I can follow Jesus Christ Treasure Hunt

This activity was not for Family Home Evening but for my CTR 4 class. The lesson was on choosing to follow Jesus Christ and talked about how we made a choice to follow the plan of Heavenly Father and accepted the plan for Jesus Christ to come to earth and be our Savior. Sometimes the lessons are a little over the head of the four year olds because the same lesson is taught up to the 8 year olds. Little four year olds just coming out of Sunbeams need some activities and things to get them moving while learning at the same time. So, I decided to use the manual to teach them about the plan. We used some of the scriptures from the manual and I taught them about the story of the council in heaven. Then we went on a treasure hunt. We started in the classroom and I asked them a question from the manual about the council in heaven. If they answered it correctly they got a clue. Each place had a question and a clue and then we made it back to the classroom where we had a treasure (dollar store toys) waiting for them. At the end I explained to them that just as we had to follow the clues to find our treasure we made a choice to follow the Savior and we still have to make that choice every day. The real treasure is the Atonement and our agency. The kids loved this activity.

Even though I used this for my class, it could easily be used for Family Home Evening. My friend that teaches the 7-8 year olds used the same activity only geared more toward their age group so I think the activity could be pretty versatile.

Here is the outline I used:

1. Where did we live before we came to earth?
-Heaven
Clue #1 Go to the place where you put your warm clothes (Coat closet)

2. Where did Heavenly Father want us to go?
-Earth
Clue #2 Where would you go if you were thirsty? (Drinking fountain)

3. What two people presented plans?
-Satan and Jesus
Clue #3 Go to the place where you would exercise your bodies (Cultural Hall)

4. What was Jesus’ plan?
-To come to earth and let everyone have their agency. Jesus would be our Savior and provide a way for us to repent and return to Heavenly Father.
Clue #4 Where are the biggest windows in the church? (Entry way)

5. Who did you choose to follow?
-Jesus Christ
Clue #5 Go to the place you sit in every week after sharing time (Classroom)

6. Give an example of how you could follow Jesus (If there is enough time have each kid give an example, otherwise, just have one or two kids give an answer. As they answer they an choose a prize from the treasure bag).

**Explain that just as we followed the clues to find the treasure, we followed the plan of Jesus. We wanted to follow him and we came to earth. We still have to follow Him each day. Jesus Christ is the real treasure. The Atonement is a gift for us. If we follow Him and his plan we can return to live with Heavenly Father and claim our prize of eternal life.


Alternate questions for an older class:

1. Where did we live before we came to earth and who did we live with?
Clue #1 Read a scripture about Joseph’s coat of many colors. The clue is the coat and have them go to the coat closet

2. Why did Heavenly Father want us to come to Earth?
Clue #2 Read a scripture about Jesus being the living waters or how you won’t thirst again if you follow Him. The clue is the water and you have them go to the drinking fountain.

3. What two people had plans and what were their plans?
Clue #3 Read the scripture about running and not being weary. The clue is running and you have them go to the gym,

4. Why do you think you chose to follow Jesus?
Clue #4 Read the scripture about strait is the gate and narrow the way for those that enter in. The clue is enter and they go to the entryway of the church. (Send them to the entryway by the bishops office. The clue will most likely be by one of the tables).

5. Give an example of how you could follow Jesus.
Clue #5 Read a scripture about being taught (probably in the D&C or in the New Testament) The clue would be taught and they would go to the classroom. In the classroom you would have the bag of prizes.