Family Home Evening Games That Older Kids Actually Want to Play

Every parent knows the moment. You announce family home evening and the teenager on the couch sighs, the eight-year-old is already wrestling the four-year-old, and somebody asks how long this will take.

The Church's General Handbook describes home evening as "a sacred time for individuals and families to learn the gospel, strengthen testimonies, build unity, and enjoy one another." That last part matters. A game that teenagers actually want to play, where little kids can still win, is one of the easiest ways to get there.

That's why we built Family Showdown: a free, game-show-style scripture game with a new episode for every week of Come, Follow Me in 2027. Here's how it works, step by step, with screenshots.

Why Family Showdown works for mixed ages

Most family quiz games break down for the same reason. The questions are either too easy for the teenager or too hard for the six-year-old. Family Showdown solves this by giving every player their own level:

Level	Ages	Questions	Timer
Little ones	3–7	Two big picture answers, read aloud	30 seconds
Kids	8–11	Three choices	20 seconds
Teens and adults	12 and up	Four choices	20 seconds

Every question is worth the same, whatever the level. So Dad and a four-year-old can be on the same team, and both of them matter.

Setting up teams

Press Play this week and choose Teams. Make 2 to 4 teams, add each player and pick their level. Turn on Read questions aloud for children who aren't reading yet. Names stay on your device. Nothing is sent anywhere.

How a game plays

Each week's game has six rounds, built from that week's Come, Follow Me chapters:

1. Warm-up
2. Two rounds on this week's reading
3. Sneak peek at next week's chapters
4. Bonus challenge, worth 150 points
5. Final Showdown, where every right answer is worth double

Teams take turns. The question appears on the TV with the player's name and level, and a timer counts down. Fast right answers score more. Every answer links to its verse, so you can stop and read it.

Steals, the bonus challenge and the Final Showdown

If a team misses, the other team gets a chance to steal the answer for 50 points. This keeps everyone paying attention, even when it isn't their turn.

The bonus challenge gets people off the couch. In the first week of 2027, it's "Act it out: Zacharias can't talk." One person has to tell everyone the baby's name is John without saying a word, as Zacharias did in Luke 1:59–64. When someone guesses it, everyone says together, "His name is John." The host taps each team that earned the 150 points.

Then comes the Final Showdown, where every right answer is worth double, so a team that's behind can still win. In our test game, it ended in a 900–900 tie.

Don't skip the last part. The results screen includes a short discussion question for home evening. After 20 minutes of competition, everyone is warmed up and ready to talk.

Everyone on phones: for teens and big families

Teenagers often prefer this mode. Choose Everyone on phones, and the TV shows a QR code and a four-letter room code. Each person opens the game on their phone, enters the code, picks a nickname and level, and joins. Then everyone answers at the same time, and faster right answers score more.

It also works when family members are in different places. Grandparents or a student at college can join from their own phone while everyone watches the same video call. Only nicknames are shared, and they're deleted when the game ends.

Play together: no scores, just family stars

Some nights, competition isn't what your family needs. Play together mode has no scores at all. Everyone earns family stars together. It's gentle for little ones, and it works well on a Sunday afternoon or for a family with a toddler who melts down at losing.

A family home evening plan that fits in 30 minutes

1. Song and prayer (3 minutes)
2. Read a few key verses from this week's chapters (7 minutes)
3. Play Family Showdown (15 minutes)
4. Talk about the discussion question on the results screen (5 minutes)
5. Treat, which everyone agrees is not optional

Research on family time shows why this is worth protecting. In a large national study, adolescents who share meals with their parents scored better on a range of well-being indicators. A weekly home evening is a similar kind of regular, shared time.

More games for home evening

• New Testament games: 15 short games, including Emoji Parables and Who Said It?
• Book of Mormon games: Captain Moroni Strategy, Name That Nephite and more. Read our Book of Mormon games guide.
• Pioneer Trail: a 10-stop journey to the Salt Lake Valley
• Temple games: great before a family temple trip

Questions parents ask

How long does a game take?

About 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how many players you have and how long you stop to talk.

Can we play a week we missed?

Yes. Every week of 2027 is listed on the Family Showdown page. Pick any week and press Play.

What if our kids are all little?

Put everyone on Little ones and turn on Read aloud, or use Play together for a no-score version with pictures.

Do we need a TV?

No. A laptop or tablet works fine for Teams mode. A TV just makes it feel more like a game show.

Is Family Showdown official Church material?

No. Weak Things made it independently. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Questions follow the published Come, Follow Me schedule, and every answer links to the scriptures on the Church's site.

Keep reading

• Come, Follow Me 2027: Free New Testament Games for Every Week
• General Conference Games for Kids and Families
• A Daily Scripture Puzzle Like Wordle: Meet Verse Quest