Well-Done Church Resources

Easy, MESS-FREE, and original!

Whether you are a teacher entertaining a large classroom, a day-care worker rewarding your tiniest group of kiddos, or a parent looking for a new game to play at home or at the next family gathering, this is one of the simplest, most fun ways I have found to keep kids of all different ages (seriously, your goofy toddler will love it just as much as your reluctant sixteen-year-old or your seventy-eight-year-old grandma!). It’s an orderly, mess-free, REUSABLE game to keep any group occupied, engaged, and having fun! Bonus: there’s NO age limit, NO time limit, and NO limit to how many can play!

What is this game, you ask? This, my friends, is a silly, little game called: CHOICES! Oddly enough, this simple game can literally help solve your class chaos, road trip boredom, or even awkward family reunions!

I originally created this game as an illustration/object lesson for a Sunday school class. The illustration was that we all have a choice when it comes to our actions and behaviors, but what we don’t get to choose is the consequences of those actions or behaviors. Sometimes, our good behaviors create good consequences, but other times, our behavior creates unfortunate or unintended consequences!

Back then, I literally handwrote some “consequences” on scraps of paper, folded them up, and threw them into an empty peanut butter jar! (So, fancy, I know!) Then, one-by-one my students came to the front, chose a piece of paper, and then had to act on the “consequence” written on that piece of paper. This way, they were able to choose something on their own, but they had no idea what “consequence” awaited them.

My mix of consequences included: getting a piece of candy, having to sing your favorite song in front of the class, 10 jumping jacks, quacking like a duck, giving your friend in class a high-five, shouting your name 5 times, making a funny face, and even a BIG PRIZE! I wasn’t sure, at first, if the kiddos would participate or be too shy or be bored by the almost silly simplicity of this game.

However, after a couple rounds of this game, my students requested it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Their favorite part of the game was the anticipation of what their consequence would be as well as the anticipation of what their friend/sibling was going to have to do, too. Just for fun, I as the teacher also participated, which created a whole new level of fun and giggles! Any time we played this game, the classroom would literally be buzzing with whispers, “What are they going to have to do? Who’s going to get the prize? I do NOT want to moo like a cow!”

This game is the BEST to play over and over again, because it reinforces a great, practical life lesson, PLUS after the first initial prepping of the game, CHOICES! requires ZERO prep work and very few supplies to have on hand! As I said before, it is great for any age group, any number of players, and any time.

Sometimes, I would literally just add this game to the end of class-time to help get the kids moving (without too much chaos), or I would use it at the beginning of class for a good ice-breaker (especially if I used more of the conversational version of the game). Soon, CHOICES became an incentive for the entire class: “If I see good participation, listening, and quiet work, then we can play CHOICES today!”

Now, this game has become a family favorite, and we use it for birthday parties, holiday gatherings, and even road trips! Sound like fun? Here’s what you need to start playing right away:

Supplies:

• Any Version of the CHOICES game from my Free Shop here.
• A printer
• Plain white copy paper
• Scissors
• Any sort of empty jar, container, box, or bag!
• Candy/Individual Snacks (optional)
• A BIG PRIZE (optional)

**Since my classroom was comprised of 6-12 year-olds, my “big prize” was usually a candy bar, bag of chips, stuffed animal, nail polish, or a dollar store toy. You can use anything that you know your group of kiddos will get excited about – for younger kids this might mean a trip to the playground, becoming your big helper for the day, or getting to watch a movie,  etc. For older kids (or even adults!), this could include gift cards, experiences, clothing, or maybe even NOT having to do a chore for a day! The possibilities are limitless, so get as creative as you want!

Instructions:

• Download your favorite version of CHOICES here.
• Print out the sheets on plain, white copy paper.
• Cut out each slip of paper.
• Fold each slip so that the “consequences” are not visible.
• Mix them up and place in your empty container (you can literally use any kind of jar or box or bag!)
• Begin playing by having each person choose a single consequence out of the jar, read it out loud, and follow the directions.
• The game ends when all of the consequences have been unfolded and completed!
• Refold papers and put them back into the container so that they’re ready to be used for next time!

UPDATE: I just printed this out for an upcoming class my husband and I are putting on, and it took me exactly 8 minutes to do the prep work! I used an empty Italian bread crumbs can, cut out the sheets, made up some new consequences, and was ready to roll! Can’t wait to play it with our 3-6 year-olds soon!

Be sure to like this post and comment about which original “consequences” you, your family, or your classroom added to the game!

As of now, the Sunday school version is up and available, but keep your eye out for lots more versions of the game coming soon including an ice-breaker edition, road-trip edition, and even a fall-time one! Comment to let me know your favorite version or which one you would like to see in the future!