Book of Mormon Games for Primary and Youth Classes

The Book of Mormon is full of stories children love: a boy who goes back for the plates, a stripling army, a prophet on a wall dodging arrows, a brother of Jared who sees the finger of the Lord. Learning who's who and what happened when is half the fun, and a game makes it stick.

This guide covers the free Book of Mormon games for Primary, youth and families. Most take five minutes or less, and every answer points back to a verse. Screenshots below show how each one plays.

A few facts to start a lesson

• Most of the Book of Mormon, 531 pages in English, was translated in about 65 working days between April and June 1829.
• The printer, E. B. Grandin, was only 23. He agreed to print 5,000 copies, and the book went on sale March 26, 1830 (New Era).
• Today the Book of Mormon has 115 official translations, with more in progress.

Who Said It?, Emoji Stories and Captain Moroni

These three are quick, play well on a phone and are perfect for kids.

• Who Said It? gives you 10 famous lines and asks you to match each one to Nephi, Alma, Moroni, Samuel or another speaker. For example, "I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power" is the brother of Jared (Ether 3:4).
• Emoji Stories are 10 puzzles where a row of emojis tells a story. An angel, lightning and a shocked face? That's an angel appearing to Alma the Younger (Mosiah 27:11).
• Captain Moroni Strategy puts you in charge of the Nephite armies for 10 decisions from Alma 43–50. Can you match the choices Moroni made? The first decision: armor up with breastplates, shields and thick clothing (Alma 43:19).

After every answer, each game shows the verse and a link to read it in context. That turns a quiz into a short scripture study.

Name That Nephite

Name That Nephite is a "Who am I?" game with eight people and up to 40 points. You start with one clue worth 5 points. Each extra clue costs a point, so the fewer clues you need, the higher you score.

The example above starts with "I was a Lamanite servant to the queen." With more clues, it becomes clear the answer is Abish (Alma 19:16). Lesser-known characters like Abish make this a good game for youth who think they already know the stories.

Journey Map

The Book of Mormon is full of journeys. Journey Map covers four of them: Lehi's family, the Jaredites, Alma's people and Alma's mission. Tap the stops in order, and the game draws the route and shows where you were right.

Lehi's journey is a good place to start. It runs from Jerusalem to the valley of Lemuel, Shazer, Nahom and Bountiful, then across the sea to the promised land. It pairs well with a family reading of 1 Nephi 16–18.

Timeline and Family Tree

The Book of Mormon Timeline has three rounds of five events each, from the great tower to Moroni sealing the record. Tap the events earliest first. The Family Tree asks 10 questions about fathers, sons and the record keepers who passed down the plates. For example: who was King Limhi's father?

These two help with one of the hardest parts of reading the Book of Mormon: keeping track of who lived when. Older Primary children and youth will find them especially useful.

Which Book of Mormon Prophet Are You?

This personality quiz is just for fun. Eight lighthearted questions, like "It's Saturday morning. What are you doing?", lead to a prophet and a verse. In our test, the result was Ammon: "a servant at heart."

As the game says, "Every one of these prophets has something to teach all of us." Use it as an icebreaker, then read the verse together.

For seminary and daily study

• Scripture Chase: Book of Mormon is a bring-your-scriptures race for the 24 Doctrinal Mastery passages. It keeps score for players or teams.
• Line upon Line takes two minutes a day to memorize the same 24 passages. See how Line upon Line works.
• Verse Quest is a daily puzzle: one verse, six guesses to find the book and chapter. See our Verse Quest guide.

How to use these in Primary

1. Read the story first from the scriptures or the Book of Mormon Stories book.
2. Play one game on a TV or tablet, letting children take turns answering.
3. Read the verse the game shows after each answer.
4. Ask one question: "What did this person do that we can do too?"

Questions teachers ask

What ages are these for?

Emoji Stories, Who Said It? and Captain Moroni work for ages 6 and up with a little help. Name That Nephite, the Timeline and the Family Tree suit older Primary children, youth and adults.

Do I need to sign up?

No. They're free, with no login or app. They work on phones, tablets and projectors.

Is there a family game night version?

Yes. Family Showdown is a weekly team game with questions adjusted for little ones, kids and adults. See Family Home Evening Games Teens Will Actually Play.

Is this affiliated with the Church?

No. These games are made by Weak Things and are not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Keep reading

• Verse Quest: A Daily Scripture Puzzle
• Free Seminary Games for Teachers
• Doctrine and Covenants Games