Buzzing Beatitudes

Materials:

Bible
Card stock
Marker or pen for writing
Printer paper (optional)
Pencil and crayons (markers, colored pencils) for drawing and coloring (optional)
Tape, glue or sticker machine (optional)
Bee stamp and ink pad, or bee stickers—at least 17 (optional)

Getting Started:

This learning activity is for teaching and reinforcing Matthew 5:3-10. Commonly referred to as the “Beatitudes,” these descriptions of beautiful attitudes are taken from a portion of Jesus Christ’s famous Sermon on the Mount. 

This is a variation of the “Old Maid” card game. Since this learning game works well for information that can be studied in pairs, a wide variety of topics could be tailored into this format. As long as each card has a corresponding card, any number of pairs could be used. Just remember to include one distinct card—the “Old Maid” card. 

To create the Buzzing Beatitudes learning activity, here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. On card stock, print off and cut out the bee image cards from pages 3-5. The bee images will become the backs of the cards for the Buzzing Beatitudes deck. Alternatively, you can use stickers, stamps, or draw bees on each card. Be sure to make them look as uniform as possible.

2. On the fronts of the bee cards (the blank side), write down the beatitude pairs according to the “Beatitudes Breakdown Guide” on page 2. Draw and color a large bee on the extra card. Alternatively, print on regular printer paper the beatitude pairs and large bee image from page 6, cut down to size, and paste onto the fronts of the bee cards. 

3. You should have 16 cards with beatitude pairs and one “Old Maid” card—17 cards total.

While creating and discussing this activity, you may want to reference the following key scripture passages:

• The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)
• Blessings and woes (Luke 6:20-26)

To play:

For two or more players. Shuffle and deal out all the cards (because of an odd-numbered deck, players may not have the same number of cards). Make as many pairs as possible from your own hand and place them face-up in front of you. Hold the remaining cards in your hand so that your opponent(s) can’t see the fronts of your cards (with the writing). The dealer then fans out his or her cards. The player to the left of the dealer chooses one card from the dealer’s hand. If the player can make a pair in his or her own hand, he or she places that pair face-up immediately. That player then fans out his or her cards for the next player to choose a card. Play continues to the left in this fashion (or back and forth if there are only two players). The player left holding the card with no match—the “Old Maid”—loses. Alternate Rule: If agreed upon at the beginning of the game, the player left holding the “Old Maid” wins. 

At the end of the game, challenge your family members to arrange each pair in proper order as listed in Scripture.

Here are a few suggestions to expand on the idea:

•  Remove the “Old Maid” card and play “Go Fish” or “Concentration.”
•  Create a deck of cards for memory work, pairing scriptural passage with scripture reference.
•  Create a deck of cards for the armor of God, pairing images with descriptions.