Frugal Friday--A Simple, but Fun, Family Game

Today for our Making our Homes a Haven challenge we are supposed to think of something we can do to make time for our family, which is essential to having a warm atmosphere in our homes. So, I thought I'd post on this fun, but very simple game that children of all ages love. It's a fun game for families to play since kids of all ages enjoy it. Adults enjoy it too! This game was developed by a missionary here (Kurt Shafli of Switzerland) who reaches out to the Native Americans on the Reservation. Using symbols he learned from the people he ministers to, he developed this game as a way to help them understand the Gospel.

Take 3 flat, smooth stones of preferred size and using a permanent marker, put a dark, filled-in circle on one, an empty circle on another and an X on another. In this game, the empty circle represents the empty tomb/forgiveness, the dark circle sin/death, and the X is the cross. Interestingly enough, the X is a traditional Indian symbol for "TRADE" so the combination that receives the most points is:

Dark circle, X, empty circle which means: Jesus trades our sin for forgiveness at the cross. Jesus conquered death and the tomb is empty!

To play the game hold all three stones and toss them onto the ground/table. If they land with the marking down, then they are blanks. Figure out how many points you have by the point system pictured above. Then tally point up for each person playing on a piece of paper.

This game is also fun for outdoor activities like camping or family picnics. If you have it memorized and you have a marker on hand it can be made anytime, anywhere! Hours of fun, and the Gospel reinforced in little minds!