Family Home Evening Games for Every Age
Family Home Evening can turn into a lecture nobody remembers, or it can be the night your kids actually look forward to. The difference is usually the activity. A good game does more than fill time. It burns off energy, pulls in the kid who checked out during the lesson, and gives everyone a shared laugh. Here are games that work, sorted by who you are trying to reach.
Games for Little Kids (Ages 3 to 7)
With young children, keep the rules tiny and the movement high. Scripture charades works well when you pick a story they already know, so acting out Nephi building the ship or Daniel in the lions den reinforces something familiar. Ammon and the sheep is a favorite: one child is the shepherd guarding a pile of soft toys while the others try to scatter them, which burns energy and sets up the story of Ammon defending King Lamoni's flocks.
Freeze dance to a Primary song, hide a gospel picture around the room for them to find, or play a simple matching game with scripture pictures. The lesson at this age is short and the game is the part they remember, so lean into it. You are not running a classroom, you are giving them a warm memory attached to a story from the scriptures.
Games for Older Kids and Teens
Older kids need enough challenge to stay interested. Gospel Pictionary and charades scale up nicely, and a scripture chase, where you call out a reference and everyone races to find it first, sharpens their familiarity with the books while turning it into a competition. Minute-to-win-it style challenges with a gospel theme, or a family trivia round about scripture stories and your own ancestors, both land with this age.
Teens will roll their eyes at anything that feels babyish, so give them a real contest and let them run it. Let one of them host the trivia or invent the rules. A game where they get to be in charge does more for their engagement than any lesson you could deliver at them, and it quietly teaches them that the gospel and their own home are not boring.
Games the Whole Family Can Play Together
The best Family Home Evening games put every age in the room on the same field. Family feud with gospel questions, an alphabet game where you go around naming a gospel word for each letter, or team charades that pair a big kid with a little one all work because nobody gets benched. A service scavenger hunt, where the family races to do small kind acts around the house or neighborhood, turns the game itself into the lesson.
Whatever you pick, aim for the kind of game that ends in conversation. When the laughing dies down and someone says something real, that is the whole point of the evening arriving on its own. The game was never the goal. It was the door you walked through to get everyone talking.
Key Principles
- ✓Keep the game short and simple so it does not swallow the whole evening
- ✓Match the energy to the ages in the room
- ✓Tie the game to the lesson when you can, but do not force it
- ✓Rotate who picks the game so everyone gets a turn
- ✓The goal is connection, not a perfectly run activity
LDS Sunday School
Plan your next Family Home Evening lesson with LDS Sunday School
Free to start. Three studies free every month. No credit card required.
Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What is a good Family Home Evening game for young children?
Scripture charades and simple movement games like Ammon and the sheep work well. Keep the rules tiny and the movement high, and pick a story they already know so the game reinforces it rather than confusing them. At this age the game is the part they will remember.
How long should the game part of Family Home Evening be?
Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. The game is meant to bring energy and connection, not to run the whole night. Keep it short enough that the treat and the closing prayer still happen before bedtime falls apart.
Do Family Home Evening games have to be gospel-related?
No. Connection is the real goal, and plenty of nights a simple board game or tag in the yard does more good than a forced lesson tie-in. When a game connects naturally to the lesson, use it. When it does not, let the game just be fun.
What if my kids are different ages?
Use team games that pair older kids with younger ones, or alternate between an easy round and a harder round. Charades, family feud, and scavenger hunts all flex across ages, and pairing siblings turns the age gap into help instead of a problem.