David and I started holding FHE as newlyweds- before all these children came along- which established a great foundation and habit for us to actually have FHE when those kids started showing up! In this post I am going to focus on FHE with toddlers as well as general ideas about how to get started.
In the title I promised 3 ways that I attempt to do FHE. I say attempt because, well, you'll find out in #3.
I am in no way perfect at this, but I have seen great blessings come from meeting together and learning as a family on a weekly basis. And now my 3 yr old asks almost daily if it's time for "family 'nevening", so how can I not do it? Okay I won't make you wait any longer. Here goes my 3 ways I tackle the task of FHE.
#1 Choose a Principle to Teach- This is how I usually start. I think of something I want to teach my family. Sometimes I'll ask David, because he does preside over our household, and he'll give suggestions on what he thinks we could learn. It often comes from recent experiences. For example, my kids hadn't been acting very reverent during the Sacrament lately, so I wanted to teach about reverence in family home evening. Sometimes it's less of a Gospel related topic and focuses more on something they could be doing better at home (i.e. sharing or cleaning up toys). Don't you worry though! I always find some way to include Heavenly Father or Jesus by saying something like "this makes Them happy" or "this shows respect and love". The point here is, you can teach anything good in your home and it can relate to the Gospel and be considered a family home evening lesson.
After I have chosen a principle to teach, I then find activities to go along with it. Coloring pages, acting out a story or situation, pictures or printouts easily recognized by small children (i.e. animals, food, family members, etc.) are a few of the favorites at our house. This part of the lesson is usually what you'll refer back to when putting the principle into practice. (While in Sacrament meeting I can remind my kids which animal they are trying to be like to be the most reverent- in case you're curious, it's a butterfly!) So make sure the activity is fun and memorable and any time your kids talk about it TRY to relate it back to the principle being taught. Otherwise you'll have memories of FHEs about sandwiches and butterflies!
In a lesson centered FHE the lesson part usually lasts 5-7 minutes and the activities last anywhere from 5-15 minutes. Obviously with adults and/or older kids you can use the Scriptures more and have discussions, but with toddlers simplicity is key!
 |
| Playing the roll of Ammon |
 |
| Coloring the Armour of God |
#2 Choose Your Activity- This one is basically reverse of #1. First I/we choose an activity and then work in a lesson from there. Last night we really wanted to have a fire and roast s'mores as our FHE activity. Not super Gospel centered, right? Wrong! We made it work. We went up the canyon to have our fire, so first off the kids were obviously intrigued because we were leaving the house for FHE. When you are in the mountains or anywhere in nature it's hard not to be reminded of a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who created this world- and there you have it, the Creation. We taught about the Creation of the world- condensing for little ones. We mostly talked about how each day something different was created, focusing on the mountains, water, and animals. My son proceeded to tell us all about how Heavenly Father loves him and Jesus is in his heart. Awe... so sweet.
The lesson itself lasted probably 3 minutes, but our outing lasted almost 2 hours. As you can see the principle being taught during an activity centered FHE doesn't take center stage, but the fun family time is so important too! Plus it add variety.
 |
| Feeding the ducks has become a favorite. |
#3 We forgot!- This is a little embarrassing to share because as you usually see on Facebook or hear from me, I have a strong testimony of the importance of family home evening. But.... even I forget sometimes. This is usually realized Monday evenings at the dinner table (we usually have FHE right after dinner on Mondays) a few minutes before everyone is finished eating. My eyes get really big and I kind of hold my breath and give David the "uh oh" look and tell him I forgot to plan FHE. Luckily with little ones we can discuss quick and low prep ideas right there over our last few bites in front of them. (I don't know why, but I kind of try to make FHE a surprise lesson/activity each week- seems more fun!- so we still talk discretely and don't make eye contact with the kids haha) Anyway, when it is super last minute our go-to plan is that David (the presiding priesthood holder in our family) will find a video (usually a Mormon Message) and we'll pop popcorn or break out a bag of candy.
I'm sure once you are well established with your weekly family home evenings that you'll find your own "I forgot" activity! Do what works. Don't "forget" every week though. Not cool.
Bonus Tips
I really do try to make FHE a priority and I start early on Monday planning and prepping for that evening. That way if I need to make, print, or buy something for the activity/lesson I have plenty of time and I don't have to scramble. Low stress that way. If it's stressful you won't want to do it.
Make it a habit. Do it every week and make sure your family expects it. You aren't in this alone. Let your family help remind you and hold you accountable for planning something. Yes it is the presiding priesthood holder's job to make sure your family is holding weekly FHE, but that does not mean you can't help. David works long days and he doesn't always have the time and resources to plan like I do. I do include him and give him opportunities to participate (asking him to tell a story from the scriptures or explain what something means, etc) and decide what to teach. I usually ask him if he has any ideas or feelings about what to teach Sunday night (a whole day in advance so he has time to think/pray). I am also the one with the kids all day, so that gives me more of an opportunity to know what they could use some help with or have a lesson on. David and I usually discuss what we think should be taught- the surprise isn't kept from him :)
Be flexible. Don't go into it thinking that it has to be a certain length of time or all activities have to be completely finished. Sometimes everyone is just done, so end there and if you missed something you wanted to do or teach save it for next week. You also don't always have to have a treat- ours is usually right before bedtime, so a treat isn't practical for toddlers trying to go to sleep soon. If you have teenagers participating though you might consider the treat a bribe haha!
Along with that, keep it simple. Don't try to overload their minds (at any age) with so much that they need to learn or change in their lives. It's a process and we learn line upon line (2 Nephi 28:30) There is always next week!
Use the scriptures! You children can be taught by stories from the scriptures and it is a great way to relate them to our time. It shows how important and helpful they can be to our lives.
Start and end with a prayer. Even if it's only ten minutes between the two, prayer sets it apart as a special time. It also invites the Spirit and teaches your family how to pray.
I definitely have lots of fun and specific FHE ideas that I have used and want to use- I usually post them on Facebook, but let me know if you're interested in detailed blog posts for each lesson or activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment