For a fun way to introduce Keep the Commandments this month, try this Keep the Commandments Taste Test Activity! But be warned, this activity requires some bravery! If your primary kiddos are up for the challenge, they will love this exciting game.
*See all our ways to teach Keep the Commandments here!*
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Sometimes we do not understand why we are asked to follow certain commandments. With our limited view, we can often only see the challenges placed in front of us. However, we are blessed with the knowledge that we have a loving Heavenly Father who can see the bigger picture.
Since this can be a challenging lesson to teach children, I thought it would be fun to teach them in a way that they might understand – Food! For this activity, I’ll be inviting children to participate in a special taste-test challenge!
Keep the Commandments Taste Test Challenge
For this activity, I’ll be challenging my primary children to put their skills of trust to the test. The idea behind this activity is to choose some foods or drinks to have the children eat in primary. The only catch – they don’t know what they’ll be eating!
This is a great way to help children learn how they can trust their Heavenly Father. As their teacher, I know that I would never ask them to do (or eat) something that would put them in danger. For a child who cannot see the food they are about to eat, however, they may feel some nervousness or fear.
To prep for this activity, I tried to think of some foods that would be surprising to eat. I wanted to do a mix of sweet, sour, bitter, and savory. Here are some of the things I came up with:
- Lemon juice
- Vinegar (I would mix the vinegar with water to dilute it)
- Water
- Sprite
I picked these four as they’ll all look very similar at a glance, the last 3 they may not even be able to tell apart!
Some more fun alternate food ideas:
- Spoonful of Ketchup
- Candy Bar
- Chips
- Fruit (strawberries, bananas)
Before primary, I would prepare all these food items by placing them in a cup. If it is something you should eat with a spoon, I would put the spoon in the cup. At the beginning of primary, introduce the activity by placing the covered cups on a table and asking for some brave volunteers.
You can blindfold your participants for an extra element of surprise. I would recommend using a bandana like these on Amazon or a towel to cover their eyes. After they agree to participate, you can instruct them whether their food item is something they should drink or use with a spoon.
After having a few children try the mystery items in the taste test, ask them about their experience. Was it scary? Why did it make them nervous? Would they feel more comfortable if they could see the food item before they took a bite? This would be a great time to transition into a discussion about following the commandments.
Activity Instructions:
- Prepare 3-4 mystery food items. Place each food/drink in a cup and make sure to put a utensil in the cup if necessary. Cover the cups with tin foil or plastic wrap.
- At the beginning of primary, place each covered cup on the table. Explain to the children that you are doing a taste-test in primary and need a few *brave* volunteers (this is usually how I get older kids to volunteer).
- Keeping the cups covered, invite each child to choose which cup they want to eat from. Place a blindfold on their eyes.
- While singing the first verse of Keep the Commandments (flip chart here), invite one child to eat from their cup whenever they are ready.
- After completing one verse, repeat the song and have the second volunteer eat from the mystery cup.
- After the taste test is completed, ask your volunteers what the experience was like for them. Discuss how it can be difficult to follow the commandments when we don’t see the bigger picture. Heavenly Father wants to keep us safe.
Extension Ideas:
- If you are short on time, pass around a cup with the mystery food while you are singing. When the music stops, have someone guess that food is inside.
- Put children into small groups and have each group try a unique food item while singing.
- Create a small team of two people. Have one partner place the blindfold over their eyes. They will be the “Guesser.” Have the other partner do the taste test and try to describe the drink/food to their partner!
If you are looking for another fun idea to review Keep the Commandments, check out this Keep the Commandments – Color the Commandments activity!
What fun foods will you bring into primary for the taste test challenge?
