Ten Commandments - Matching Game (Based on the Children's Catechism Questions and Answers)
Ok, so first off, if you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or are an email subscriber - you saw the picture of my hand with my crazy blue cast I had on for some of January and most of February (you should be able to see it here if you missed it). I apologize for the delay in posting this but life (and sometimes a broken hand) happens and that's just the reason you need to slow down even when it wasn't planned.
Thanks for all your sweet messages and prayers! The cast came off a few days ago and while I was thinking it would be all back to normal when I walked out of the office (which is wasn't... getting older is tricky, huh?), it's still a huge improvement to have it off!
Anyway, on to this fun game!
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My kids love games. They will play some of the most ridiculous educational games but they always end up learning things in the end (for example, this one was a hit for learning random facts about bugs). So, I decided to make a game to cover a whole bunch of Children's Catechism questions!
This matching game covers Children's Catechism Questions 80-104. Wow, that'll help me finish this project I started last year to get through the whole catechism!
Our church goes through the Ten Commandments once a month as part of our Law and Gospel reading during our service. It is such a good time of reminder. As we are presented with God's law (that we often all know so well from maybe a song or game), it saddens us how often we transgress it and deliberately turn away from God. However, we are encouraged that even though we all fail to keep it we have a perfect Savior in Jesus.
This is an amazing thing to remind our kids of often. We know they can't be perfect here and now. They need the same Jesus we do day in and day out.
Since it covers so much content, I've put the actual questions and answers at the bottom so you can see them easily but know some of you just want to get right to the game!
(If you need a download of all the Children's Catechism questions, including these 24, just check this out.)
I did change some of the text to (1) fit on a card and (2) use the ESV wording in most cases (since that's what we use at home).
I would also HIGHLY recommend putting on Ask Me Whooo: Volume 2 (Tracks 12-24) so that your kids would be hearing the same questions and answers as they played the game. We listen to this with our Amazon Music Unlimited subscription - so you can quickly make those tracks into a playlist.
First, download the game by heading over to the Resource Library. If you are an email subscriber, you can find the password in your most recent email from me. If you need to get the password, just click here. (I only send emails about once a month but that way you'll hear about new items similar to this game as they are added!)
Then, print it out on thick cardstock (so you can't see through it when you're playing), cut it out, and you're ready to play!
In my pictures in this post, I've printed it as is, which is 6 pages total so that each card is a quarter of the page. If you are looking to make it smaller (and save a bit of ink), you could print two pages per sheet and only use 3 pages of paper.
Usually I'm not a stickler for straight lines, but since this is a matching game and you want all the cards to be the same, you will want to use a paper cutter (even just a cheap one) if you have one!
To play, each player (starting with the youngest or the one with the farthest away birthday) turns over two cards to try to find a match. The goal is the match the symbols on the cards, which have matching text to learn about the 10 Commandments, using the catechism questions and answers.
For the 10 Commandments, one card is the commandment and then the matching card is what that commandment teaches us (based on the Children's Catechism answers). Then the other four are the questions and answers for 103 and 104, which are important and such helpful summaries!
I've tried to make it easy for little kids to play too and work on memory skills, numbers, and colors. There are two sets of each color (red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple) and the symbols used are numbers 1 through 10, a question mark, and a cross.
When turning over cards, if a match is found, either the adult or older child would read the answers (and the number of the commandment) to reinforce hearing the correct "matches".
Children's Catechism Questions and Answers 80-104
(Click on each title to expand and see the Questions and Answers)
+ Questions 80-90 (Commandments 1-4)
Q. 80. What is the first commandment? A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Q. 81. What does the first commandment teach us? A. To worship God alone.
Q. 82. What is the second commandment? A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any things that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Q. 83. What does the second commandment teach us? A. To worship God in a proper manner, and to avoid idolatry.
Q. 84. What is the third commandment? A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Q. 85. What does the third commandment teach me? A. To reverence God's name, word, and works.
Q. 86. What is the fourth commandment? A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day, and hallowed it.
Q. 87. What does the fourth commandment teach us? A. To keep the Sabbath holy.
Q. 88. What day of the week is the Christian Sabbath? A. The first day of the week, called the Lord's Day.
Q. 89. Why is it called the Lord's day? A. Because on that day Christ rose from the dead.
Q. 90. How should the Sabbath be spent? A. In prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God's Word, and in doing good to our fellow men.
+ Questions 91-102 (Commandments 5-10)
Q. 91. What is the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Q. 92. What does the fifth commandment teach me? A. To love and obey our parents and teachers.
Q. 93. What is the sixth commandment? A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.
Q. 94. What does the sixth commandment teach us? A. To avoid angry passions.
Q. 95. What is the seventh commandment? A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Q. 96. What does the seventh commandment teach us? A. To be pure in heart, language, and conduct.
Q. 97. What is the eighth commandment? A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.
Q. 98. What does the eighth commandment teach us? A. To be honest and industrious.
Q. 99. What is the ninth commandment? A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Q. 100. What does the ninth commandment teach us? A. To tell the truth.
Q. 101. What is the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Q. 102. What does the tenth commandment teach us? A. To be content with our lot.
+ Questions 103-104 (Summary)
Q. 103. Can any man keep these Ten Commandments perfectly? A. No mere man, since the fall of Adam, ever did or can keep the Ten Commandments perfectly.
Q. 104. Of what use are the Ten Commandments to us? A. They teach us our duty, and show our need of a Savior.
For a huge ROUND-UP of resources for teaching the Children's Catechism, be sure to check out the resources page here.
For reference - this is from the 1840 version - you can learn more about the differences in the Children's Catechism versions here.
Let me know if you enjoyed this game by leaving a comment below. It would also be so sweet of you to pin it to your favorite kids board on Pinterest or to share it with your friends! I hope it helps you!