card out of the bag. If they choose a ship, their points are safe and the next team gets a question.
If they choose a treasure chest, they get an additional 500 points, and all of their points are safe, and the next team gets a question.
If, however, they choose a pirate, they lose their points, and play goes to the next team.
If team 1 answers incorrectly, team 2 gets a chance to answer their question, and take their turn at choosing cards and earning points.
Regardless of what happens with that question, team 2 will get their own question next and be able to try to earn points.
We play until our class time is finished. Then we cheer for the winning team. This is a very exciting game. Even the quieter, more reserved children get excited and have so much fun. It is the perfect way to review, in a fun way, what they are learning.
Resources:
Let’s Play a Bible Game, 48 Reproducible Scripture Games and Puzzles for the Overhead Projector, by Ed Dunlop; Meriwether Publishing, Ltd., Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1995
