Teach the Plan of Salvation while playing with your Kids!

Teach your kids the Plan of Salvation using this board game you can make at home.  It's a fun idea for a young women activity idea or a family home evening lesson.

Once a month, our Young Women Presidency sets aside a Wednesday night to go over Personal Progress with each of the girls.  We try and see where they are in their goals, what they need help with, and encourage them to move forward with the program.

I work with the youngest of the girls, the Beehives.  Some of these girls are very excited about the Personal Progress program still and are racing ahead, while others are starting to lag and get overwhelmed with school and sports.My goal is to come up with some idea each month to help the girls move forward in a fun and faith filled way.  (We'll see how that works after a few months...but for now...)

This month I decided to work on Value Faith experience number six.  This one says to "increase your understanding of the plan of salvation...Draw or obtain a picture that depicts the plan of salvation, including the premortal existence, birth, mortal life, death, judgement,, and life after judgement.  Using this picture, explain the plan of salvation."

I created a board game for each of the girls to take home with them this month.  It's based on the Plan of Salvation and while they play, they can talk about the decisions, consequences, and importance of the plan with their families.

CREATE THE GAME

To make the Plan of Salvation board game, I printed out the four game board pieces onto regular paper.  (You can find the download at the end of the post.)  I layed out the paper pieces onto a piece of poster board to create two horizontal pieces and glued the paper board game down.  

Then I cut and scored in between where the papers met on the poster board to allow the game to fold up nicely for storing.  I used a piece of clear packing tape to secure the two game pieces together to create a long board game which folds nicely.

The game pieces are made by cutting out the strips and scoring along the dotted lines.  Then add a little bit of glue to the "glue here" tab and fold over the other side to create a little tent.  I created six different pieces, but you can print more if needed, or use pieces from other games if you'd like.

The cards are designed pretty generically, so as a leader you can talk about the different ordinances needed to gain the Celestial Kingdom or the sins and repentance process as needed.

So print out as many cards as you need to play your game.  I printed two of the "essential ordinances/death" cards (Yes, I did fix the spelling) and three of the "repentance/sin" sets.

HOW TO PLAY THE PLAN OF SALVATION BOARD GAME

Start with all players in the "Premortal Life" space.

Roll the dice and move forward that many spaces.

Continue forward on the "straight and narrow path" until landing on a square with a heart on it. 

Draw a card from the card stack.

If it's a sin card, you need to move backwards to the nearest upward path (off the straight and narrow path.)  Keep your card.  On your next turn, roll the dice and continue upward and along the path until landing on another heart space.

If you land on a heart space and draw a "repentance" card, you can giveaway all your sin cards (return them to the deck) and return to the "straight and narrow way" at the nearest downward path.

If you draw a repentance card and have no sins, then you may keep it to ward off future "sin cards".  If you draw a card, you can return it and your "repentance" card and stay on the "straight and narrow path."

Sometimes you may start to repent, and draw another sin card and go back upwards.  This is a good way to talk about the fact that our temptations are always with us and we must constantly fight to repent and stay away from them.

You may draw an "essential ordinance" card (yes, the spelling was fixed.)  This is a card that you will need to save to get into the Celestial Kingdom.  Once you have at least one Essential Ordinance card, you can give away any you draw to others who do not have them during the game.

At any point during the game you may draw a "death" card.  At this point you must go directly to the "death' square with whatever cards you have in your hand.

Once you have reached the "Death" space, whether through playing the game or by getting a card, you will be sorted into "Spirit Prison" and "Paradise" to await the other players playing the game.

If you have no "Sin Cards" and you have at least one "Essential Ordinance" card, you get sorted into "Paradise" spot.

If you have sins, or if you have no sins, but don't have an "Essential Ordinance" card, you wait in the "Spirit Prison" spot.

If someone gives you a "Essential Ordinance" card while waiting, or you give away your sins, you can move up into the "Paradise" spot.

Once all players have reached "Spirit Prison" or "Paradise", it's time for the Judgement and the game to be announced.

If you are in Paradise and you have your "Essential Ordnance" card and didn't have any sins when you reached there, you can go to the Celestial Kingdom.

If you are in Paradise and you gave away your sins to get there, or if you have no sins, but don't have an Essential Ordnance card, you go to the Terrestial Kingdom.

If you still have sins, and don't have your Essential Ordinance cards, you go to the Telestial Kingdom.

I hope this game helps you to teach the Plan of Salvation to your kids, whether it be in Family Home Evening or in your Young Women or Young Men activities.  It's a great way to get the conversation started, and hopefully get them thinking about the consequences of their choice each and every day.

Here is the file to download the Plan of Salvation Board game.  If you do make and play it, will you let me see?  You can post a picture on my Facebook page with a link to your post or game!