TITHING: LDS Activity Days – Developing Talents – Goal 1 – pay tithing and save for an education, blessings

YOUTH LESSON ACTIVITY. TITHING & MONEY envelopes, scripture chase, and game. Youth can learn to budget with My Cash Commitment envelopes: Spending, short-term savings, long-term savings, and tithing. Enjoy the Malachi 3:10 “open the windows of heaven” scripture chase. Play the Mind Your Money game to learn how to build a bright not to end up in “financial despair.” 

INVITATION

TO MAKE & DELIVER INVITATION.
Print, fill out, and give invitations to youth a week ahead (perhaps during the previous week’s activity to invite them to the next). 

ASSIGN TREATS:
• Have youth pair up to bring treats for the next activity.
• See matching THOUGHT TREATS below each activity.

ACTIVITIES:

My Cash Commitment (Envelopes) 

Youth can divide their money, e.g., 10% tithing, 30% education, 20% long-term savings (write in goal), 20% short-term savings, 20% spending.

Windows of Heaven (Scripture Chase)

Talk about how the Lord has promised to bless us as we faithfully pay tithing. Read Malachi 3:10 (“Open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”). 
Scripture Chase. Divide into teams. Take turns drawing a card and both teams race to find the scripture. The first team to find it places it in their scriptures to mark their place and earns a point. Take turns reading the scriptures found.

THOUGHT TREAT Stained Glass Window Cookies. Make cookies and share this THOUGHT: Tell the youth that opening the windows of heaven starts by paying tithing as it is an act of faith.

Try this recipe from Sally’s Baking Recipes (click HERE). She says, “These stained glass window cookies are made with my favorite sugar cookies. Cut out the center of each and fill with crushed hard candies before baking. The candy melts as the cookies bake, creating a gorgeous windowpane effect. There’s no extra decorating or icing required! …”

Mind Your Money (Game)

Discover ways to a bright future. This way you are less likely to end up in “financial despair.” We all need to save our money for the things that will make a difference. You can save your money by not having FOMO Fear Of Missing Out (not spending for pleasure, but for need). 

This game will help you learn to make good money choices NOW so you can have a jump-start on your FUTURE. You can save for items such as college tuition, books, purchase of an automobile, gasoline, car repair, car insurance, rent, food, clothing, and entertainment.

“Mind Your Money” Game Rules

Divide into two teams, giving each team an arrow marker (team 1 or team 2), placing markers at the START. Teams take turns rolling a die to determine the number of moves on the path. Throw the die to determine who moves first (highest number starts). The first team to play rolls the die and moves along the path the number of spaces rolled.

The player reads an action on the coin they land on. The player decides if the action is “minding your money” or if it is “misusing your money.” The player moves their arrow toward the FUTURE if the situation on the coin shows “minding your money” action. Or, the player moves their arrow back towards the START if the coin shows is a “misusing your money” action. This is the direction they will travel on their next turn (for one turn only) unless the choice causes them to change directions. If they get all the way to START they can begin again.

THIS WILL HELP YOU SEE THE DIRECTION THAT GOOD AND BAD MONEY CHOICES TAKE YOU.

THOUGHT TREATS (Tithing Toast). See instructions to make (below).
Thought: Youth need not be “toast” when the earth is burned preparing for the second coming. See D&C 64:23 “Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.”

To Make Money Toast: Butter bread and sprinkle colored sugar (green for bills and yellow for coins. To color sugar, add food coloring to granulated sugar and mix in a plastic zip-close bag). Broil buttered and sugared toast for 2–3 minutes in the oven.

THIS ACTIVITY CAN ALSO BE USED FOR Come Follow Me

• SEPTEMBER Lesson 7 “Why do we pay tithing?”